Hilde Kirrmaier

March 17, 1938 – January 14, 2017
I love to go a wandering,

along the mountain track,

and as I go, I love to sing,

my knapsack on my back.

Hilde Kirrmaier (nee Walter) was born in Berlin, Germany, the third of five children.  Shortly after WWII erupted, the family fled the battlefront and moved from home to home.  Her love for children and learning led her to pursue a certificate in early childhood education, followed by work as a nanny and play-school teacher.  In 1958 she immigrated to Canada where she spent her first years in the hamlet of Goodsoil, Saskatchewan, enrolling in the high school there to improve her English skills.  A move to Edmonton provided new opportunities; a job in a bank, starting her own play-school, and joining a German choir where she met Rudy.  They married in 1961 and raised three daughters in a cozy home filled with love, music, crafts, and summers camping.  In 1969 she and Rudy started dancing and subsequently spearheaded and led the Bavarian Schuhplattlers of Edmonton for 18 years.  Hilde also contributed to the preservation of German language and culture by teaching children for many years, receiving numerous awards.  She revelled in her role as Oma to her two grandsons who were born in 1992 and 1999.  Hilde’s love for gardening and the great outdoors continued when she and Rudy retired to Kimberley in 1999.  Here she connected with like-minded, active women and co-founded the Go Girls and Biker Babes who have enjoyed hiking, cross-country skiing, and cycling in Canada and abroad.

A celebration of life will take place on Friday, January 20, 2017 at the Kimberley Nordic Centre between 11am-2pm.  Songs, stories, and poems are welcome.  Pack your ski gear if you think you would like to do a loop around the trails afterwards.  This is an indoor/outdoor casual event.  Dress for the weather!

Oh, may I go a-wandering

until the day I die!

Oh, may I always laugh and sing,

beneath God’s clear blue sky!

www.markmemorial.com

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