Horst Otto Schwuchow

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Horst Schwuchow. Horst died peacefully after a lengthy stay in hospital. We are so grateful to the physicians, nurses and care attendants at Chilliwack General Hospital for their kindness and care throughout this very difficult time. We are especially grateful to Carrie who brightened Horst's day, and to Lina who cared for Horst in his final hours. A special thank you to Sophia whose wisdom and counsel to Beverly in the final hours of Horst's life made such a great difference.

Horst was predeceased by his parents, Martha and Ernst; brothers, Hans, Gerd (Eva) and his sisters Liselotte (Harry) and Ursula; his sister-in-law Christal and brother-in-law Gerd. He is survived by his beloved wife, Beverly of 43 years; his sons Horst Hans Jr. (Annette), Claus (Frances), Rolf (Petra) and his grandchildren Isabel and Nicholas. He is also survived by his brothers, Werner, Eckehard (Gisela), Peter (Betina) and his sisters, Ruth and Christal (Christian) along with many nieces and nephews in Germany and here in Canada.

Horst was born in Neureblin, Germany, the 5th of 10 children. He immigrated to Canada on June 3, 1956 aboard the "Seven Seas" landing in Montreal, PQ. From Montreal he made his way to Kitchener, Ontario, living there until June 5, 1957 wherein he and his friend, Manfred, rode their bicycles across Canada arriving in Vancouver the same year. Horst was employed by Maple Leaf Foods (formerly Canada Packers) for 37 years. In that same period of time he lived in Pitt Meadows, North Vancouver, Langley, finally moving to Chilliwack in 2017 and living there until his passing.

Horst loved sports - bicycling and soccer were two of his favorites. He coached his two oldest sons and refereed for the Ridge Meadows Soccer Club. He also enjoyed calligraphy, working with inlaid wood and especially loved his garden. Horst will be remembered also for his love of music and his singing talent. He sang in both the Vancouver Alpine Club and Richmond Austrian Club choirs but mostly spent his singing time in various bands. He sang with the Continentals, the Alpiners, and the Amber Band. The bands were at many events; weddings, anniversaries, Christmas and New Years celebrations, weekly dances at the Vancouver Alpine Club and Richmond Austrian Club. The big events were the Oktoberfests; Vancouver BC Place, Expo 86 at the Bavarian Gardens, Kimberley, Nanaimo, White Rock, Chilliwack, Hotel Vancouver, Spokane and Leavenworth, Washington, etc. His ability to sing was ended after his Parkinson's disease became more serious and Horst struggled with not being able to sing. However, his love of music never ended.

A celebration of Horst's life will be held at Woodlawn Mt. Cheam Funeral Home on October 22, 2026. Family and friends are welcome. Details may be found below.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Parkinson's Society of BC. A donation link may be found below.