Bernd was passionate about his much loved country of origin, Germany, as well as his home in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He returned frequently to Germany for business and for vacations. He was the owner of a very successful small business, Canimpex. He was a highly intelligent, self-educated man who started life in Jena, Germany, before the country’s division into East and West.
Bernd and Monika arrived in Canada in 1962, and they married in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1964. They lived in Hong Kong from 1983 to 1996, while Bernd was still employed by the international firm, Carl Zeiss.
Although Bernd and Monika did not have children, they mentored close friends and neighbours, and offered generous hospitality to their visitors (human and animal), many of whom became their extended surrogate family. Bernd had a remarkable gentleness with his budgies, who responded to his voice and his caring rituals. He loved classical music and German cultural programs which he received on his internet radio. Bernd and Monika had only recently returned from their annual summer holiday in Stanhope, Prince Edward Island.
The suddenness of Bernd’s death will be a shock to all who knew him, as he was physically energetic, and drove long distances at a stretch for his work. He was stoic about the robustness of his health, determined to problem-solve whatever physical challenges he experienced.
He will be deeply missed by his loving wife Monika, and by his three sisters: Marita Ulbricht (Peter) in Jena, Germany; Marlis Chrappek (Norbert), Hamburg, Germany, and Christel Colmorgen in Vancouver, British Columbia. Bernd was predeceased by his mother, Johanna Kraft, whom he greatly admired, and who died in Jena in 2011 at age 92. Bernd’s father, Kurt Michaelis died tragically when Bernd was only two years of age. Bernd was always fond of his nephews Frank and Jörg, also in Germany.
A funeral visitation with reception will be held on Wednesday, September 16 from 2:00 – 4:00 pm in JA Snow Funeral Home, 339 Lacewood Drive, Halifax NS. Donations to the QE II Foundation Emergency Department would be appreciated by the family. Special thanks are offered to the competent, compassionate Emergency Room professionals, whose kind efforts helped to soften an overwhelmingly sudden and unanticipated loss.
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