We Remember

WISMANN, Horst

September 26, 1938 — May 20, 2025

On May 20, 2025, with the Okanagan sun stretching softly through the windows, Horst Wismann took his final rest in the home he loved in Kelowna, BC. He was 86 years old.

Born in Hausham, Germany, on September 26, 1938, to the late Friedrich & Katarina Wismann (née Hacker), Horst’s early life unfolded in a world reshaping itself. And yet, even in such a place and time, he learned to find (and later to shape) beauty: in form, in function, in the simple grace of things well-made.

Horst understood the curve of a line and the set of a stone in ways most might overlook. He made his life with hands that built, tended, and refined. He spent his working years as a dental technician; a trade that married precision and care. It was work, yes, but also a kind of craftsmanship that suited his nature.

He immigrated to Canada in 1959 and spent some time in Montreal, QC with his sister Hildegard and her family before heading west to Vancouver, BC. In 1970, he met and fell in love with Frances Hayward. Two souls, perfectly matched. They shared 49 years of love, raising a family and building a life. After the birth of their daughter, Nicole, the young family returned to Germany for a season. But British Columbia called them home again, this time to the wide skies and fruit-sweet air of the Okanagan Valley, where their son Jared was born and their roots deepened.

Horst was an artist and an inventor, though he’d likely never claim the titles. He admired architecture and tinkered with quiet purpose, turning ideas into objects. He loved birds; not just in the abstract, but in the way one does when they build a birdbath with their own hands and wait, day after day, to see who visits. His garden was a work of shared love with Frances: a patch of earth that bloomed under their care.

Horst is survived by his daughter Nicole Wismann (Jeff Staaf), his son Jared Wismann, and his older brother Fritz Wismann. He was predeceased by his beloved Frances (d.2019) and his three sisters.

In the end, a life is not counted in years but in moments – in a bird’s wings catching the light, in laughter at the dinner table, in the hush between people who need no words. Horst’s life was rich with such moments.

A Celebration of Life will be held later this summer, when the garden is in full bloom.

If you wish to send a condolence, post photos, or share a memory, please scroll down the page to the area call “Condolences”.

Share with Others:

Share on Facebook
Share Via Email