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Obituary of Karl Himmer
Our family is saddened to announce the passing of Karl Himmer on Wednesday, July 5, 2023, at Bethesda Regional Health Centre, Steinbach, MB, at the age of 92. He was born in Kaiserslautern, Germany on June 15th, 1931.
He was predeceased by his first wife Erna, his son Manfred, his father Georg, mother Hedwig, and brother Georg.
Karl leaves sons Stefan (Eva), Patrick, daughters Xenia (Rudy), and Hannah (Chris), and sister Karin to remember and celebrate his life, as well as grandchildren Maya and Kai, and extended family in Germany.
Karl immigrated to Canada in the late 1960s, residing in Ottawa, Winnipeg, Oakbank, and eventually to his home near Giroux where he devoted the rest of his life to creating a beautiful wildlife sanctuary out of his property. He spent 42 years on his property building and maintaining hundreds of birdhouses, creating nesting habitats for waterfowl, planting hundreds of trees and wildflowers to serve as food sources. He shared his home with nature which was his passion. In his honor, his property will remain as a haven for wildlife, maintained and protected by his family.
Karl had many adventures in the wilderness of Iran, Finland, Switzerland, Sweden, and many other countries photographing and observing wild animals and birds. He was quite an accomplished wildlife photographer, and even made a short film with the Audubon Wildlife Theater called “The Quebec Iran Adventure.” There was no spot too remote to travel to if it meant finding the nest of a rare bird to photograph or to show his family something interesting he had found deep in the woods. He taught his children perseverance and survival skills that allowed them to experience nature in a very different way than most have the privilege to. We will reminisce and cherish those memories for years to come.
Karl will be sorrily missed as he was truly one of a kind. He was the hardest working, honest, and generous man who will be remembered forever.
In lieu of flowers, charitable donations can be made to Wildlife Haven Rehabilitation Centre, PO Box 165, Ile des Chenes, MB, R0A 0T0. (Wildlifehaven.ca)
