Helmut Klughammer passed from this world on September 10, 2026. He had so many stories, so much larger-than-life experience. It’s impossible to encapsulate all of that living in a few short paragraphs.

Born in 1930 in Germany, Helmut was a child during one of the worst times in human history. When he was a teenager, his cousin Willie asked him if he wanted to go to Canada where they were hiring lumberjacks. Helmut applied even though he’d never heard of Canada. But then he had to pass a medical exam and weigh at least 160 pounds. Helmut stuffed rocks in his pockets and was soon on the train wearing lederhosen and saying goodbye to Germany forever. He boarded an old liberty ship that would sail him across the Atlantic, luckily assigned to a bunk against the hull. Those in the middle were continually soaked from water splashing through the ventilation pipes.

For five years Helmut chopped down trees by hand in northern Ontario. He used a Swede saw—no chainsaws then—and earned $20 per tree. When he quit, he slapped down $2000 in cash at a car dealership to buy a brand-new Chev. He drove to western Canada where he worked as a mechanic, an aluminum worker, and even a short (and unprofitable) stint as a vacuum salesman. He went mountain-climbing and skiing every chance he got, entering and often winning races and ski-jumping competitions. He eventually met Ruth—she asked him out to a lecture by an Olympic skier. The two of them got married in 1961 and started a family. 

All three kids were born in Calgary. Thanks to help from Ruth, Helmut earned his bachelor’s degree in education—after he got a GED for finishing high school. He worked as a high school shop teacher and football coach. When the family moved to tiny Nakusp in British Columbia, he taught there, too, and simultaneously built his own house, mostly on his own including splitting his own cedar shakes for the roof and placing the massive logs by hand. He became a huge community volunteer including being instrumental in helping create the local ski hill. There was already a small slope there, but with a rickety and condemned rope tow, it was about to close. Helmut helped raise money to put in a new T-bar lift. This involved working with a helicopter to put in T-bar towers, placing cable, and hanging the heavy T-bars by hand. The Klughammer family skied every weekend. In a tribute to his efforts, one of the runs was recently renamed “The Klughammer.”

Helmut was a volunteer fireman, on the Search & Rescue team, and he helped manage Summit Lake National Park. After retirement he was resoundingly elected Area K Director though he did no campaigning. He also earned recognition as “Citizen of the Year.”

As they got older, Helmut and Ruth moved to Maple Ridge, closer to medical care and family. Helmut promptly joined the motorcycle club and rode well into his eighties. He got a “super” senior’s pass each year—it was $25.00—at a local ski hill and skied until his legs would no longer support him at 86. Ruth and Helmut moved into an independent living apartment building. When Ruth passed in 2023, Helmut stayed at Greystone where he was thoroughly loved.

An outdoorsman, a father, a grandpa, he was a man full of optimism and generosity. His humor made people laugh until their tears ran. Helmut made this world a better place. Rest in peace. You are forever missed.