Horst Karl Foerster, 89, of Loveland, passed away on May 14, 2024 after a sudden decline in health. He ultimately succumbed to heart and kidney failure. He passed peacefully at McKee Medical Center, surrounded by many loved ones (so many, in fact, that the nurse wanted to kick ‘em all out ‘cause the room was too full!) He was determined to sleep in his own bed one last time, but God had other plans.
Horst was born to Konrad and Else (Engler) Förster as a “Preemy” 7 month old Baby on November 21, 1934, in Reussendorf, County Waldenburg in Silesia (Schlesien) Germany (which is now part of Poland.) In 1939, His parents had to move to the western part of Germany to avoid the oncoming conflict that would become World War II. The parents packed up his older sister Waltraud and him and ended up in the little Luftkurort (climatic health resort) town of Hitzacker “an die Elbe”. This quaint little river-island town has a history that stretches back to the 1200’s A.D.
Horst was one of four children: with two sisters, Waltraud (Traudel), and Ursula (Uschi), and a brother Herbert. Fortunately, he and his family were spared the brunt of devastation experienced by so much of the German country and peoples. The town he grew up in was about 63 miles upriver from Hamburg on the Elbe. His childhood was fraught with the scarcity and hardships of post-war Germany. He was a resilient kid, however, making the most of the things he and his friends could find in the forest surrounding his town and along the river. He was a skinny kid who loved adventure, friendship, and a little mischief every now and then. He was athletic and enjoyed playing soccer (fussball), gymnastics and track and field. He excelled in the high jump and long jump events, where he even held the Wülfrath city record in those two events for 2 years straight. He was diagnosed with scoliosis when he was a teen and sports helped strengthen his body and helped delay the effects of that ailment for quite some time.
He managed to make it through 8-1/2 years of schooling before beginning trade school to learn furniture making and finish carpentry. He went to school one day a week for three years to learn about wood, drafting, math and the other fundamentals of woodworking. He worked in a wood shop during this time under the guidance of a Master Craftsman and earned enough money to buy a three-speed bike, which he rode 18 miles (one way) to the trade school each week. He finished trade school and became a Wood Craftsman. He worked at various wood shops throughout the area around Dusseldorf.
In 1961, Horst had an opportunity to come to the United States to work, bringing his skills to teach other aspiring woodworkers. He moved to Kelim, Colorado, and worked for Viking Cabinets under his sponsor, Leo Preuss. He was supposed to only work for two years, having left a girlfriend, as well as his entire family, back in Germany. However, at a company Christmas party, he met a woman who would soon become his first wife. She was a German immigrant as well, and just happened to live in Loveland. He married Renate Tscheuschner at the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Loveland, Colorado, on November 21, 1963 (yes, on his birthday!) With the help of a few friends, he built a house in Loveland and trimmed it out as only a master craftsman could! They had three children: Christine, Michael and Marcus. He would prove to be an endearing father: hard-working, patient, kind, encouraging, supportive and creative. He spent lots of time with his children and was always teaching life skills in those moments. He was definitely a true Family Man.
In 1980, Horst was divorced and soon found a new beginning with his second wife, Margaret (Rosin) Schick. They were married on June 29, 1985, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Loveland, Colorado. Margaret came as a package deal with two children, Mary and Mark. He brought them into his loving arms, and he accepted them as his own children. He built a new house, also in Loveland, to accommodate the expanded family. In the tradition of his woodworking profession, most of the construction was done by himself, but, this time, he had able-bodied children to help in the construction. He lived in this house until the passing of his beloved Margaret, who preceded him in death on February 15, 2022.
He then moved in with his son Marcus and family, to Johnstown, Colorado, where he enjoyed two years of adventure, a close family unit and annoying his daughter-in-law with his many quirky habits. They were so loving and supportive and delighted in having him in their home. They made sure that Horst had many more adventures with camping trips to the mountains, a trip to Alaska, and other excursions around the state. In December of 2023, he moved to the Lodge at Greeley, where he made many new friends and enjoyed the warm atmosphere, the comradery and good food. He started exercising regularly and gained some strength and stamina for his effort.
Over the course of his 37-year union with Margaret, they built a life of love, faith and family. They enjoyed traveling to Germany to visit relatives and friends, as well as taking a cruise to St. Petersburg, Russia. They also ventured to Australia to visit a long-lost cousin of Margaret’s. That was a truly inspiring and memorable trip! They were hosts to an exchange student, nephew Stephan Schöpps-Engler, as well as a female pastor that they met while in St. Petersburg. They enjoyed gardening and had an amazing crop of vegetables and roses, but the raspberries were the highlight of the summer every year! They were proud parents to their five children and were supportive of everything they did. They were thrilled to welcome their grandchildren (and great grandchildren) and delighted in holding these little bundles of joy. They kept busy attending events for all their grandchildren. One thrilling (and sometimes worrisome) activity was watching their grandson Kyle Gardner ride the Big Bulls of the PRCA rodeo circuit. They cared for each other, through thick and thin, good health and bad, and never failed to kiss each other hello and goodbye.
Horst really loved his profession. He worked for Viking Cabinets for about 12 years. He went on to work for Rocky Mountain Furniture, making custom furniture with 6 other talented woodworkers. He then worked for the son of his sponsor, Gunter Preuss, first at Mastercraft Cabinets as a jig and fixture maker, and then at Innovative Companies as craftsman and teacher. Later, he worked for another Preuss company, Genesis Innovations, from which he finally retired, in 2006. He was a magician with wood. He never met a scrap of wood he couldn’t turn into an amazing piece of furniture, or a magnificent work of art. He was so creative and talented with his craft and made so many wonderful pieces of furniture and cabinetry for his home. All these heirloom pieces live on in the homes of his children.
He was also a tinkerer and never met a device he couldn’t disassemble, (mostly) repair and reuse. He could make or repair just about anything, sometimes using the most unlikely bits of material salvaged from some project he had worked on or found discarded somewhere along the way. I think because of the nature of his childhood and experiences in Germany, he saved everything that he thought could be useful “sometime down the road”. His garage workshop and his shed were a testament to that habit.
Horst loved camping and hiking in the mountains, skiing, fishing, riding bikes, gardening, playing cards with a group of close-knit friends, and he loved conversation. He was the one to reach out with a phone call just to say hello. He always wanted to know how you were doing and what was new. He was the glue that bound his Germany family together. He would venture back there every few years (with his wife and children, of course) and made it a point to visit as many family members and friends as possible. He welcomed his German family members into his home on every occasion that they ventured to the United States for a visit.
Horst will be greatly missed by everyone who knew him. His family is saddened by his passing but take great solace in knowing he had great trust in God and walks with Him in His heavenly kingdom. He was a longtime member of Trinity Lutheran Church, where he leaves a legacy of friendship, stewardship, and of course, lasting examples of his woodworking craft.
Horst is survived by his daughter Christine (Joe) Schepker of Weldona, CO, with grandchild Andrea Shean (Stan Huston) of Hudson and great grandchildren Stanley, Lillian, Ariadne and Zariah, Grandchild Johanna (Joe) Emery of Ault and great grandchildren Audrey and Genny, and grandchild Richard Schepker; Son Michael (Melissa) Foerster of Fort Collins with grandchildren Haley, Erika and Gabriel; son Marcus (Laurie) Foerster of Johnstown with grandchildren Dylan and Rylee; daughter Mary (Jeff) Gardner of Kersey, grandchildren Kyle, Kirsten (Damien) Siegel, Kaylee (Quinton) Blunn with great grandchildren Porter and Breckyn; son Mark (Tina) Schick of Henderson, NV, with grandchildren Josiah, Isabelle (Abhi) Pradhan, Luke and Joel and great-grandchild Maxen.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Margaret, his sister Waltraud, his brothers-in-law Arnold, Leo and Reinhard Rosin, and sisters-in-law Frieda and Irma, and his grandson Zachary Shean. He was also devastated by the passing of his nephew, Ulli Förster, of Buchdorf, Germany.
A Celebration of Life will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church in Loveland, at 1pm with a Graveside service and interment at 2pm at Resthaven Memory Gardens. Those that wish to view and say their final goodbyes may do so before the service, beginning at 12:30pm. Everyone is invited back to the church for a Kaffee Klatsch at 3pm where you can enjoy coffee, pie, finger foods, fellowship, stories, and remembrance with the family at Horst’s traditional afternoon coffee time.
In lieu of flowers, you may consider donating to Horst’s favorite charity: Tunnels to Towers Foundation. (http://www.t2t.org) Since 9/11, they have been helping America’s heroes by providing mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children and by building specially-adapted smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders. They are also committed to eradicating veteran homelessness and helping America to Never Forget September 11, 2001.
Treasured memories and stories of Horst may be shared with his family at resthavencolorado.com.
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