May 29, 1954 - October 14, 2022
Erhard Steuer, 68, of Sundre, Alberta passed away peacefully at the Sundre Hospital (Myron Thompson Health Centre) on October 14, 2022.
Erhard was born May 29,1954 in Bonn, Germany to Fredrich & Elli Steuer. He was their first born. The family of three lived in Germany until Erhard was two years old when they moved to Canada. In 1956 the family landed in Halifax and endured a weeklong train ride to arrive in Calgary where Elli had family waiting. When they arrived in Calgary Elli went to work cleaning houses, offices & schools, while her husband Fredrich went to work doing a variety of construction jobs in the city. After a few years the family decided to travel south to San Francisco in a 1951 Ford truck. Erhard recalled arriving in San Francisco as a young boy to be quite a culture shock. He didn’t speak much English at the time and the big city and different cultures were intimidating for him starting school. He described feeling very much alone and quite intimidated in grade 1. However, after a short time in San Francisco they decided to move to Santa Rosa, California. They lived there for a short while but at that time work was hard to come by, so they continued on and moved to Washington. While in Washington Erhard’s parents lost a premature baby daughter, Carol. It was a difficult year and the family decided to move back to Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Erhard was very happy to be back in Canada and close to more family including his cousins. After a few years of living and working in Calgary the couple purchased a half section of land in Crammond, Alberta. While they still lived and worked in Calgary, they continued to build their farm and homestead in Crammond on weekends. It was hard physical work, but they really loved being out at the farm; it was a dream come true. As time went on Erhard's brother Ron was born in Calgary on May 8, 1964, completing their family.
Erhard enjoyed the outdoors and growing up on the farm and in the city. He worked side by side with his Dad and Mom building up their place. The family moved back and forth between the two homes: Crammond and Calgary many times. He attended Langevin School and Caroline School until Grade 11. After High School Erhard worked a variety of different jobs; always keeping busy and learning something new. Eventually he decided to attend Olds College in the Ag mechanics apprenticeship program which he enjoyed. He made good friends and learned great life skills there. It was during this time Erhard met his future bride Jane Dawson at a High School Christmas dance.
Erhard and Jane hit it off right away. They dated for three years before they were married on July 23, 1977, in Sundre, AB at the Faith Lutheran Church. Erhard and Jane decided to start their new life together in Kensington, the northwest part of Calgary. Jane was a licensed practical nurse at the General Hospital and Erhard worked at the Empress Bread Plant. In March of 1979 the couple welcomed their first child; a beautiful baby girl; Julie Amanda Jane Steuer at the Foothills Hospital. Erhard was so excited to be a new Dad, when he first saw Julie, he just radiated pride and was beyond happy to have a little girl. The couple then decided to move back to the farm to raise their family in the country. Erhard started working in the Oilfield as a labourer for various companies and when Julie was 11 months old, Jane started working at the Sundre General Hospital as an LPN. The farm in Crammond became home and the family enjoyed spending time outdoors, gardening, and continuing to build their place. In May of 1983 the couple had their second child; a beautiful baby boy; Brian Abraham Erhard Steuer and their family was complete.
The family decided to start actively farming and ranching starting with the purchase of 4 bred cows. They eventually grew their herd to 25 cows, which Jane will tell you were the most cared for and spoiled bovines you can imagine. Erhard really enjoyed taking care of the cows and when he called, they came running. Julie and Brian attended the Caroline School and the family lived and enjoyed life on the farm until they moved to Sundre in May of 2000. When they moved to Sundre Brian was enrolled in Sundre High School and the family moved to the home in town where Jane still resides.
After several years of oil field work Erhard applied for a job at the Sundre Hospital in maintenance in 2001. It was perfect for him as the work was always varied and there was seldom a dull moment taking care of the hospital. He was very particular about maintenance and keeping everything organized and in its place. In 2006 Erhard completed his Power Engineering through SAIT. It was a good challenge for him and quite an accomplishment of which he was very proud. This education helped Erhard continue to work at the Hospital until January of 2016. Even as his health declined Erhard was interested in how the hospital was doing and looked forward to hearing about any progress or improvements made on site.
Erhard was very proud to have 4 grandchildren with whom he spent much time; Layne Jackson, Sam, Scarlett and Scottie Jo Steuer. Both Jane and Erhard would travel to see and support the grandchildren in their various activities. He was often the driver to different practices and events they participated in. He was the very best Opa in the world (they have told us) and they loved spending time with him everyday.
Retirement wasn’t boring for Erhard and Jane as they enjoyed doing some travelling with their family through parts of Montana, BC and Alberta and going on adventures. Erhard loved a good road trip and looked forward to exploring new restaurants. He considered himself somewhat of a food critic and enjoyed trying different meals in different places.
Erhard was predeceased by his father; Fredrich, mother; Elli and sister; Carol. He is lovingly remembered by his wife of 45 years Jane, brother Ron & Sherry-Ann, Daughter Julie (Lyle Jackson), Son Brian (Heidi Overguard) Steuer. Grandchildren; Layne Jackson, Sam, Scarlett & Scottie Jo Steuer. Special cousins; Allan Hillier, Mary Hillier-Stone, Emgart Hooper, Maria Sommers and other cousins. As well as many close friends and extended family.
A celebration of life will take place on October 22, 2022, at 2 pm at the Faith Lutheran Church in Sundre, Alberta. Any memorial donations may be made in Erhard’s name to the Sundre Hospital Futures Committee to go towards the building of a new facility (Sundre Hospital Futures, Bag 3 709 1st Street NE Sundre, AB T0M 1X0) or a charity of choice.
The family would like to thank all the staff at the Sundre Hospital (Myron Thompson Health Centre) for the exceptional care in Erhard’s final days. A special thank you to Dr. Chris Chapman and Dr. Ward for their kind, compassionate care. We knew he was in the very best place receiving the very best care.
Erhard was a humble man and was very proud of his family. Jane and Erhard were a true team for 45 years; they worked together on everything they did. We are so grateful for our Dad and Opa; he truly was the very best and we couldn’t be more proud of him.
