Obituary of Gerhard Maxmillian Wulf

Gerhard Maxmillian Wulf was born in Tokemit, Poland, on March 23, 1935, to Franz and Rosa Wulf.

Gerhard had two sisters, Brigitta Straub and Eva Shlegel, and a brother, Norbert. At the age of 9, while his father was away at war, Gerhard and his family fled their hometown after tanks blew the roof of their home off.

They made their way west through harsh weather and firefights. He lost his grandmother to sniper fire and his baby brother Norbert due to the cold elements. The family was shipped to Sweden, where they were rejected as immigrants and moved to northern Germany, near the town of Westerstede. The family was placed in a refugee camp. His mother Rosa died from cancer shortly after, resulting in Gerhard and his sisters becoming orphans. A local farm family whom his mother befriended took in Gerhard, while his sisters went to other homes nearby.

The family Gerhard lived with were the Wilkens and their daughter Erika, who would become Gerhard’s future wife. Anyone knowing Gerhard’s humour would laugh when he said he first slept with Erika when he was 10.

The war ended, and Franz returned to Germany after being held in a Russian prisoner-of-war camp. Through the Red Cross, the family was reunited. Franz remarried an old friend, Gertrude, who became  Gerhards stepmother, and the grandmother we all knew. In his late teens Gerhard became a tailor by trade and also worked in a brewery. Wanting more, Gerhard decided to move to Canada with his friend Rudy. He arrived in Halifax in 1957 and traveled west via train to New Brigden, Alberta, to work on the Fred Tye farm under the Department of Colonization. He loved his time at the Tye farm, forming tight bonds with the family. He suffered along with them over the years through the tragic losses they had endured. Darrow and Gerhard lived in the bunkhouse and have remained dear friends ever since. Erika came to Canada, and eventually they married on March 23, 1961. They had two children, Conny and Wayne. Gerhard loved his children’s spouses, Shane and Bobbi Jo, as if they were his own.

Gerhard worked at Dets Plumbing and Cec Mansfield Plumbing and apprenticed at SAIT, where he earned six different certificates over time. Gerhard then opened Wulf’s Plumbing and Heating for many years. He eventually moved on to work for the Acadia School Division as the maintenance supervisor, where he worked until he retired in 1995.

Gerhard always had a hard work ethic and instilled in his family that when you do something, do it well the first time or don’t do it at all. He was a master at visualizing things he wanted to build and making them come to life.

He loved his family and although he had personal struggles, they loved him too.

One event he would always remember was returning to his hometown of Tokemit after 65 years with his family. It was a trip of a lifetime that they will all cherish and never forget.

Gerhard was a great storyteller and led an interesting life. He loved music, played drums in a band, and was always whistling a tune. He also loved playing the harmonica. He was a volunteer fireman and also a member of the Kinsmen Club, volunteering many hours to build projects needed in Oyen. He could always be found at local dances and could easily be spotted in his famous white dress shoes.

Because our family was small, Gerhard loved his close friends like they were family. The Tyes, Jorgensons, Whites, Bruntjens, and Robert Vermeer, to name a few.

Gerhard left us on May 15, 2024, with family by his side. He leaves to mourn his wife of 63 years, Erika, and two children: Conny (Shane) Hertz and Wayne (Bobbi Jo) Wulf, grandchildren; Melissa (Daryl) Kroeger, Blake (Rebecca) Hertz, Kim (Brent) Curry, Doug (Kassie) Hertz, Sydney Wulf, and Gianna Wulf, great-grandchildren; Kennedy, Nataley, Hudson, Dallas, Sophie, Anthony, Hallie, Sawyer, and Nicholas. Sister Eva Schlegel and brother-in-law Heinz (Anna) Wilken are in Germany.