When Ed was 5, his mother died, and by 7, he was a refugee. The trek to China in 1930 was terrifying. When Germany and Japan allied, China saw German-speakers as threats; a prisoner of war from age 17–23, Ed never lost hope. After a 2-year immigration, Ed’s family arrived in San Francisco, Cal., in 1948 and took a train to their sponsors Dave Giesbrecht and Jake Derksen in Vancouver. There Ed met Elfriede. He worked as a labourer and learned English, then trained as both electrician and plumber. The family moved in 1958 to Prince George, B.C., where demand for trades was high. Ed retired at 60 to Abbotsford, B.C., and took up painting, woodworking and writing. He loved to tell jokes. His childhood was too painful to discuss, so at his children’s encouragement, he wrote about it. He described himself as a prompt, courageous, level-headed, warm humanitarian. Ed showed gratitude to his sponsors and government by sponsoring others new to Canada. A snowbird, he loved the desert. Despite the suffering, Ed saw his whole life as a miracle.
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