Obituary of Rudolf Otto "Rudy" Oltmanns

Rudolf Otto Oltmanns By all accounts, Rudy Oltmanns was no ordinary man. He was part adventurer and part inventor, all with the genuine look of a Yukon prospector. While many of the roads that Rudy took were often less travelled and less desirable to the average person, he was happy to be off the beaten path. The unique life of Rudy Oltmanns started in 1952, when his parents Christal and Herbert gave birth to Rudy in Germany. The following year Anka was born and then a remarkable thing happened. After receiving a bond from a farmer in Montreal, the Oltmanns' family travelled across the ocean to start their new life in Canada. Imagine the excitement of this journey - a new land, new people, a new language and most of all, a new hope. When the Oltmanns' arrived in Canada in August of 1953, the bond offered by the Montreal farmer was withdrawn so that the Oltmann's future was uncertain. As unbelievable as it may seem, Rudy and his family were sent to Edmonton on the train in hopes that someone would assume the bond and sponsor them. This situation could not have been easy. Miraculously, a local farmer sponsored the Oltmanns and gave them a residence in Ellerslie, just south of Edmonton. This was certainly not the ideal situation, considering that Rudy and his family lived in a converted chicken coop for 5 years. Take a moment to reflect on this and imagine if you were faced with this dilemma. The cold Canadian winters must have been unbearable. Over the next several years, the Oltmanns family grew with the addition of Hannalore, George, Ed, Arnie and Diane. With a total of 7 children, the Oltmanns family continued to farm in and around the Edmonton area, including Elscott just north of Edmonton. Life at the Oltmanns home was tough. Working at a young age was expected in order to survive. Without a doubt, this was where Rudy learned the importance of hard work. However, Rudy also become a prankster, perhaps as a way to deal with his home life. Many Rudy-isms were rumoured to have happened. While the Oltmanns family was living in Elscott, Rudy got a job at a seed cleaning plant. During his time at the seed cleaning plant, Rudy got an infection which caused him to lose most of his hair. After working at the seed cleaning plant, Rudy worked at Tidy Welders near Boyle. In 1977, while working for Tidy Welding, Rudy moved to Dawson Creek and began renting a house. The landlord of his property introduced Rudy to someone much more exciting than working. Rudy met Marilyn and her daughter Laryssa. Rudy and Marilyn were married in 1980. Like many weddings, the event was a fancy ordeal with everyone dressed up in their finest clothes. That included Rudy. Can you imagine the convincing that Marilyn would have needed to do in order to get Rudy into that tuxedo? In October of 1980, Marilyn and Rudy were blessed with the birth of their son Derick. With Laryssa and Derick, Rudy and Marilyn began their new life together in the Dawson Creek area. From the early 80's up until 1993, Rudy and Marilyn had several houses together. Each home had its own unique set of challenges and tough conditions. Rudy was an enterprising individual, so he and Marilyn started Junkco Salvage in 1983. The salvage business proved to be a unique way for Rudy to showcase his hidden talents. Rudy started recycling to save the planet way before the present day environmentalists' got involved. When you see one of those blue boxes' on the city sidewalks, you can likely thank Rudy for starting this trend. I am sure everyone here has heard of the world famous car crusher that Rudy designed and built himself. Without a doubt, this was the crown jewel of his salvage business. In 1993 Rudy and Marilyn moved to the house in Arras. Many years were spent living in this home and enjoying country living. Marilyn could tend to her flowers and horses and Rudy could torment his children by getting them to cut wood for the wood furnace even though natural gas was available in the area. Many people have tried to perfect the art of coffee time, but nothing compared to how Rudy approached this special event. Likely everyone in this room can remember sitting at Rudy and Marilyn's house in Arras with a cup of coffee in their hands. I suspect the coffee pot was placed on the stove the day that Rudy and Marilyn moved in, and it was never turned off until several years later. Each pot of coffee seemed to be magically ready the minute guests showed up at the front door. Most fathers can relate to the challenges of being both tough and kind at the same time, especially when dealing with daughters. Rudy did his best to have a relationship with Laryssa even though it seemed to be something very foreign to him. Some of you may recall the old car that Rudy brought home on Laryssa's 16th birthday. Rudy had told Laryssa that the car was her birthday present. Picture an old station wagon from the 1970's and then try to imagine the look on Laryssa's face. She was not amused. This was another Rudy-ism and he loved every minute of it. Rudy eventually surprised Laryssa by giving her a respectable car to drive. It was a good thing Rudy was in the salvage business since he needed an endless supply of spare parts and body panels to keep up with Laryssa's earlier driving habits. Fathers and sons have one of the most complex, yet simple relationships on the planet. Rudy and Derick were no exception to this. Rudy was often uncertain of the role he needed to play in Derick's life, but he tried his best. Rudy struggled with the work-life balance and often took Derick with him to the salvage yard to spend time together. Derick was always happy to hang out with his Dad, no matter where they were. From 1997-2001 Rudy's three grandchildren were born. Tristan, born in 1997, Ashtyn born in 1999 and then Keauna born in 2001. Rudy quickly became Papa Rudy. Papa Rudy seemed to be much more relaxed than Rudy and it was not uncommon for Papa Rudy to spoil the grandkids on occasion. In November 2001, an event unfolded that would change the course of Rudy's future. Marilyn Oltmanns, the love of his life, was involved in a car accident just a few minutes from home. Marilyn did not survive the accident, and Rudy was never the same person. Following the tragic loss of Marilyn, Rudy began a new quest to find fulfillment in a number of activities. Rudy continued with his passion for snowmobiling, but without Marilyn it was obvious that this sport was not as fulfilling as it once was. Rudy loved fishing and the outdoors and travelled to the Yukon on occasion and this is where he enjoyed living the simple life off the grid'. Between 2001 and 2012, Rudy appeared to be looking for something that he could not find. He lived in numerous locations and yet he seemed unsatisfied. In 2012, he moved to Fairview where he moved in with his mom and his sister Hannalore. He seemed to find comfort in this arrangement, but you always got the sense that Rudy had become somewhat detached from the world. One of the most refreshing things about Rudy was his approach to life. He was effortlessly genuine every day - no frills, no gimmicks and certainly no fancy suits. Rudy never left you wondering what he was thinking. Rudy had friends from all over the place and he never judged any one of them, because he did not want to be judged himself. There is an overwhelming temptation to criticize Rudy and dwell on his tendencies to work too much. When you consider Rudy's childhood and then the loss of Marilyn, it is amazing that he was able to remain optimistic and easy going. As a son, a brother, a husband, and then eventually a father, Rudy was always helping people in need - something that cannot be overlooked. There were countless times when Rudy selflessly helped those less fortunate, often in the background and with no fanfare or special recognition. That was Rudy's style. He never asked to be repaid, he never complained and he certainly didn't give you the sense that it was an inconvenience. In today's world, that's a tough act to follow. In a sense, Rudy could be compared to the art of goldpanning. Every good prospector carefully sifts through the stones and sand in hopes of revealing a nugget worthy of keeping. Anyone who knew Rudy was faced with a similar challenge. Take away the years of hardship and eventually the real Rudy emerges. The real Rudy was a golden nugget that could easily be overlooked to the untrained eye. In the last 9 weeks of Rudy's life, the tough exterior faded away to reveal a kind, determined and fragile man. If you were fortunate enough to visit Rudy, this was his gift to you. Even through all the treatments and the medications, there was a sense of relief that Rudy could finally be the person he was capable of being. We love you Papa Rudy, and we will miss you very much. Service 2:00 pm Thursday, June 30, 2016 Peace Misson Chapel Highway 97 PROGRESS, British Columbia, Canada