Reiner Specht

October 6^th 1946—May 6^th 2023

If you see the waters of the Pacific rising you can attribute it to the tears flowing from family and friends of Reiner Specht, who passed quietly away at his home in IOCO, Port Moody.

Holding him tightly and sharing our love of him together were his wife, Bronwyn and his two sisters, Edelgard (Wilfrid) and Christiane (Klaus), having come from Germany to offer their love and support during his final days. Reiner experienced a sense of peace after his final visit with his son Andrei knowing that his efforts to give him a better life had not been in vain. His brothers Hartmut (Elizabeth), and Klaus (Ursel) were left to hold his hands from Berlin and Lubeck, but no less devastated by the loss of their older brother. Nieces Lena (Markus), Nora and Birgit (Dominic), and nephews Alexander and Jörg (Kirsten) have all shared in our grief, as have his grand nieces Anna Amalia and Lotte. Reiner was predeceased by his mother Amalia and father Franz. A gaping hole will remain in all our hearts forever.

Reiner arrived in Canada in 1969, mastered the English language and continued on to graduate from SFU, after which he completed his CGA. His need to be his own boss helped him establish his accounting business from home. It was there in his own office at 2:35 in the afternoon on May 5^th that he left us all behind.

Barely able to see, his body ravaged by diabetes and compromised by a stroke, it was lung cancer that finally stole him away. Not long ago, he was an avid soccer player teamed up with an enthusiastic team of Canadian Germans. He also fought fiercely within the local Port Moody political arena. If you look across the inlet to the north shore of IOCO and marvel at what is now called Bert Flinn Park—know that Reiner was a force among those who helped to save the mountain from development. Hidden on this mountain you will also find Mossom Creek Hatchery, a place he helped rebuild following a devastating fire.

Reiner was the love of my life, a thoughtful, loyal, and loving partner. I struggle to let him go. We will honour his life with a celebration in our home on July 7^th—the day we committed to one another in marriage 43 years ago.