We are sad to announce the passing of our beloved Frank

About his Life

 Frank was born an only child to his parents Gisela and Helmut Bruederich. He was born in Leipzig-Engelsdorf in the former GDR and lived there the for the first 10 years of his life. The family then moved to Streufdorf, Thüringen to live in the ancestral home. Frank worked from an early age helping his parents build and expand the home, doing many daily chores and earning money on the side. He got to enjoy his youth with wonderful friends and made great memories. In 1986 shortly before graduating from school he met his wife, Anja. They fell in love and in 1989 their daughter Lisa was born. At this time Frank had finished his college degree in Neuhaus am Rennweg and was drafted by the border patrol NVA of the GDR. In 1989 when the fence was cut between Eastern and Western Germany, he was there. He was one of the soldiers opening the border pass in Sonneberg, Thüringen. This was a remarkable historical event he was able to witness and be a part of. Following the end of the German Democratic Republic life for everyone changed drastically and new opportunities became available. Frank, who had previously worked in manual craft then started a commercial apprenticeship as a bank advisor. In 1994 his much-loved father Helmut died suddenly and unexpectedly. Frank took up the responsibility for the whole family and the house. With his own hands he shaped everything, he renovated, he built, he fixed – there were always new projects in his head. Some work needed to be done but he always had an inner drive to do more. In 1998 his son Toni was born and in 2001 he decided on a career change to become a self-employed financial advisor. This started a very prosperous but also very hectic time. During this time, he worked many hours, attended a lot of events and got the chance for personal development. He was always open and friendly and could speak well to a huge crowd of people. He also delighted in sharing knowledge and was a great team leader. During this time more than ever he got to see the world. He swam with sharks in the Maldives, saw rain fall in the dessert, he ate lunch at Burj al Arab in Dubai, he grilled calamari in Spain, he sailed in the Mediterranean Sea, he fished in the Gulf of Mexico, he drove a convertible in Mallorca and was motion sick on the Route#1 Costal Trail in California. He was not a fan of flying as he could not steer the plane himself, but he loved driving and would do so everywhere in the world with any vehicle. Frank was a family person and while his life in Germany was very exciting, it was also very stressful. He decided in 2015, together with his family, to move to Canada. He got to know this beautiful country during previous visits and enjoyed the peacefulness, the landscape, and the warmth of the local people. In 2016 he packed a container and bid Germany farewell. In Canada he started building again, his dream of a solid wood house by the ocean and a homestead, as well as many more solid wood houses and Tiny Homes. He could use all of his creativity and loved seeing new things take shape. He filled hundreds of sheets with sketches for projects and new ideas and he realized almost all of them. His last years have been intense with manual work, he was fit and strong, he was happy and healthy. He had the luxury of doing everything in his own time. He enjoyed the beautiful country and being together with his family & friends. Frank passed away on the 5th of May 2024, after a short and very unexpected severe illness. We have no words for this loss. He is survived by his wife Anja, his two children Lisa and Toni and his mother Gisela. Losing him so young has been a huge tragedy and we would love it if you could share some happy memories of him. He touched the lives of everyone he met and many he could call friends; this fills us with joy in this hardest of times. 

In Loving Memory. Anja, Lisa, Toni, and Oma Gisela

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