March 26, 1929 – April 23, 2023
at the age of 94 years:     

Born on March 26th, 1929, in Germany, Erhard lost both parents during wartime.  He then lived with his neighbours which was a difficult time.  As a young adult, he immigrated to Australia.  He built a house and lived there for about 10 years.  The Aboriginals taught him how to create beautiful carvings while there.  These carvings can be seen in the pictures in his room.

He relocated to Canada and moved throughout the North and the Shuswap, building a house in each location.  He worked as a plumber in his earlier years.  His pictures show his log and beam style birch home that he built by himself in St. Ives in 1981.  You can also see the chimney of which he is especially proud!

Erhard lived a very simple life.  In St. Ives, he had a few apple and plum trees and bought his favourite staples at the grocery store:  sausages, chicken, ham, potatoes and onions.  He cooked his meals on his Coleman camp stove with propane tank, and never ate an A & W burger or French fries.  He had a telephone and hot water tank for a short time but got rid of both.  He enjoyed watching the birds through his big living room window.  That was his TV.

Although he used to be a deer hunter (with many antlers to show for it!), he later became a deer lover.  He would feed them cooked carrots, potatoes and apples and follow them up their trail for an outdoor adventure.  “Suzy” was his favourite doe.  He also regularly fed the ravens and chickadees who he found “human friendly.”

He was a good-hearted, shy, sheltered man with a sense of humour.  The locals in St. Ives referred to him as “The Hermit.”  He enjoyed his nearby nature, and tooting on his saxophone, trumpet and clarinet for entertainment, as well as listening to Mexican music on his radio!