Gus ELGERT

ELGERT, Gus (Gustav)
1934-2017
It is with great sadness we announce the passing of Gus on December 17, 2017 in Nanaimo.   He is survived by his loving wife of 60 years, Loretta, sons Richard (Hanna), Randy (Carol), Rod (Gail), daughter Laurie, grandchildren Scott, James, Nicholas, Alicia, Liam, Brendan and great-grandchildren, Carrera, Cayenne and Cora.  Also survived by his sisters Lydia and Edith and their extended families in Germany.  Predeceased by his brothers Ludwig, Johann, and Arnold as well as Brother-in-laws Alois Schindler and Paul Ritcher.

Gus was born August 2, 1934 in Lipno, Poland to Wilhelm and Olga Elgert. Having lost both parents by age eleven Gus and his siblings now under guardianship of his Grandmother Amalie Stockmann were displaced from Poland and relocated in Albshausen West Germany where Gus attended school and worked on a farm. At fifteen, Gus entered a three year apprenticeship contract as a castle handwork specialist. (Schlosser Handwerks) On June 1st 1953 Gus obtained his passport and made application to emigrate to Canada. OnApril 28, 1953 at eighteen years Gus boarded the Canadian Ship Beaverbrae in Bremen Germany and arrived in Quebec City on May 10, 1953.

Gus fulfilled the terms of emigration, working two years as a farm hand in Craven Saskatchewan. Fortunate to be hired by the Shiels family Gus was soon considered to be one of their own.  It was in Regina in 1957 that he met Loretta at a dance, sweeping her off her feet, and they were wed in 1958.   Beginning his career as a welder, he worked his way up over the years to Construction Superintendent.  In 1980 Gus started his own company, El-Cada Construction, building concrete tilt up warehousing.  He retired in 1985, and moved with Loretta to Vancouver Island in 1997.  

Gus was very artistic, making wood carvings, paintings, drawings and ironwork.  He loved to travel with Loretta, visiting family in Germany, and many destinations including Alaska, Hawaii, Bali, Mexico, Greece, Italy, Spain and Turkey.  During his many travels he loved talking to strangers, always curious about their life stories and where they were from.  Gus was a dedicated family man and had a keen interest in genealogy which led to many motorhome vacations throughout the United States looking for distant relatives.  He also enjoyed weekend excursions in the motorhome with his grandchildren.  One of his favourite pastimes was Sunday drives looking at real estate or classic car show and shines where the boys learned how to kick tires.
He will be dearly missed by all family and friends. 

A Celebration of life will be held in Nanaimo on January 20th, 2018 , Vancouver island Conference Centre, 101 Gordon St, Nanaimo, BC V9R 5J8 from 1-4 pm.  .

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