Alexander Hollmann passed away on December 21, 2023, peacefully at home, surrounded by members of his loving family.
Born in Germany, Alexander, his wife Renate and two small children moved to Canada in 1967. A painter by trade, he found work for a brief stint painting houses before joining the MacMillan Bloedel paper mill “Paint Gang,” where he worked hard for many years and made friendships that would last a lifetime. During this time, he acquired a love for choral music and became a member of the Powell River Chorus for many years and later joined the Men’s Chorus as well.
After the untimely death of his dear Renate, he remarried Nancy Stowell (née Schroeder) in August of 1988. Together, they ran the popular Herondell Bed and Breakfast near Lang Bay, where he was famous for his hospitality and deliciously decadent potato and bacon “bratkartoffeln” breakfasts.
With Nancy’s encouragement, his musical interests expanded to include performance in musical theatre, as well as vocal solos, duets and singing with the infamous Barberschnappers. Upon retirement from Herondell, they decided to downsize and moved to Westview. It was at this stage of his life that he dedicated his time to his musical interests and travel, visiting family in Germany, Mexico and Oregon, crossing Canada by train, cruising to Alaska, and near the end of his life, fulfilling a dream of visiting Canada’s eastern seaboard.
Alexander had a wry sense of humour and was well-loved by all who knew him. To his family he was generous, loving and full of old-fashioned German advice. He loved ice cream, and his eyes would light up at the sight of a banana split. A dram of Tullamore Dew, strong coffee and a liverwurst sandwich made for a well-rounded diet. He also loved to cook for his family and friends, particularly anything involving pork!
The eternal handyman, Alexander was always building and fixing something, whether it was a new deck, a roof, a gazebo or even a small cedar chapel. He loved the ocean and enjoyed boating with his friends and family.
He is survived by his beloved wife Nancy, his brother Georg and by his three children Christine (Hugh), Susanne (Dan) and Ralf (Maru) and grandchildren, Kiran, Mariana (Kathleen) and Alexandra, who will all greatly miss their Opa.
Alex will also be dearly missed by his nieces and nephews in Canada and Germany and all his extended family in Oregon. Many more "adopted" sons and daughters will also grieve the loss of a mentor, a counsellor and a source of elder wisdom.
The family wishes to extend its gratitude to Dr. Rossouw, the May family, home care personnel and close friends who visited and helped with caring for Alexander during the final weeks of his life.
There will be a celebration of his life at a future date.
