Kurt Hans Sterlinger

Kurt Hans Sterlinger May 16, 1942 – December 17, 2020. Kurt's family and friends are saddened by his untimely death after a 25-year struggle with cardiovascular disease and Type II Diabetes. Fortunately, he slipped away in his sleep. Kurt was born in Kindberg Austria, and was predeceased by his parents Sophie (Schaffer) and Johan Sterlinger and his brother Karl. Kurt is survived by his loving wife Shirley (Ball) Sterlinger, sister-in-law Geraldine Maria (Schöffmann) Sterlinger, brother-in-law Douglas Ralph Ball, sister-in-law Jean (Wallace) Ball, his nieces Carina Sterlinger, Jordana (Ball) Buchan, Stephanie Ball, great niece/nephew Joree and Dryden Buchan, and many loving cousins in Austria.

Kurt was born at the height of WW11 in Kindberg, Styria, Austria and in the immediate aftermath of World War II, Austria was divided into four occupation zones and jointly occupied by the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and France. Kurt’s section of Austria was occupied in the Russian zone until 1955. The hardship of war and the restrictions of occupation during his formative years, had a big influence on Kurt’s adult life. Kurt received his millwright training at the Bundesfachschule Bruck an der Mur Styria Austria. After graduation he worked at Alpine Steel. His friend Frank, had a friend who had already moved to Canada, so Frank, Kurt, and Werner came to Canada on a work visa in 1964. Frank tells me that Kurt had to carry his accordion. All three of them decided to stay in Canada and immigrated. Kurt first worked at a steel furniture manufacturing plant on Water St. in Vancouver, but soon joined the union and sought better employment in the mills at Port Alice. Prince Rupert, Kitimat, and the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station in Kincardine Bruce County, Ontario. Returning to Vancouver he worked at Bingham pump but they lost a big contract for pumps for a nuclear generating station, when China decided on the American model, so Kurt was laid off for the first time. He then worked at Tree Island Steel. In the late 70s he helped install the 10th generator at the W. A. C. Bennett Dam on the Peace River. He finally got his dream job at Carling O’Keefe, who were wonderful employers, and became the brewhouse specialist. In 1992 the breweries merged so he was now an employee at Molson Brewery. Kurt’s intelligence, diligence, perfectionism, unique problem-solving ability, and conscientiousness about work place safety made him a valued employee wherever he worked.

Once he was established, Kurt pursued the opportunities in life with an enormous enthusiasm. He took up skiing, tennis, hiking and biking, and eventually took windsurfing lessons at Jericho Beach sailing center after having had a spiral fracture of his femur the winter before. He liked to travel too. His first big venture was with Frank in a VW van during the gas embargo in 1973 to Mexico. His smiling blue eyes and easy laugh and easy countenance made him good company in sports as he played hard but it was a game and fun was the goal of the play.

Kurt and Shirley met at the ski cabin in Snowline Resort at Mount Baker in 1976, enjoyed one another’s company and had similar values, so it was an easy match. They were married in July 1980 and spent our honeymoon at a tennis camp at North Star Lake Tahoe, working on our tennis skills at 2 hours of tennis lessons each am, a run on the track, and traveling in the afternoon. My work colleagues thought we were out of our minds! We purchased our house on Charlford Ave in Burnaby in1981 where Shirley enjoyed an immense garden and Kurt set about to make home improvements. He put his whole heart into this and was very sad to leave when we moved to Parksville.

 We skied each weekend in winter at either Mt. Baker or Whistle/Blackcomb, the only stipulation was we didn’t ski if it was more that minus 20 degrees. Over the years we skied 33 different ski areas in the Pacific West from Lake Tahoe to Fernie. We always took a winter ski holiday. Summers were for tennis and biking and hiking with a membership to the Burnaby Indoor Club then the Burnaby Lake Tennis Center. Here we met new friends who joined us on our hiking and skiing adventures, and whom we had all the special occasion dinners with and many summer BBQS. Once we were settled, we travelled to Austria many times to visit family and explore the country, enjoying the cabin and BBQ in Karl’s garden plot in Kindberg on the Mur. We usually took a holiday with Karl, Gerit and Carina to the lake country. We had many summer trips by car throughout BC taking the windsurfer, kayak, tennis rackets and our bikes loaded onto the Jetta.

Our first lifetime dream holiday was to Club Med in Huatulco Mexico in Nov. 1996 where at the end of the first week Kurt had his first heart attack and flew by leer jet air ambulance from La Crucecita, to Angeles del Pedregal Hospital in Mexico City, and had three stents put in. Kurt walked around the Olympic site in Mexico City the afternoon of day he was discharged. Kurt was back skiing Whistler 6 weeks later. We subsequently had many trips to Puerto Vallarta, and Hawaii and one to Playa del Carmen. He loved to snorkel and watch the fish, take Spanish lessons, explore the country, the food, and the people. Once moving to Parksville in 2006 we rekindled a friendship with Diana and Roger and had many trips to Hawaii with them-Roger misses Kurt’s company there since Kurt has been unable to travel since his below the knee amputation in Dec. 2016.

Kurt was the bravest person I have ever met. He had enormous personal strength and will. He faced the multiple health challenges ferociously attacking his recovery and return to full functioning. He worked so hard after his amputation with the goal to ride his bike again, but unfortunately it was not to be. He was disciplined about the care of his diabetes as well. He attended the gym regularly, and continued as many activities as his health allowed. A good day was dependent on the number of deer, geese, sea lions, or rabbits he saw. The last 6 months have been really challenging as his heart failed but Kurt made the best of each day and made an effort to always present himself well dressed. His t-shirts were the tale of our trips around North America, and provided an opportunity to engage in conversation wherever he was. As one of my colleagues from work in Burnaby says “he was a larger-than-life man”.

We are grateful for supportive family, his prosthetist Markus Säufferer, the staff in emergency and cardiology, and rehabilitation at NRGH especially Dr Deutscher, Dr Ontko and his family doctor Dr. Morris his partner Dr. Chis Kwiatkowski. Thank you to the BC Ambulance Service and the RCMP. The staff at Yates Funeral Home have been amazing.

A socially distanced small ceremony of family and friends for placement of the urn in the crematorium at Yates Funeral Garden will be held at a later date. Donations in lieu of flowers can be made to Arrowsmith Tennis Club PO Box 166 Parksville BC V9P 2G4 towards a legacy project, or to the Arrowsmith Search and Rescue 3237 Alberni Hwy, Qualicum Beach, BC V9K 1X5. We have donated to heart and stroke and diabetes and cancer for years but for me Kurt was not a disease and want his memory to contribute to something he loved.

Lives Cherished and Celebrated