Siegfried was born on September 22, 1933 in Seiferdau, Germany. He had a tumultuous childhood, with his family becoming refugees after the end of the war and fleeing first to the Czech Republic and then to Austria. After returning to Germany and living in Ludensheid for some years, adventure on the distant shores of Canada beckoned, and Siegfried eventually emigrated to Ontario in the early 50’s.
Siegfried worked primarily as a hard rock underground miner throughout his career. He worked all over Canada, including Sudbury; Saskatchewan; Stewart; Yellowknife; the Yukon; Britannia Beach; Jordan River; and Campbell River. He was a world record holder in mining, being part of a crew that broke a number of tunnelling records in the 1960s at Stewart’s Granduc Mine. Siegfried was careful and exact, with a keen and logical mind honed from a young age having learned chess from the local priest. These attributes served him well in the mining industry, where a superintendent once pointed out a perfectly straight tunnel to the family on a tour and attributed it to Siegfried. He was relentless when faced with a problem. The Victoria Times Colonist had a challenging crossword contest many years ago, and he essentially cracked it, winning several times. His logical mind, ease with calculations, and exactness, coupled with his construction skills resulted in the single-handed completion of a house on Hornby Island that would weather the strongest storms.
Siegfried had a great passion for the outdoors. Being in nature afforded him peace and a chance to think. From hikes along the Quinsam River, to multiple summits of Mt. Baker, to trekking in the Himalayas and cycling in Europe, to family camping, backpacking and gold panning trips, he loved it all. Rain, snow, or sleet would not deter Siegfried from getting outside.
A thinker by nature, Siegfried was quite content to sit in his camp chair sipping his coffee and pondering the world’s problems. His wisdom led those close to him to turn to Siegfried for counsel, and it led him to have a strong sense of justice. He always spoke out about unfairness in the world and always sided with those less fortunate. He also had a wicked sense of humour and kept those around him laughing.
Above all, however, Siegfried’s greatest legacy is the love he had for his family. He was an extraordinary father and grandfather and the well-being of his children and grandchildren was always his top priority. He will be profoundly missed.
Siegfried is survived by his daughter, Annette Rohr (Stu Harris) of Redmond, Washington, his stepson, Steven Hickton (Karen) of Victoria, BC, grandchildren Kelsey, Connor, and Arabella, and his sister, Christine, of Deisenhofen, Germany. Siegfried was predeceased by his brother, Horst, of Ludensheid, Germany.
Siegfried’s family would like to thank the staff at Evergreen Seniors Home whose care and compassion helped brighten his days over the past several years.
A funeral mass will be held at St. Patrick’s Catholic Parish at 34 South Alder Street, Campbell River on January 18/2020 at 11:00 am, followed by a reception to celebrate Siegfried’s life. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Hornby Island Conservancy (https://www.conservancyhornbyisland.org/about) where he spent many happy times.
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