Wilfred Herzog

Wilfred Lawrence Herzog said goodbye to us on January 15, 2014, nearly 79 years after he arrived in Stettler, Alberta on February 6, 1935. In between, he packed a lot of living into life, with 57 years of marriage to Shirley Master and a career in Edmontons foodservice and catering sector that stretched over more than 40 years. He was employed as a driver and supervisor for Chuckwagon, Jiffy Catering and Coral Foods, among others. Wilfred and Shirley were married in Vernon in 1956 and moved to Edmonton the following year, where they gave birth to their son, Lawrence. They settled in the Sherbrooke neighbourhood, where Wilfred was active in the community league, coaching sports teams and serving as a local volunteer. Wilfred was a craftsman and handyman, and used his exceptional skill with tools to build all manner of practical and curious handiworks. He turned scrap wood into amazing wishing wells and planters, and his whimsical creations ranged from elaborately painted butterflies to wooden birds with bendy legs fashioned from metal. His practical projects included building a pre-fab house on their acreage near Stony Plain and construction of an addition to his sons house in Edmonton. An avid Edmonton Oilers fan, Wilfred and Shirley were 10-year season ticket holders, and they went to all the games during the teams Stanley Cup-winning glory years. They parked their holiday trailer at Lac La Nonne and, for 15 years, hardly ever missed a weekend there. Wilfred loved to hunt and fish and could often be found in his 12-foot aluminum boat and duck hunting with old friends near Alberta Beach and elsewhere around central Alberta. Wilfred and Shirley retired to Victoria in 2002. His duck hunting days behind him, Wilfred could be found feeding the waterfowl at Beacon Hill Park several times a month. Wilfred was predeceased by his brother Ernie. He leaves behind his sisters Reta (Walter) Stauffer and Sheila Bent of Edmonton and Joan Willey of Sicamous, B.C. At his request, there will be no memorial service and, in lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the BC Cancer Agency, HeadWay (the Victoria Epilepsy and Parkinsons Centre) or the Victoria Hospice by clicking above on memorial gift.