Heinz Schubert

On Thursday, December 2, 2021 Heinz Rudi Schubert of Cold Lake, Alberta passed away at the age of 87 years.

Heinz is lovingly survived by his wife: Charlotte; his daughter: Gwen Schubert (Barry Dearman) of St. Paul, MB; his son: Gordon (Holly) Schubert of Winnipeg, MB; his three grandchildren: Steven, Cory, Julie; Charlotte’s four sons: Don (Susan) Milliken of Cold Lake, AB, Mark (Genevieve) Milliken of Cold Lake, AB, Kevin (Catherine) Milliken of Canmore, AB, Tim (Yuki) of Canmore, AB; five grandchildren: Logan, Catherine, Dawson, Kevin, Lena.

 Heinz was predeceased by his parents: Bruno & Emma Schubert; two sisters; three brothers.

Private Service, Friday December 10, 2021, Lakeland Lutheran Church, Cold Lake, Alberta.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the Alzheimer Society, #306, 10430 61 Avenue NW, Edmonton, AB T6H 2J3.

Heinz Rudi Schubert  EULOGY

March 26, 1934-December 2, 2021

On behalf of Charlotte and their blended family, Gordon and Gwen, Don, Mark, Kevin, Tim, their wives and grandchildren, I have the privilege of recounting the exploits of Berlin-born Heinz Rudi Schubert. As I stand here, I can feel his energetic, somewhat rebellious, and mischievous presence comforting us all .

Heinz was a proud German, born to hard working parents Bruno and Emma Schubert on March 26, 1934 in a country that was ruled by a despot. His childhood was stained by the horrors of war where he quickly learned any and all skills necessary for keeping alive.

 Heinz was a gifted storyteller who had many adventures to recount . He would speak about the time he deliberately sat on a bench marked “ Fur Juden” which translates “For Jews“ because no one was going to tell him where or where not to sit! He also refused to join Hitler’s Youth Group because he was an individual of good character with his own ideals and his own dreams. Heinz viewed life as a very precious gift not a second of which was to be wasted on someone else’s goals.

 This determination came from many nightmare -producing experiences. He recounted the time he travelled on a train which was strafed by enemy aircraft . The lady whom he sat beside had paid for his ticket. She died instantly, covering him in her blood. He spoke of the time his boyhood friend was shot by Russian soldiers for objecting to his mother being assaulted. Years later when Heinz and Charlotte visited Germany , they saw the bullet holes still in the wall where Heinz’s young friend had perished. Heinz also spoke about the terrible hunger and starvation in post-war Germany. I am certain that his fishing skills began when he would catch sea gulls with string and hand made hooks. His dad would then make sea gull soup which was a feast compared to their daily soup made from water and flour! We can see why Heinz never took for granted a good meal eaten in a peaceful setting.

 Heinz’s father had a small bicycle shop in the post-war years where Heinz helped while studying to be a dentist. Russian soldiers raided the shop leaving it totally wasted. Any thought of Heinz becoming a dentist vanished. Heinz walked and walked until he found the first shop with a “For Hire” sign which happened to be that of a glazier . This began his path towards becoming a Master of Stained Glass at he young age of 21. Heinz also continued his sideline business smuggling typewriters which supplemented his meagre income. This made him very unpopular with the occupying Russian soldiers . Soon, they caught Heinz and took away his citizenship papers which were vital for life in Occupied Germany. They beat him and sent him on his way back home.

 Heinz’s idea of a way home was immigration to Canada. After landing in Halifax , he headed west to Winnipeg. He married Vera and they had two children, Gordon and Gwen.

 He took on a job in a shop owned by a Jewish man who treated him like a son. Heinz said that throughout his childhood he was taught to hate the people of the Jewish faith. Here he experienced kindness and generosity. Heinz followed in those footsteps of compassion and care the rest of his life.

 His incredible artistic talents caught the attention of Walt Disney where Heinz crafted 95 % of all the glasswork at Disneyland. His fabulous works of art also grace the homes of notables such as John Wayne , Carol Burnett, and Liberace. Many churches and cathedrals in Canada as well as the Vatican have the sun shining through the stained glass windows created by Heinz. We can see his marvellous works of art right here as we look around these walls where we now sit.

 In 1980, feeling a little lost after his divorce , he accepted a job offer in Cold Lake where he worked installing windows and doors. Being very much a social butterfly he enjoyed all that Cold Lake offered in nature and people through activities such as curling and bowling.

 Heinz met Charlotte at a St. Patrick’s Day Dance , their meeting having been prearranged by a friend! Charlotte said her face was sore from laughter the next day! His sense of humour had her laughing at a time she did not believe she could possibly laugh. This moment led to their loving, lifetime partnership.

 Heinz was a sun worshipper and loved tanning to a beautiful bronze while watching his beloved birds and listening to classical music or Abba or The Beach Boys! His favourite holidays were their trips to the Garden Isle Inn on Kauii where they went deep sea fishing and picnicked on the beach.

Heinz continued his crafting in glass with Charlotte’s encouragement and excellent design skills. Many area homes and businesses became very classy because of purchasing their works of art !

Our church was gifted with Heinz’s many talents. He loved teasing the children and they never quite knew if he was serious or not! He was a really good friend to many people , adult and child alike. My husband, Jim, counts the many hours he spent fishing with Heinz as true Golden Retirement times!

The memories we will cherish about Heinz,our collector of watches and friends , are many and varied! Charlotte told me that whatever she said or did was perfection in his mind . He was her greatest support and constant cheerleader. Tim was extremely gratified to have caught the biggest fish on an opening season camping trip together ,the one and only time he beat Heinz! Kevin is grateful for Heinz being a loving grandfather to his sons, Logan and Dawson. They believed Heinz was their buddy who was always fun and absolutely right in all he said and did! Steven, Heinz’s grandson cherishes the stained glass of a 4x4 truck which they created together as well as a photo of him with a stringer full of fish. Heinz took an ice -fearing Gwen on to Wolf Lake and just as they were driving onto the ice he said, “ unbuckle your seatbelt and keep your hand on the door in case you need to jump!” By the end of that day she had a good start at conquering her fear of lake ice as she now fishes at derby’s but wears a flotation suit. Gordon ,who says his dad taught him so much about life, continues to try to catch fish like his dad!

  Thank you Heinz, for being all that you could possibly be and for leaving us windows through which we can view the world in a colourful way!