Top Banner for Maximilian Schalla Obituary
Maximilian Schalla Obituary

Brought to you by Birchwood Funeral Chapel

Maximilian Schalla

Steinbach, MB

June 18, 1932 - October 26, 2020

Maximilian Schalla Obituary

The obituary of Maximilian (Max) Poersch Schalla of Steinbach Manitoba (hereafter affectionately referred to as "Dad")


Dad passed away peacefully, surrounded by his children, on Oct 26th, 2020 at the age of 88 years at Cedarwood in Steinbach. He was predeceased by his parents William & Maria Schalla; his daughter Maxine (at the age of 10 days old); his parents in-law Peter & Justina Wiebe and his only sibling, Frank, in addition to many sisters & brothers in law. He was predeceased July 3, 2020 by Susan, his wife of 62 years (Mom).


He leaves behind to cherish his memory:

his son Mark (Milly) Schalla and their children Jeff (Katie) (Owen and Vienna), Jori (Kyle) Dueck;

his daughter Angela (Eric) Klippenstein and their children Alan (Amanda) (Mason and Jade), Mike (Dani), Brendan (Andrea) (Amelia).

in addition to many friends, nieces, nephews and all the strangers he met along his journey who also became his friends.


Dad was born June 18, 1932. He was the youngest son of William & Maria Schalla. He had one older brother Frank. He grew up in the Steinbach area and married Susan Wiebe on May 3rd, 1958 and they continued to live in the Steinbach area the remainder of their lives.


Dad & Mom met working on a potato field, it was his offer of a stick of Spearmint gum that opened the door to a relationship that lasted the rest of their lives. When we were helping him with a card for their anniversary this last May, he asked that we go find a stick of Spearmint gum to stick into the card as a memento to how they first met ... he was a romantic.


Dad began working for the Department of Highways as a young man and continued to work there for 42 years until he retired around the age of 60. He worked as a Resident Engineer. Many of his early years in the highways department were spent working in remote work camps as the roadway infrastructure was being developed within the province ... he was on the survey crew that surveyed the TransCanada highway from Ste Anne's Road in Winnipeg to Westhawk Lake (you can thank him as you drive along many of the highways in Manitoba!) Trudging through swamps and surveying through the cold of winter & bugs of summer was not an easy job, but Dad was tough and loved the work.


He accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior when he was 24 years old and continued to follow Jesus the rest of his life. His faith was very important to him and it would be rare to have him begin a day without first having spent time doing devotions with Mom at their kitchen table. This mattered to both of them. He was a faithful husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather.


He also took seriously his need to be engaged as a volunteer and contribute to the community he was involved in. He was an usher in the Evangelical Free Church for 20 years. (Dad & Mom attended the E Free all their married lives). He was one of the first to volunteer in the Christian Service Brigade program when it started and continued to work with them for many years. He was on the board of Fernwood for 35 years from it’s inception and was also one of the first to start a Jaycee's chapter in Steinbach.


Dad had a pioneering spirit in terms of being inventive and thinking "outside the box". He experimented with natural fertilizers by getting involved with worm farming, he sold & installed Franz filters for many years as an environmentally friendly means of recycling oil and avoiding the necessity of dumping & changing oil.


Dad also had many interests to keep him busy ... photography (which he also did professionally for many years, many will remember his hockey photos), nature, stars & solar systems, wildlife (except for skunks that he trapped and the squirrels that kept emptying his bird feeders ... and the neighborhood cats that chased his birds away) the rest of the wildlife, he appreciated.


Dad's biggest love, (next to God) were the people in his life. He loved mom, he loved his family, and he genuinely loved all who entered his life. He was not one to dominate conversations but would happily listen and engage when needed. If you ever had the pleasure of chatting with him .. you would quickly discover his dry sense of humor and quick wit, he was hilarious in his own way.


He was also incredibly patient, never too busy to sit down and chat, or to show you how to fix something or diagnose a problem. Even when he was confined to a hospital bed, you could chat with him about a problem and he would try and diagnose it, and the next time you came to visit, he would have had a few more ideas on the solution and would want updates on whether that had worked.


Dad will be incredibly missed by all of us and the testimony of his life sets an enduring example for us to aspire to.


Thank you to all who were so faithful in visiting or connecting with Dad, he appreciated every visit.


Thank you also to all the doctors, nurses and care givers who took care of Max during his stay in both Bethesda Hospital & Cedarwood ... in each place, Dad became friends too many. He loved well!


The funeral service, by invitation only, will be held on Sunday, November 1, 2020, at 2:00 p.m. at Birchwood Funeral Chapel, 162 PTH 52 W, Steinbach, MB., with interment at Heritage Cemetery, Steinbach, MB.

To share a memory or send a condolence gift, please visit the Official Obituary of Maximilian Schalla hosted by Birchwood Funeral Chapel.

Events

Event information can be found on the Official Obituary of Maximilian Schalla.