My beloved Lance Garren died peacefully, at Bastion Place on Friday July 21st at 9 a.m. aged 82 years. He is now at rest and at peace. ‘The strife is o’er, the battle won.’
He was born in Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg, Germany in 1935 as Henning Wehrs. War time memories haunted him and he spoke often of the need for people to find ways to be at peace. As a youth, he excelled in Kayak racing and whitewater sports to Olympic levels and had many good stories to tell.
In 1970, he came to work in Vancouver, Canada for about 3 months and stayed for the rest of his life. He became a proud Canadian citizen and loved this country very much.
Though he struggled all his life with a childhood speech problem, he learned to speak English very well. In Canada, he worked for others in the Boating business, before trying his own business.
On August 3rd 1974 he married Brenda Leeson and we enjoyed almost 43 years together.
He came to Salmon Arm in 1975 and began the expansion and development of the former Gorse Marina. An unfortunate loss of financing ended this dream and he was forced to try another line of work again, this time using his ship building skills to start a fiberglass boat repairing business more suited to the needs of the Shuswap. He continued with this until he stopped work. He also fiberglassed sundecks, Peaks Motel Revelstoke outdoor stairs and decks, Halcyon Hot Springs lower pool.
Little children loved Lance, while adults were often kept off guard by his dry sense of humour and outspoken manner, tricks he learned to offset his speech difficulties and which he kept using until the end. He could be a big tease too.
He was Chamber of Commerce President for the South Shuswap, Church Warden for St John the Evangelist Church, and held positions in the Cursillo Movement too.
Special thanks go to Family Doctor Stacey Kirkman and the Bastion Place staff who cared for him through thick and thin with patience and compassion, Serena, dietician, who aimed to bring him some joy in his last weeks, Andover Terrace Retirement Resort Staff and Residents who supported Brenda over the last long months.
Lance was predeceased by his parents Adolf and Klara Wehrs, older brother Dean (Juergen). Sisters Ingeborg (Manfred, nephews Stephen and Marc) and Greta (Loren), wife Brenda, brother-in-law Geoffrey (Hazel, Georgina and Michael, U.K.) are left to mourn.
A funeral Service will be held on Tuesday August 15th, at 2 p.m. at St John the Evangelist Anglican Church, 170 Shuswap St. SE, Salmon Arm.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Lance’s name may be made to Bastion Place, Box 1990, Salmon Arm, B.C. V1E 4P9
Email condolences and shared memories of Lance may be made through his obituary at www.bowersfuneralservice.com