Johannes Pfeifer

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of John Pfeifer, in Calgary, Alberta on Wednesday, September 5, 2018 at the age of 83 years. Beloved husband to Sarah, father to Linda (Chris) Melis, Sandra (Dan) Oelhaupl, and James (Kathy) Pfeifer; grandfather to Shenara, Kyla, Justine, Joshua and Ashley; and great-grandfather to Josephine.

John was born in the Ukraine in 1934, the second oldest of 5 siblings, the oldest Kaspar followed by Valentine, Rosa and Christa. By the time war broke out on the European continent, John was fleeing with his family to Germany. As an eight-year-old, he was helping to keep his youngest sister quiet while they ran under the cover of darkness. Despite growing up during the difficulties posed by the 2nd world war, he fondly remembered being barefoot and free, diving the black sea for lobster to cook over an open fire on the shore. His upbringing definitely made him into the man he was; skilled at building, fixing and solving mechanical problems, ready to lend a hand to anyone who needed something fixed, along with a little lesson on how to do it right in the first place.

John came to Canada in 1957 to follow his entrepreneurial heart and was soon introduced to Sarah, a feisty Scottish lass! Marrying in 1962, three children followed; Linda in 1963, Sandra in 1967 and James, surprisingly in 1970.

Together, John and Sarah raised their children in the community of Bowness. Enjoying life along the Bow River, John could be found throwing a lure in and pulling a fish out. In the late ‘70’s, John began his own welding company; Pfeifer Welding Ltd. and quickly built a clientele that trusted and admired his commitment to quality. Even after realizing that retirement at the age of 76 was a well-deserved reward for delivering on countless jobs: from oilfields across the North, welding pipelines, fixing boilers, building steel structures to repurposing machines of all sorts, John could still be found working in his garage. Visitors to his garage would find him eager to offer a solution to a problem, a story to bend an ear and a cold beer to quench their thirst. He may also have offered you the produce from his garden; squash, lettuce and cucumbers, and for a lucky few, he would bake up a rhubarb pie or two!

John will always be remembered as a hardworking man, who loved to assemble, disassemble, invent and re-engineer any piece of equipment you put in front of him. His bright smile, his sometimes-stern demeanour and his opening salvo “Hey, I have a question for you…” will be dearly missed.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in John’s name directly to the Alberta Children’s Hospital. https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/Facilities/ACH/page59.asp

Expressions of sympathy may be forwarded to the family via the website www.fostersgardenchapel.ca

Relatives and friends are invited to visit with the family at a Memorial Reception held at Foster’s Garden Chapel, 3220 – 4 Street N.W., Calgary, Alberta (across from Queen’s Park Cemetery) on Monday, September 10, 2018 from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in John’s name directly to the Alberta Children’s Hospital.

Expressions of sympathy may be forwarded to the family via the website www.fostersgardenchapel.ca