‘Papa’ passed away unexpectedly on October 28, 2014. He was born in Braunschweig, Germany in 1940 where he obtained his trade as a machinist. In 1960 he emigrated to Canada and in 1963 married his beloved wife Darlene (Blais). Ernie lived and worked in many parts of Canada, including Renfrew, Yellowknife, Rossland, Salmon Valley (Prince George) and finally Fruitvale. He worked at Cominco multiple times and retired from there after working mainly in the machine shop and briefly in the lead smelter, in 1997.
Ernie loved to hike in the back country with his friend Tony, was an avid skier and a member of the ‘Old Bastards Club’ at Red Mountain. Ernie also loved to visit with family and friends over a beer or a few glasses of wine.
Ernie was predeceased by his beloved wife Darlene on July 20th of this year, his parents Henny and Erich, younger brothers Klaus and Guenter. He was a good friend to many, a dedicated husband and a great father and grandfather. He will be greatly missed by his daughter Angela (Howie), grandchildren Alexandria and Liam, his cat, Panda and many other family and friends.
Thank you to everyone who helped him over the past few difficult months. His unexpected death is a true testament to his love for his wife and the impact that the loss of her had on him.
A Celebration of Life will follow in 2015. Gwen Ziprick of Alternatives Funeral and Cremation Services has been entrusted with the arrangements. You are invited to leave a personal message of condolence by visiting the family’s register at www.myalternatives.ca
As an expression of sympathy your donations to the Kidney Foundation of Canada www.kidney.ca would be greatly appreciated.