ALVIN CORNELIUS WIRCH
Posted: December 3rd, 2021
February 1, 1941 – November 29, 2021
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
2 Timothy 4:7
Alvin was born February 1, 1941, in the Cottage Hospital in Empress, AB to Ben and Hanna Wirch. He passed away peacefully at the age of 80 in Medicine Hat, AB after a battle with cancer.
Alvin attended school in Empress and could speak only German when he first started school. After school, while working as a surveyor in Northern Alberta, Alvin met Ethel Cook in 1963. They were married on October 23, 1965 and made their home in Edmonton. Alvin apprenticed as a welder and received the highest marks in Alberta for his program. He worked for 10 years for CESSCO under the Boilermakers Branch and obtained many different tickets for different welding techniques.
In 1975, Alvin and Ethel moved to Empress and bought the Wirch family farm, which he farmed until retirement in 2004. Justin and Jenelle joined the family in 1976 and 1978.
Alvin loved farming and was an exceptionally hard worker. He especially loved farming with Justin; teaching him about farming and how to drive the machinery. In 1991, Alvin’s heart was broken at the loss of Justin and farming was never the same for him.
Alvin spent some time long-haul truck driving and saw lots of the Southwestern United States. In 2015, Alvin and Ethel celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a trip to Australia and New Zealand.
After retirement in Medicine Hat, Alvin kept busy with his work at Paradise Valley Golf Course and was the “go-to fix-it guy” for over 10 years. He was a Level 2 Icemaker and worked at the Medicine Hat Curling Club. He also volunteered with Hope Street Church for over 10 years, helping to provide meals for the less fortunate.
Alvin had many passions and pursued each one with singular focus. Over the years he learned and excelled at baseball, hockey, skiing, curling, golf, archery, sketching/drawing, photography, and dancing. He also taught himself to play the guitar, fly kites, and cook.
Alvin was well known for his creativity, stories, mischief and jokes. Many of his nieces and nephews have stories about things Uncle Alvin said or did to tease them and make them laugh.
Alvin is survived by his wife of 56 years, Ethel; his daughter, Jenelle (Patrick) Tutty; and his grandson, Alex Tutty. He will also be missed by his sister, Darline Colbe; and his extended family of brothers and sisters-in-law, cousins, nieces, and nephews. He was predeceased by his son Justin; his parents; and his brother, Bill Wirch.
The family would like to thank the staff at the Margery E. Yuill Cancer Centre and St. Joseph’s Carmel Hospice in Medicine Hat for their compassion and care. A special thanks to great-nephews, Kurtis and William Hoff, who spent so much time with us this last week while Alvin was in hospice.
A celebration of Alvin’s life will be held in 2022, more details to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to:
St. Joseph’s Carmel Hospice in Medicine Hat, AB c/o Covenant Foundation
Room 3C60, 11111 Jasper Avenue Edmonton, AB T5K 0L4
Phone: 780.342.8126
foundation@CovenantHealth.ca
Website: www.covenantfoundation.ca
Condolences may be made at www.gracememorial.com. Arrangements are made by
Grace Memorial Affordable Burial & Cremation
1924 10th Ave N.W.
Medicine Hat, Alberta T1C 1T5
www.gracememorial.com
403-905-0440
Ethel and family
Our deepest sympathies to all of you.
Alvin was the first person we met when we moved to our condo. And he never changed, always smiling and joking.
He will be greatly missed. RIP my friend.
May his family remember all the good times they had. Our condolences.
Joseph and Carolyn Batke
Alvin was such an incredible human! He was known by my son who gave him the nickname “Putter McGee” who taught him to golf and of course “putt”. Alvin was the master. More so he left such an imprint on our son Noah, his patience and skills have left Noah checking his “tick tock” on the greens for lifetimes to come. Alvin, you left your mark. Our sincerest condolences to his entire family, friends and all who loved him.
My deepest condolences to Alvin’s family. I lived next door to Alvin and Ethel in Edmonton, and Alvin will always be a part of my earliest childhood memories. As a mechanic, my life would be completely different if I had not spent my formative years living next door to him as he introduced me to a world of automotives. I still have a huge soft spot for 1970 Ford Torino Cobras, plus getting rides in the early Volkswagen Beetle that he bought a dune buggy body for (which he decided to go farming instead of building). Rest in peace.