September 14, 1930 - March 3, 2018
Born in Linum, Germany, Wilfried Schwabe passed away peacefully on March 3, 2018 in St. Joseph's hospital in Bellingham.
He is survived by his wife and best friend, Milli, stepdaughter Ursula and family, and siblings Brigitte, Irene, Otto, Ulli and Arno all in Germany.
Wilfried's first career started in East Germany as a cooking and baking apprentice. After three years he moved to Switzerland to work as a cook. Wilfried immigrated to Canada in 1957 and worked as a cook first at the Banff Springs Hotel and then The Bayshore Inn in Vancouver.
Wilfried's first love was gardening and that became his second career. He bought his first nursery in Richmond, BC and later discovered Point Roberts. After buying land in the early 70's, he immigrated to the US and built a home and a new nursery business on Rex Street in 1978. Shortly after he met the love of his life, Milli, and they were married in 1979. Together they ran the nursery until their retirement in 1997.
Wilfried and Milli then spent the last 20 years traveling extensively and enjoying every minute. His great love was his garden, his beautiful roses and growing the best vegetables and fruit. He will be missed by all his family and especially all his friends.
Words from friends and neighbors:
"Wilf was a kind friend and a good neighbor. My daughter Georgia and her friend Autumn loved his duck pond, and wandering through his greenhouses gave them both a great love of plants. He also gave very sound gardening advice and was generous with his flower bouquets. My mom counted on them!" -KL
"Wilfried always had such a beautiful smile for us. He shared his warm heart with us and was always so happy to see us (and the dogs and horses). We just loved Wilfried."-CS & BS
"Wilfried let each day unfold like new rose petals of love and laughter, family and friends, jokes and stories, work and play, interest and curiosity. He was admired, shared and enjoyed by all who knew him."-JK & LH
"Wilfried always had a smile for us and loved to give our dog Frisbee treats and a pet whenever we walked by. I will always see him smiling and waving to us from the back of the garden."-LC & DC
"I will always have joyful memories of Wilf, on the Pedal Pulverizer, around our old fire pit, working in the garden, offering advice, his infectious smile, his stories, his sincere concern for others, his love for Milli and also for his friends. A gem. Not a word for everyone, but in my eyes Wilf sparkled brighter than any. I truly will miss his kindness and spark."-BR & TM
