Horst Horand Dahlem

Horst Horand Dahlem was born February 26, 1942, in Konitz, West Prussia (now Poland) to Fritz and Johanna (Kexel) Dahlem, the youngest of six siblings. Horst was predeceased by his parents, his siblings Ursula (Guenther) Feller, Hartmut Dahlem, Ingrid Bliwernitz and Henning Dahlem and his godson Mark Dahlem. Left to mourn him are his wife Madeleine, his children Tyson (Lisa Kiffman) Dahlem and Erica Dahlem and most beloved grandson Hunter Dahlem. Other relatives include nephews Ingo Feller, Ronnie Bliwernitz, David, Darcy and Terry Dahlem; nieces Joanne Paulsen, Kris Balfour, Heide Krakauer, Rita Verdery, Monica Compton and Christina Bolich; sisters-in-law Rita and Anne Dahlem, as well as his wife’s family. Special friends Byron Behiel, Sharon Irlbeck and Larry Yakimoski join the family in their grief.

Horst’s childhood was scarred by World War II. His father was killed in action in the defence of Berlin in 1945. His family managed to evade the Russian advance and was internally displaced within West Germany for approximately 10 years before returning to his mother’s hometown of Koblenz. He was apprenticed at the age of 14 as a plumber/pipe fitter and immigrated to Canada at the age of 18 with his tradesman’s ticket and a Grade Nine equivalent. He joined his brothers Harry and Henning in Saskatoon, finishing his high school and graduating from Nutana Collegiate at the age of 22 while working at his trade. He paid for his university by working primarily as a pipefitter /foreman at the construction of the first Great Canadian Oilsands (later Syncrude) plant at Fort MacMurray, the construction of the Pulp and Paper Mill in Prince Albert and at the Allen and Patience Lake potash mines.

Horst fell in love with the air, joining the first Saskatoon Soaring Club and working towards his private pilot’s license. He hoped for a time to become a bush pilot but jobs were very scarce in the ‘60s so he opted to attend the University of Saskatchewan, studying law and graduating with an B.A., L.L.B in 1972. He articled with Graham and Pick in Weyburn, SK., and was in private practice in North Battleford from 1973-1984. There, he was an agent of the Provincial Attorney-General, often piloting his own plane to attend court in northern communities. In 1984, he accepted a position with the Department of Justice (Canada) as Senior Counsel Criminal Prosecutions in Saskatoon. He had a distinguished career and was known for his integrity and his sense of fairness. He was awarded a federal Q.C. in 1989, a Local Merit award in 2004 and an Excellence Award for the Prairie Region of the Dept of Justice in 2005 “In recognition of (his) exceptional performance, excellence and professionalism as trial and appellate counsel in the prosecution of offenders in the tax evasion field.” Horst retired in 2011 due to ill health.

Horst’s involvement in soaring gave him wings for many years. He participated in the Soaring Nationals held in Regina in 1965, accidently flying into Montana. He won the SK provincial trophy and earned his first Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) diamond (300km) by flying from Saskatoon to Yorkton. He made the front page of the Ituna News when he landed out in another distance attempt. He was responsible for finding and establishing the current Saskatoon Soaring Club in Cudworth SK. The HP-11A that he build and flew for many years (registration CF-QIR) is in the collection of the B.C. Aviation Museum in Sydney, B.C.

Horst’s life was greatly enriched by his family. He met his wife Madeleine at University of Saskatchewan. They married in 1969 and had two children, Tyson and Erica. As a family, they established and built Parkland Beach at Turtle Lake. Together, they went on all manner of hunting trips and Madeleine was his faithful companion skeet/trap shooting at the Saskatoon Gun Club.

The family wishes to thank Dr. Fatima Waqar at RUH and the Emergency, ICU and Trauma teams which she led in Horst’s care for their kind and caring professionalism. The family also wishes to thank the Palliative Care team at St. Paul’s Hospital for giving Horst a peaceful end of life.

There will be a private celebration of Horst’s life in the fall. In lieu of flowers, kindly make a contribution to the RUH Foundation or St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation. The cremation was confided to Martens Warman Funeral Home upon whose website messages of farewell may be left.