He is survived by his loving wife, Erin Rowe, and their beloved daughter, Rosa Nielsen. He was the son of Ken and Colette Nielsen; brother of Shannon Coppins (Kevin); grandson to Ralph Gaudet and predeceased by grandparents Colleen Gaudet and Søren and Rosa Nielsen. He was a son-in-law to Michael Rowe (Donna) and Rhonda Flemming; brother-in-law to Will Rowe (Angela, Kate, and Kaylea), James Rowe (predeceased) (Alison, Gavin, and Abigail), Rob Rowe (Michelle, Audrina, Desmond, and Willow), and Corey Rowe (Alyssa); and nephew to Laila and Bob Quinton (Michelle, Dario (predeceased), Debbie, Michael, Mitchell, Nicola, and Quinton), Mary Ann and Ric Jackson (Trevor, Valerie, and Keir), Rick and Mia Nielsen (Annalise, Kyra, and Erica), Michelle and Kevin Curtis (Kristen and Caitlin), Howard and Lori Gaudet (Ryan, Michelle, Whitney, and Dwight), and Jim and Tina Gaudet (Jim).
Carsten was a loving and dedicated husband and father who spent as much time with his family as anyone could dream. Carsten lived a life without regrets and made choices that propelled him to be the person we all loved and admired. As a family, we got things done, tackled everything head on, and became more open, honest, and positive as we faced the greatest of challenges.
Carsten was a beloved member of the cycling and programming communities. He shared his love of food, coffee, wine, and craft beer with anyone lucky enough to spend time with him. He was a great cook, phenomenal host, craftsman, outdoorsman, and wood fire enthusiast. He was an artist and motorist, with a growing interest in the environment and sustainable technologies.
Carsten will be deeply missed and remembered as the person in the room you’d seek out. He was able to make people instantly comfortable; after a casual meeting you’d consider him a friend. He was genuine, caring, smart, collaborative, thoughtful, kind, patient, funny, and loving. His laughter was contagious. His tea kettle laugh was the stuff of legend. He’d make you feel special and valued and brought out everyone’s best qualities. He encouraged those he loved to make decisions that would drive them forward to a positive place. He was uniquely able to connect people across all communities. We are all so lucky to have had him in our lives.
A special thank you to Dr. Wasi and the team at the Juravinski Cancer Centre, the Oncology Day Services staff at Juravinski Hospital, and all the Hamilton Health Sciences professionals for all they did to support us. His healthcare professionals never gave up and repeatedly demonstrated the best in collaboration, hard work, and empathy. Even after his terminal prognosis his team was able to make him well enough to travel on a four-day dream trip to Maui, Hawaii.
A celebration of life memorial service will be held on Monday, June 17th, 2019 from 2 to 4 pm at the Royal Botanical Gardens (remarks at 3pm): RBG Centre 680 Plains Road West, Burlington, ON, L7T 4H4.
In lieu of flowers, contributions to Rosa’s education can be made via the following link: https://www.gofundme.com/rosaeducationfund
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