November 18, 1940 to July 12, 2013
Erwin was born in Czechoslovakia and grew up in Cloverdale, BC. After graduating from UBC he moved with his wife Leslie to work at Pratt Whitney Aircraft in Montreal.
In 1978, Erwin and his family arrived in Fruitvale. Initially, much of his free time was spent on a house-building project, but he still found time to indulge his passion for fishing—when the salmon flies were hatching, he was an extra happy man! Biking, hiking, canoeing, the birds, trees, plants, skiing, dinner dances in the Gulch and steak fries by the Columbia were all important parts of his Kootenay life.
Erwin’s professional life as a metallurgical engineer challenged and satisfied his keen mind. At Cominco, and later CESL, he worked in Materials Engineering with an emphasis in welding procedures and inspection, failure analysis and pressure vessels. Erwin left CESL in 1992 to work with West Coast Energy, based in Vancouver.
With the move to Squamish in 1993, Erwin’s road bike became a very well used mountain bike, he fished fresh and salt water, took up cooking, renewed his interest in duplicate bridge and specialty beers and connected with many new and old friends. Although Erwin travelled widely over the years, he always felt his own back yard was the sweetest place on the planet.
A loving, supportive father to his sons, Michael, Alan and Jonathan, Erwin always took a genuine interest in his family’s activities. He set a good example with his honesty, integrity and caring. Erwin welcomed his daughters-in-law, Monique, Lisa and Kathy, into the family with warmth and love.
Erwin delighted in sharing his appreciation and knowledge of nature. His five grandchildren have gleefully absorbed their Opa’s enthusiasm and will always associate Opa with huckleberries, birds and other wild things. Davis, Mackenzie, Stella, Gillian and Oliver were read to, snuggled, taken on bike rides, taught many things, and played with by an Opa who could be serious but also very, very silly.
As he wished, Erwin died at home in Squamish. His family were gathered on the bed, loving him completely as they always have. During the seven months of his illness, Erwin dealt with his pancreatic cancer with calm and grace, opening his heart to both family and friends.
We shall miss him deeply.
A Celebration of Erwin’s Life will be held at 1:30 on Thursday, July 25 at the Executive Suites Hotel, 40900 Tantalus Road, Squamish.
In lieu of flowers, donations to a charity of your choice would be appreciated.