GISELA (Berckemeyer) Behm has weathered many storms in life yet remains a beautiful person. She attributes her motiva- tion, courage and accomplish- ments to her faith. I: is not easy to make sacrifices when it involves matters of the heart and your cnildren, yet this remarkable lady did j just that. Her longing to work with * people has been fulfilled by teaching, children and involve- ment with friendship organiz. tions for mixed ages and nationalities. She carved out a life far from her homeland and bravely met the challenges life presented to her. Gisela points out: “My faith helped me through the hills and vaileys of life, and I ’ never, never lost hope.” One of six siblings, Gisela was born 1913 at Weisin, Germany, and remembers a very happy childhood. Their father taught the children dif- ferent sports and light farming, while their mother taught -them culture and gardening. . Her father was a mixed farmer, -which meant there were lots of ~ different farm animals as well “2 a8 various types of crops. There were horses to ride and always lots of interesting things to do around the farm. Gisela recalls: “Each morn- ing before breakfast, we all had o do. gymnastics, and wash in “cold water to ‘toughen us up," our mother said. I still do.” Until the children reached the age of 12, lady teachers uid come to their home cand teach them various cours- es. After 12 years, the children itendéd boarding school. Gisela attended the Heiligengrable Boarding School in the Prussian section ef Germany for four years, and “made a lot of close friends there. After graduating in Berlin; she studied nursing: there, and also. took courses in jome econcmics and garden- ng, and equestrian lessons. . Gisela met her future hus- : band, Albert Behm, a forester, in 1938 and they married a year later. During the war while Albert was away, Gisela remained living with her par- ents until 1944. As the Russian army moved closer to er parents’ farm, her father sent Gisela and ber two chil- #103-6200 Damiey St, Burnaby B.C. Fax: 291 -6750 www. retrowindow.com “War was terri SENIORS Faith helped senior weather times of trial has lived on the North Shore since 1997. dren to live elsewhere, fearing for their safety. They moved to a rented farm in Mestlin, East Germany for a short time, and then to Berckemeyer. This 1,000- hectare farm had been i in the - family since'1383 and was sit- uated at Wes¢ Falien, deep in the middle of West Germany. “] loved living there with my two boys and working on the farm, | but we only stayed one year,” says Gisela. That same vear (1946), Albert, who was taken prisoner of war in the United States, returned home co Germany. . After the war, Albert was. employed as a forester in Hamburg, West Germany. It was not long before Gisela and Albert relocated their family to Holstein near the Denmark border. In Germany at that time, once a young man finished Grade 13, he was compelled to take military training. The thought of their sons going to ifying, since it was around the time of the trouble in Vietnam. They knew firsthand the devastation of World War IT. . So in 1961, Albert and Gisela, after much consideration, decided to send their 18-year- old son, after his graduation, to Canada to live with relatives Two years later, Gisela came to Canada as a guest to see the country and the people. “Here I found a huge country with wide-open spaces, lots of opportunities for learning and working, and found Canadians to be very friendly people,” says Giscla. Then in 1964, after much - discussion and soul- -searching, Giseia and Albert made the heart-wrenching decision to sacrifice their marriage for the sake of their children. The cou- ple agreed that Gisela should bring their second son, then ‘ age 18, to Canada and that she and their sons remain here. Back in Canada, the three setdled in the Kitsilano area, and Gisela was fortunate to get a cooking job in the ‘kitchen of the Acadia Camp at Buy Factory Direct Renovation Windows. Supply and Install. Sweaty windows « Draft ty windows? ‘Tired of wasting money’ FREE ESTI WATES CALL 2916751 NEWS photo Julle Iverson NURSE, teacher, wife, mother and nature lover: Since her birth, in Germany in 1913, Gisela Befim has been many different things to many different people. She UBC, where she worked for two years. After completing a course at the Child’s Study Centre at UBC, she spent the next four _ or five years at Bella Bella and ‘then at Hazelton, B.C., teach-, «. ing kindergarten classes to First Nations children. She stressed friendliness and help- Pharmacist CAPSULE COMMENTS High blood pressure is a common consequence of drinking too much aicohol. If you have hypertension and- have more. than one alco- holic drink per day, con- sider cutting back. This alone can help reduce your blood Pressure oo Free, Parkin Free Delivery for P Pharmacy : Prescriptions’. DAVIES PHARMACY 1401 St. Georges 985-8771 fulness in her classes. She then returned to UBC in 1969 to study Canadian his- tory, Englists literature, and the curriculum of Grades I, 2 and 3. At the time, Professor and Mrs. Borden lived in a home on the UBC grounds and they both taught at the university. Mrs. Borden became ill, and since Gisela had trained as a nurse in Berlin, she was asked to live ith them and take care of her. She did this unt! Mrs. Borden died. The years °72 to °74 found Gisela operating, her own kindergarten class. The gov- ernment supplied her with a room, paper and paint. She had children of six nationalities in her class, preparing them to enter English public school. The children learned to speak English in three months. Following completion of daycare courses in 1975, Gisela taught daycare until she retired in 1978. After her retirement, Gisela started a seniors’ club on Bowen Island, and it was because of her involvement there that she was asked to work with the Katimavic Camp on Bowen Island. The camp was a place where young and old, from East and West, could meet in friendship. She worked at the Katimavic Camp for three years. Loving nature and the out- doors, for six years Gisela spent six weeks of the Indian Summer season living and hik- ing in the mountains behind — Squamish. She loved every sec- ond of it. It was her time to refresh her body and soul. Gisela had lost one sister and owo brothers in the war, and Albert had been seriously _ injured in an automobile acci- - - deat in Berlin, and never did -‘ completely recover from it. His health declined with the years and finally he marzied nurse, Marie Louise. After Caring you can count on.’ Our complete family support service can provide any level or range of care for your loved one.. Personal support, homemzking or nursing services. . spending his last few vears in the hills of Austria, Albert passed away in 1984. He and Gisela had kept in touch through the years and she became good friends with his second wife. Gisela says: “I knew Albert as a young man, and Marie Louise knew him in his later years.” Gisela has been living on the North Shore since 1991. She stili drives her car and attends the seniors” centre and aquatic cenire, does daily exer- cises, keeps in touch with her many friends and relatives, and maintains close contact w her two sons and their families — one lives on Bowen Island, the other in Bavaria. Gisela has been busy lately assisting the German Canadian Cultural Society, which will bring to the West Coast the Richard Wossidlo Folklore Ensemble. There are nine pairs of dancers and five musicians. Their three performances in the Vancouver area are: Sept. 21 at the Croatian Centre; Sept. 22 at the First Natio: Gymnasium, where they join in friendship with the - Bakers’ Dance Group; and on September 24 at the German House-Alpine Club, with the | German Choir. “Tickets are only $5. You cannot beat that for an evening of entertainment,” says Gisela. Throughout her life Gisela’s inner strength and motivation came from studying the Bible’s teachings. You, Gisela, are a ve: > cial lady. Your face radiates friendship, kindness and beauty from wi nate to have you in our com- munity. Vikki Finkbeiner i is a North: ‘ Vancouver writer, Ifyou know of. someone who might. make: an "interesting i le, - send. your". i c/o North Shore idea to Vik . ‘Eéwecar 980-6350 _ 214 - 145 West 15th St, North vancouver Where peace of mind has a.bome address" “Join "in the “Fual ‘Our In-schoo! Mentoring program needs caring, reliable, male and fernale volunteers to share a one-to-one friendship with a child in: elementary school: Play. games. or sports, work on the computer (o) sit and. talk REATER VANCOUVER 474 a . ee ; 876-2447, ext 234.