Obituary of Claus Cegielny

Claus Cegielny

(1939 -2020)

Claus Cegielny of Camrose, formerly of Lac La Nonne, made the final trip home from his worldly travels on November 22, 2020.

He was born in 1939 in Berlin, Germany, to loving parents Franz and Elsa Cegielny. Claus grew up under Soviet occupation and fled to the West with his family prior to the construction of the Berlin Wall. When he was 20, Claus embarked on a grand adventure immigrating to Canada and made his way to the Yukon. It was while working at the mine near Keno City that Claus fell in love with the Canadian wilderness and developed a deep connection to the land. He formed many close friendships with those who taught him to hunt, fish, and live outdoors.

In 1965, Claus decided to make Canada his permanent home. He returned to West Berlin to find a life partner with whom he could build a future. He was lucky enough to meet the love of his life, Gerlinde. They married and together settled in Edmonton, spending the next 50 years raising two children and living their dreams together.

Claus spent the majority of his working life as a millwright at AltaSteel where he was respected as a hardworking team member and for his many technical skills. He made lifelong friendships with many colleagues because of his good-natured, personable character and spent leisure time sharing his love of the outdoors with buddies from work.

In 1973, Claus purchased his beloved parcel of land at Lac La Nonne where he spent nearly every weekend of the next four decades building his own little slice of heaven with his family, retiring there in 2001. The property was a true labour of love; Claus exhausted countless hours building cabins, boat launches, and birdhouses. He gardened, landscaped, fished, sailed, cross country skied, picked mushrooms, walked his darling dog Nelly and at the end of the day, loved to socialize, swap stories and joke with friends around the campfire.  

Not one to let life pass him by, Claus fostered a lifelong passion for travel which took him and his wife to nearly all corners of the earth. In 2014, Claus moved to Camrose to be closer to family and care for Gerlinde in her final months. Over the next 5 years, he continued to share his zest for life with his many friends at the Brookside Manor. A proud man of great integrity and strength, Claus will be remembered not only for his love of life, adventure and the natural world, but also as a kind, talented, generous, helpful, friendly, knowledgeable and independent man who prioritized family.

Claus was predeceased by his wife Gerlinde; his parents; and sister Christel Stoll. Left to honour and live on in his spirit are his children Thomas (Kathleen) Cegielny of Red Deer, and Petra Cegielny (Sean Moore) of Camrose; his grandson Wolfgang Moore; extended family in Germany and many dear friends. A Celebration of Life service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are gratefully accepted to the St. Mary’s Hospital Auxiliary in Camrose, Alberta.