Bernard "Bernie" Roger Kirchmayer

Bernard Roger Kirchmayer (Aka Bern Dog) December 16, 1941 - May 27, 2025, died peacefully with his family present after residing for the past 4 years at Durand Manor in Golden, BC.

Born in Kirkland Lake, Ontario, in 1941, he joined the military in 1959 at the age of 17 and remained enlisted until 1993. His military career afforded him the experience of traveling the world and eventually meeting his wonderful wife, Wendy. Married in 1975 in Lahr, West Germany, Bernie and Wendy went on to have 3 wonderful children, Stephanie, Kristina, and Bradley. During his military service, Bernie lived in Winnipeg, Petawawa-ON, peace keeping in Cypress, Germany, Ottawa, Valcartier-QC, Oromocto-NB, before finally moving to Lethbridge-AB in 1990. He retired from the military in 1993 as a Warrant Officer with the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery. After retiring from the military, with his need to stay busy, he went on to another 15-year career at Kawneer (Alcoa). He officially retired (and stayed retired) in 2012 when he moved to Edmonton to join his wife who had taken a job opportunity in Alberta’s capital city. Upon Wendy’s retirement in 2015, they moved to Golden, British Columbia to live closer to their children and help with raising their grandchildren.

Bernie could best be described as a hard-working family man who was a straight shooter and would do almost anything for those close to him. Bernie was never one to shy away from hard work, being a Warrant Officer in the Canadian armed forces taught him to persevere and give it his all. His hard work ethic and perseverance transferred to his personal life and he did everything he could for his family. Bernie and Wendy worked hard to support their growing family and made sure their children were always supported in school and sports. Sports were a big part of the Kirchmayer household with the children engaged in hockey, swimming, baseball, and volleyball. On top of driving his kids to all the practices, games and swim meets, Bernie even volunteered as a coach and team manager when needed.

Bernie loved to cook for his family and some of his specialties included roast beef with all the trimmings, big spaghetti dinners, scrambled egg breakfasts, and the best homemade apple pie. After bringing home 2 bushels of apples to Wendy in New Brunswick he said, “look at this Wendy, you can make apple pies”. Well busy as she already was, she taught him how to make the pies from scratch, including the pie crusts. Every fall he would fill the freezer with dozens of apple pies and the children would happily finish them off before the next season’s apples came in. Bernie loved to cook big meals but he also wanted his kids to eat well on a regular basis so on most school days he would get up early and make pancakes or french toast for breakfast, and every evening he would make the kid’s lunches (even though they sometimes came home in the bottom of their back packs).

Bernie and Wendy enjoyed traveling to visit friends and family. They made trips across Canada, to Mexico and spent their early years together traveling all over Europe. Whenever possible they included their children on these trips, instilling a passion for new adventures within the entire family. A favorite family trip was made almost every year to the Fairmont Banff Springs before Christmas where Bernie and Wendy could celebrate the holiday with their children and grandchildren and make new memories.

He is predeceased by his parents, Frank and Amelda Kirchmayer, his brother Robert Kirchmayer, close Aunt Mary Steingart, Joyce Kam, and his best friend of all, Danzig. He is survived by his wife Wendy Kirchmayer, Daughter Stephanie (Ian) Templeton and their sons John and Sam, daughter Kristina Kirchmayer and her son Alexander, son Bradley (Tara) Kirchmayer and their daughters Mikaela and Katrina, brother’s wife Jane Griffiths and their 2 sons, and many close extended family and friends.

Family Stories

“He was a great cook, gardener, and loved his sports. He loved watching sports!!! The Dodgers, Blue Jays, Packers, and especially the Montreal Canadiens. Really all sports, which always got a bit loud during hockey or baseball games. We would remind him when his team was losing that the athletes on tv couldn’t hear him but that didn’t seem to dis way him from commenting on their poor performance. The best sport to watch with my dad was golf on the weekends. We would lie on the couches, sometimes nodding off to applause and commentators. It was the only calming sport to watch in our house.

He was always there for us and made sure we had everything we needed. That didn’t mean things and it didn’t mean money. Dad and mom built a sense of hard work in us where we were proud to attain our goals, and they always validated us. I felt grateful for what we had been given, of course that comes with age. It was the time and thought and care.

Dad hated camping, he always said ‘why would I want to camp, I’ve been doing it for years in the military’, I wish he could have experienced it on a different level. Even though he didn’t enjoy it he still afforded us the opportunity. As luck would have it, our first time camping as a family was in Kouchibouquac National Park. It rained, no monsoonal, with our rented canvas tent, family of 5/noncampers and the ‘damn Coleman stove’ that wouldn’t lite.

But that wasn’t the end, dad and mom came camping with me once in my 20s. They didn’t want me to go by myself so they came with me. We get out to castle mountain area and every possible site is taken so we decide this off shoot road will suffice baring nobody drives down it in the middle of the night. Neighbors are great and we have a nice time. Bedtime, we’re in a tent, a very small tent. We get out the sleeping bags, my dad grabbed one for my mom and one for himself, I brought mine and we all climb in. It’s a little tight but that’s okay because it’s funny at this point. Then my mom realizes that my dad grabbed a very small junior sleeping bag. Well now it’s really funny because it’s not big enough to cover her but whatever it’s warm out so we of course laugh and settle down, no real other option. Well minutes later she rolls over and the zipper breaks and we all start laughing hysterically. My dad and mom always made sure we felt loved and never alone.”

-Stephanie

“My dad sacrificed a lot to make sure I had opportunities that he never had. Family was always the most important part of his life, and he demonstrated that everyday with the time and effort he put into his kids. Both my parents worked hard at their jobs to ensure my sisters, and I had a good home to grow up in and they dedicated their time outside of work supporting our numerous interests (even the ones they didn’t quite understand). They even helped with my paper route or covered the occasional shift at drycleaners (where my sister’s and I were employed) to make sure I could get to hockey or volleyball on time.

As I think about my time with my dad, I keep coming back to conversations we had during the many car rides for sports and how our relationship changed over the years. Playing hockey in southern Alberta provides a lot of travel time with your parents so Bernie and I had to find new ways to communicate as I grew from a young inquisitive child to a rebellious teenager, and finally to an independent adult.

Early on, my dad was the encyclopedia who I would ask all my questions and always getting the right answers. During my early teenage years, he wouldn’t always know all the answers, but he could teach me what he did know, including how to drive (it’s way more stressful for the parents than the teenagers). In my later teenage years, I was no longer asking questions or looking for answers as I knew it all… although I probably should have taken some of Bernie’s advice a bit more often. As I grew into an independent person, I needed a different type of support and through a little trial and error, my dad figured it out. I think this was tough on him at first but he grew as a father and learned when to ask me about the hockey game that just finished (if I played well), when I needed a quiet ride home (if I didn’t play as well), what was going on at school, or if I just needed to make small talk about the Canadiens. When I became an adult, our relationship changed again, and we conversed more as friends. He would always ask about university, work, or my family (the important stuff) but we would usually get around to talking about sports and politics (the fun stuff). Whether he knew it or not, he was still teaching me during these conversations on how to be a supportive father that adapts as their children grow into adults.

I owe a lot to my dad including my love of cooking (weekend family meals are my specialty) and my love of sports (I’m a die hard Habs and Packers fan). He taught me the important lessons of hard work, doing things the right way, and supporting those closest to you. Indirectly he also taught me how to adapt to a changing relationship with your family. He started as my teacher and the household authority but as I grew up, we became friends who could share our opinions (boy did we ever share those opinions) and loved each other even when we disagreed over those opinions. I will miss my dad, but I’ll always carry with me the lessons he taught, and I’ll do my best to pass those lessons on to his grandchildren, who he greatly adored and loved.”

-Brad

"One of my fondest memories with my dad was wrestling when we were little kids. Dad would take on all three of us in the middle of the living room, finally pinning us down, counting down to 3 just like on tv. I can remember the 3 of us trying to take him down, which usually ended up with mom telling us to all settle down because someone always ended up getting hurt.

I spent many Saturdays off to Costco with dad shopping, he was always asking me if I needed anything, always offering to help me out. I remember him as a caring and giving dad who was always there for us. He took time off work to drive me to Calgary for hand surgery, without hesitation, swimming after schools and early mornings, to Stettler just so my sister and I could visit some friends, drove us to the Pink Floyd concert in Edmonton and to Fort Macleod for my first tattoo, just to make sure it was legit.

I also got to enjoy his fun side, him coming over for dinner, going to concerts, out for dinner at Average Joes and Beaches. He just loved having us over for a big Sunday breakfast.

He was such a wonderful grandpa to Alexander, taking him for walks, dropping by everyday to see him grow up, and teaching him even without knowing it.

The good times are what will be remembered."

-Kristina

In lieu of flowers, a donation to a charity of your choice can be made.