May 22, 1926- Sept. 21, 2011
Werner Eichstadt passed away suddenly on September 21 at the age of 85.
He was born in Essen, an industrial city in Germany. His father passed away when he was 9 and as a result, his family endured very hard times during the war. He became an apprentice electrician in a large factory and was the income earner for the family at the age of 14.
He was active in the Baptist church where he met Charlotte; they were married June 3, 1950. They immigrated to Chilliwack in 1952. They had no money, no jobs and little knowledge of English. He went from job site to job site, asking for work. He developed an excellent reputation as an electrician for honesty and quality work at a fair price.
Their son, Ullrich (Oly) was born in 1954. They were members of the Victoria Avenue Baptist church and Werner sang in the choir and taught Sunday School. He loved the outdoors and loved to hike; he volunteered in the Chilliwack Search and Rescue for many years. He took guitar lessons, played tennis, sailed and swam, joined Toastmasters and was involved in a Bible Study group for many years.
He and Charlotte moved to Ryder Lake in 1973. He loved his acreage there and built a Bavarian style home. He enjoyed working on his hobby farm, raising beef and organic fruit. He loved to see the deer and bear walking through the pasture; he never tired of the beauty of the mountains and trees around him.
His beloved Charlotte went to be with the Lord in February; he missed her so much and often talked about how fortunate they were to have had 60 years together. He leaves behind his son and daughter-in-law, Oly and Doris, and grandsons, David and Matthew. He was a good husband, father and grandfather. He was a man of honour and integrity, hard-working and a good provider. He was known for his cheerful hello and his desire to strike up a friendly conversation wherever he went.
A service to honour and celebrate Werner’s life will be held at 3:00 on Saturday, Oct. 29 at the Chilliwack Baptist Church on First Avenue.