Oct 6, 1929 - Apr 17, 2018
Born in Westen Borken, Germany, Alfons was the youngest of 12 children. Always interested in plants and gardening, his education in Germany saw him specializing as a horticulturist. In 1953, Alfons emigrated to Canada to seek adventure and fortune. His first stop was Humboldt, SK where he stayed with family members who had come to Canada ahead of him.
After working for St. Peters College in Muenster, SK for a short time, he headed West to Powell River, BC where he worked for the pulp mill. Several years of working and saving gave Alfons the stake he needed to purchase a farm in Sardis, BC, where he successfully grew raspberries and corn for many years. He often delivered his fresh corn as far north as Prince George.
Alfons retired in the late 1980s and moved to Deroche, BC where he lived a very simple life. There he gardened on his property in the summers and traveled south at the first sign of cold weather to live in Arizona for the winters.
Although he never married or had a family of his own, Alfons was very concerned with the welfare of children. For many years he regularly sent large donations to the BC Children's hospital.
Alfons moved from his mobile home in Deroche to Carrington House in Mission, BC in 2017. He passed away peacefully at Mission Memorial Hospital after a struggle with complications of diabetes.
Al's sense of humour, his ready smile and his gentle, agreeable nature made him a favourite of the care workers, nurses and doctors who helped him in his final years. His family truly appreciate the care and concern shown by all of the caregivers from Fraser Health, from Carrington House, from Mission Memorial Hospital and from Abbotsford Regional Hospital who helped make his final years comfortable and serene.
Alfons is survived by one older brother and his family living in Germany, and by his cousins in Canada, Carell Felgnar (nee Reinelt), Ursula Klassen (nee Reinelt) and Pauline Reinelt (nee Lefebvre) and their families. He was a dear cousin and will be greatly missed.