Obituary for Alan Pfeifer
The family of Alan Pfeifer are saddened to announce his passing on the morning of Saturday, December 31, 2022, succumbing to various health issues. He was a loving and devoted husband, father and grandfather, a gentle and compassionate brother, uncle and friend. He will be deeply missed.
He was predeceased by his wife, Marie; his parents, Henry and Olga (Schilke) Pfeifer; sisters, Florence Leis, and Marion Leis; brothers, Martin, Stan, Richard, Rudy; sisters-in-law, Dorothy, Joey; brother-in-law, Fred; as well as numerous sister- and brothers-in-law on Marie’s side of the family.
He leaves to cherish his memory his children, Evelyn & Terry Grieger, Myles and Teresa Pfeifer, and Jeff and Jody Pfeifer; and his grandchildren, Randy (Raïza) Pfeifer, Kearstin (Aidan) Bailey, Zach (Stephanie) Pfeifer and Brooke Pfeifer; his sister, Annette (Ron) Guenther; brothers, Leo Pfeifer and Doug (Bev) Pfeifer; brother-in-law Jack Leis, and sisters-in-law Elaine Pfeifer and Alice Bates, and numerous nieces and nephews and their families; as well as brother- and sister-in-law, Henry and Miriam Krahn, and numerous nieces and nephews from Marie’s side of the family.
Alan was born on July 26, 1939 in Kamsack, SK. He was the eighth child of 10 (7 boys and three girls). He went to school until grade 8 and then worked on the farm. When he was 18, he moved to Medicine Hat to work at Dominion Glass Factory in Redcliff – following two of his brothers (Richard and Leo) who did the same. He met Marie Krahn in 1961 at a church youth event at Hillcrest Church on 9th street, and they were married on June 1, 1963; they honeymooned on a trip to Niagara Falls (a trip they repeated for their 25th anniversary). They moved into their house of 51 years on December 31, 1963.
Alan worked at Dominion Glass Factory for 32 years (1957-1989) and then at Primrose Villa and Hillcrest Christian College / Chinook Village in maintenance for 10 years. He was active in the music of his church: a tenor in the choir, a song-leader, he sang & played guitar in various small groups, and loved being part of a few men’s quartets.
He could play almost any instrument he tried: guitar, mandolin, violin, piano, etc.; and loved playing for his kids and grandkids and hearing them sing along or try to play the instruments with him. Eventually, there were 4 Pfeifer brothers and their families living in Medicine Hat and Redcliff who always took turns hosting Christmas Day dinner for 20-25 people; as well as gathering numerous times during the summer for old-fashioned Pfeifer-Wiener-Roasts!
Alan and Marie didn’t travel a lot, but they would travel with the kids at least once a year to Kamsack, SK, where Alan’s family was from; they also did a little bit of holiday travelling, enjoying especially, Lost Lemon Campground near Blairmore, AB; and further away to Southern California, and Disneyland. They also took longer driving trips to the Oregon Coast, and to North and South Dakota.
He was a bit of a jack of all trades and could fix almost anything; he enjoyed puttering in his garage and tending to his garden and lawn (trying to compete with his neighbour for the best lawn on the block). He was an avid hunter and fisher - bringing home white-tailed deer, geese, ducks, pheasants and many, many fish!
Alan loved sports – both participating and watching. He was on the DomGlass baseball team and won a couple of championships in their league; he played slow pitch with the church’s Senior Men’s team; he loved playing golf, billiards, and chess (especially with his brother-in-law Otto, and with the church chess club); in their early days, Alan and Marie would curl with the church youth group. As for watching sports on tv, there were some seasons of the year he could watch baseball, football, golf and hockey in the same day or weekend. He also watched his grandkids as they played soccer, tennis, fencing & football.
Alan was a perfectionist and didn’t want to do anything unless it was done exactly right (which may have been inherited by his children and grandchildren); this was seen in his being the best-bottle-maker at the factory, his playing sports, his work around the house and his game-playing!! His game-playing was extraordinary – winning all kinds of games - card games, board games, strategic games, trivia games, and outdoor games. Even in his lowest times during his cancer treatment and his last days with us, he would beat us playing card and dice games.
We are grateful for the care he received at Chinook Village Assisted Living and St. Joseph’s Home.
We loved our dad and grandpa; he was the best!
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alberta Cancer Foundation, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada or Covenant Health – St. Joseph’s Home, Medicine Hat. Condolences for the family may be sent at www.saamis.com or to condolences@saamis.com.
He was predeceased by his wife, Marie; his parents, Henry and Olga (Schilke) Pfeifer; sisters, Florence Leis, and Marion Leis; brothers, Martin, Stan, Richard, Rudy; sisters-in-law, Dorothy, Joey; brother-in-law, Fred; as well as numerous sister- and brothers-in-law on Marie’s side of the family.
He leaves to cherish his memory his children, Evelyn & Terry Grieger, Myles and Teresa Pfeifer, and Jeff and Jody Pfeifer; and his grandchildren, Randy (Raïza) Pfeifer, Kearstin (Aidan) Bailey, Zach (Stephanie) Pfeifer and Brooke Pfeifer; his sister, Annette (Ron) Guenther; brothers, Leo Pfeifer and Doug (Bev) Pfeifer; brother-in-law Jack Leis, and sisters-in-law Elaine Pfeifer and Alice Bates, and numerous nieces and nephews and their families; as well as brother- and sister-in-law, Henry and Miriam Krahn, and numerous nieces and nephews from Marie’s side of the family.
Alan was born on July 26, 1939 in Kamsack, SK. He was the eighth child of 10 (7 boys and three girls). He went to school until grade 8 and then worked on the farm. When he was 18, he moved to Medicine Hat to work at Dominion Glass Factory in Redcliff – following two of his brothers (Richard and Leo) who did the same. He met Marie Krahn in 1961 at a church youth event at Hillcrest Church on 9th street, and they were married on June 1, 1963; they honeymooned on a trip to Niagara Falls (a trip they repeated for their 25th anniversary). They moved into their house of 51 years on December 31, 1963.
Alan worked at Dominion Glass Factory for 32 years (1957-1989) and then at Primrose Villa and Hillcrest Christian College / Chinook Village in maintenance for 10 years. He was active in the music of his church: a tenor in the choir, a song-leader, he sang & played guitar in various small groups, and loved being part of a few men’s quartets.
He could play almost any instrument he tried: guitar, mandolin, violin, piano, etc.; and loved playing for his kids and grandkids and hearing them sing along or try to play the instruments with him. Eventually, there were 4 Pfeifer brothers and their families living in Medicine Hat and Redcliff who always took turns hosting Christmas Day dinner for 20-25 people; as well as gathering numerous times during the summer for old-fashioned Pfeifer-Wiener-Roasts!
Alan and Marie didn’t travel a lot, but they would travel with the kids at least once a year to Kamsack, SK, where Alan’s family was from; they also did a little bit of holiday travelling, enjoying especially, Lost Lemon Campground near Blairmore, AB; and further away to Southern California, and Disneyland. They also took longer driving trips to the Oregon Coast, and to North and South Dakota.
He was a bit of a jack of all trades and could fix almost anything; he enjoyed puttering in his garage and tending to his garden and lawn (trying to compete with his neighbour for the best lawn on the block). He was an avid hunter and fisher - bringing home white-tailed deer, geese, ducks, pheasants and many, many fish!
Alan loved sports – both participating and watching. He was on the DomGlass baseball team and won a couple of championships in their league; he played slow pitch with the church’s Senior Men’s team; he loved playing golf, billiards, and chess (especially with his brother-in-law Otto, and with the church chess club); in their early days, Alan and Marie would curl with the church youth group. As for watching sports on tv, there were some seasons of the year he could watch baseball, football, golf and hockey in the same day or weekend. He also watched his grandkids as they played soccer, tennis, fencing & football.
Alan was a perfectionist and didn’t want to do anything unless it was done exactly right (which may have been inherited by his children and grandchildren); this was seen in his being the best-bottle-maker at the factory, his playing sports, his work around the house and his game-playing!! His game-playing was extraordinary – winning all kinds of games - card games, board games, strategic games, trivia games, and outdoor games. Even in his lowest times during his cancer treatment and his last days with us, he would beat us playing card and dice games.
We are grateful for the care he received at Chinook Village Assisted Living and St. Joseph’s Home.
We loved our dad and grandpa; he was the best!
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alberta Cancer Foundation, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada or Covenant Health – St. Joseph’s Home, Medicine Hat. Condolences for the family may be sent at www.saamis.com or to condolences@saamis.com.