REINHARD PIEL

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REINHARD PIEL Mercifully and peacefully on Sunday, June 11, 2017, Reinhard Piel was welcomed into Heaven at the age of 84 years. Reinhard is survived by his wife of 60 years, Elfriede, and only child Norman (Marlene) Piel, brothers, Rubin (Erna) Piel of Winnipeg and Henry (Marge) Piel of Surrey, BC, brothers-in-law, Robert Martin of Benton Harbor, Michigan and Leo Muth of Winnipeg, sisters-in-law, Irene Piel, Helen Piel and Gertrude (Sam) Reschke all of Winnipeg, and sisters-in-law, Lisa Muth of Toronto, Carol Muth of Halifax, and Hildegard Greek of Cincinnati, his many beloved nephews and nieces, and also cousins and friends. He was predeceased by his father Heinrich, his mother Regina (Schmidtke), his step-mother Agathe (Roller), brothers, Rudolf and Ewald, and sister Frieda Martin. Reinhard was born on August 29, 1932 in the village of Synakowka, in Kostopol county, Volhynia (present day northwestern Ukraine) to descendants of the hundreds of thousands of German colonists that had migrated to the region beginning in the 1860s. Following the outbreak of the Second World War, the Piel family was resettled to western Poland, which became part of the German Reichsgaue of Warthegau. Near the end of the war, the family fled the advancing Soviet Red Army and ended up in Oehe, Schleswig-Holstein, West Germany, a town where "on a clear day you could see Denmark". After spending three years in West Germany, Reinhard immigrated with most of his family to Canada under the sponsorship of Uncle Fred Piel of Silver Plains, Manitoba, just outside of Morris. After the family arrived on the ship "Beaverbrae" at Quebec City on June 4, 1948, Reinhard worked on the Wilfred Paschke farm, initially labouring in the sugar beet fields and later doing general farm work. He subsequently worked for Henry Bobrowski, a grain auger manufacturer. In 1953, Reinhard and his family moved to St. Norbert. Through family acquaintances from "the old country", Reinhard met Elfriede Muth. They married on June 1, 1957, and together had one child, Norman. A Christian believer, Reinhard was baptized as an infant in the Evangelische Kirche (Evangelical Church), and as an adult was baptized by immersion in the Mission Baptist Church in Winnipeg. He was a faithful member of the Church for decades, and played trombone in the Church brass band conducted by his brother Rubin, assisted as an usher, sang in the male choir, and served on the Board of Directors of Baptist Mission Apartments Inc. Whether they were held in various homes, a park, at a lake or in a restaurant, Reinhard loved family gatherings. He especially enjoyed visiting with his nephews and nieces and hearing about what was happening in their lives. Trips to visit an aunt and uncle as well as his cousins in the Steinbach area were also always a highlight. Reinhard experienced the world largely through the medium of television. He enjoyed watching news and current events programs, some comedies and variety shows, but above all loved watching sports, especially hockey. Rarely, if ever, would he miss a Saturday night broadcast of "Hockey Night in Canada" during which Don Cherry never failed to make him laugh. "Roy" (as his fellow employees called him) was a down-to-earth blue collar worker, spending the bulk of his working life in Winnipeg employed at a wire and cable manufacturing plant. His time in the construction industry in the 1970s saw him work in Northern Manitoba communities such as The Pas and Gillam often for weeks at a time. Although vacation time was little during their working years, Reinhard and Elfriede still managed to make memorable trips to Toronto, Michigan and Ohio to visit family, Banff, and Hawaii at Christmas-New Year's, along with three trips to Florida and one to BC during his retirement years. They also enjoyed their "trailer years", camping in the summers at Falcon Lake with Church friends. When not making his never-ending trips to Tim Horton's, retirement generally consisted of puttering around the house, with his most notable activity in the early years being woodworking, particularly building bird houses which he proudly and generously gave away as gifts to as many people as he could. After Reinhard and Elfriede moved to a condominium, he volunteered in the maintenance department at Meadowood Manor Personal Care Home and independent living seniors' apartment tower. Reinhard unfortunately developed many health problems as life went on, particularly a heart condition that eventually required bypass surgery. As his physical challenges counted to mount, he and Elfriede made the decision to move to Meadowood Manor seniors' apartment tower, and although he only resided there for a year, Reinhard thoroughly enjoyed living at Meadowood Manor and on many occasions called it one of the best decisions that he and his wife ever made. In late April, 2017, Reinhard entered Victoria General Hospital for the last time. It was clearly evident early on in this final stay that he could no longer reside in an independent living environment, and arrangements began for his placement into a personal care home. However, as a result of his numerous medical conditions, his health gradually deteriorated resulting in his eventual passing. Reinhard is finally at peace. No more pain, no more suffering, no more worries. When we see him again, he will be in a new, perfect and healthy body, experiencing indescribable joy, peace and contentment in the presence of Jesus Christ. Auf Wiedersehen, Kaiser! The funeral service will be held on Friday, June 16, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. at Mission Baptist Church, 771 Sargent Avenue, with Rev. David Holland officiating. Interment in Brookside Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Meadowood Manor Foundation, 102 - 575 St. Anne's Road, Winnipeg, MB R2M 5B2.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jun 14, 2017