Herta Boll

1929 – 2017

Herta Boll passed away peacefully on May 18, 2017 in Calgary, Alberta. Herta was born in Mathildendorf, Bessarabia, Romania on August 9, 1929, to parents Lydia (born Giessler) and Rudolf Vollmer. The 4th of 7 children, Herta lived on the family farm until 1940 when the Vollmers fled Bessarabia in what is now known as “the Trek.” Their 5-year journey passed through Austria, Poland and Germany. After the war Herta settled in Stuttgart, Germany, where she met Kurt Boll. They married in 1952 and son Klaus Dieter was born in 1953.

In March 1954 many members of the Vollmer family packed their few belongings and emigrated to Canada. The long voyage started on the ship the Beaverbrae and ended in Taber, Alberta, where Herta and Kurt worked for 2 challenging years on a sugar beet farm. In 1956 they happily moved to Calgary where daughter Rosemarie was born in 1957. Supported by Herta’s attentive homemaking skills, Kurt started his own company, Bolland Construction. The young family enjoyed a busy life, particularly the many camping and fishing trips to the mountains. Along the way, Herta and Kurt fell in love with British Columbia and in 1983 they moved to Kootenay Bay BC. There they started the most ambitious construction project of their lives, and 2 years later they moved into their hand-built dream home on Kootenay Lake. They settled into a comfortable life as Oma and Opa to 2 granddaughters, Sandra and Stephanie. Life was best lived out of doors – gardening, hiking, boating, and of course, fishing. Kurt reeled them in and Herta cooked them to perfection. Herta and Kurt turned their love of wine into a 15-year wine-making enterprise that filled their cellar with hundreds of bottles. Family and friends returned time and again, eagerly anticipating Herta’s perfectly-grilled steaks and unrivalled mocha torte. Herta and Kurt travelled a few times to Europe, but their hearts remained in the Kootenays.

In 2016, the challenges of aging in a rural area brought Herta and Kurt back to Calgary, where they were reunited with family and old friends. Herta and Kurt continued their life’s journey together until May 18, 2017 when Herta passed away peacefully. Left to cherish her memory are Kurt, her husband of 64 years, son Klaus Dieter (Wilma), daughter Rosemarie (Ron Wigglesworth), granddaughters Sandra Popovich (Richard) and Stephanie Coulson (Foster), and great-grandsons Kurtis, Taylor, Alexander and Nicholas Popovich, and Baron Coulson. Herta is missed by her sisters Natalie Marofke and Renate Ahner, and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. Gone before her are parents Lydia and Rudolf, and brothers Quido, Albert, Helmut and Friedrich. A Celebration of life will be held at FOSTER’S GARDEN CHAPEL, 3220 – 4 Street N.W., Calgary (across from Queen’s Park Cemetery) on Saturday, June 10, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. Herta loved gardening, and flowers are welcome. Expressions of sympathy may be forwarded to the family via the website www.fostersgardenchapel.ca.