Bruno “Opa” Untergasser 1930 – 2024

Bruno “Opa” Untergasser was born on October 1, 1930 in the town of Brixen, Italy. Bruno’s father, Franz, was born in Innsbruck, Austria in 1889 and met his wife in the SudTyrol area of northern Italy. Bruno’s mother, Veneranda (Wanda) Miribung, hailed from the nearby town of Wengen. Bruno was the fourth of five children born to Franz and Wanda. His oldest brother, Walter, was followed by his sister, Greti, and brother, Willi. Another baby sister, Christina, made the family complete.

Bruno came to Montreal, Canada on May 30, 1960 with $150 in his pocket. He travelled to Edmonton and rented an apartment near the University of Alberta campus. Bruno began work with the Alberta Research Council in 1960, and would continue to work there until 1987. Bruno met his future wife Gisela Kaethe Buerger (from Berlin, Germany) at the University
campus. Gisela was working on her Bachelors degree in Science, and she followed this up with a Masters degree in Zoology completed in 1971.

In 1979, the family took a trip to Hawaii. Days for the boys consisted of playing in the sand and building forts in the apartment from all the couch cushions. Bruno was enlisted to pull the boys down the sidewalks on the large palm fronds that were being trimmed from the trees. While Gisela and the boys thoroughly enjoyed this, it became a working trip for Bruno!

As the boys grew older and were into school, the summer holidays were a time of camping for Gisela and the boys. Bruno would join the family camping trips for a few days or a weekend at a time, but he would make faces as he ate his morning cream of wheat and was forced to shave in the car mirror. Bruno would retreat back home to work and his so􀅌 beds and the cats. Although camping in a tent was not to Bruno’s liking, he very much enjoyed being outdoors in the forests and mountains. In 1963 Bruno and Gisela began construction work on a family cabin at Thunder Lake, approximately 150 km northwest of Edmonton. Construction would last five years, with Bruno driving back and forth on weekends in his VW Beetle. Building was slow without electricity. Every piece of wood was cut by hand and every flathead screw was turned by hand. Bears and other wildlife frequented this area in the 1960’s. Bruno would recall with laughter one particular weekend when he was alone working at the cabin. At that time, the base of the cabin had been completed and sat off the ground on raised blocks. Bruno was working on putting up walls when he heard a sound from the trees. A black bear and her cubs emerged! Bruno quickly crawled under the cabin base and waited there until the bear and her cubs wandered off the property. Bruno quickly packed up his tools and began the drive home, there was to be no more work done that weekend!

When the boys were into junior and senior high school, Gisela had her second battle with cancer. Bruno had already retired from the Alberta Research Council in 1987, but was working for them in a contract role. Bruno stopped working to care for his wife, who passed away in 1991 at age 56.

Bruno was not successful at being retired. He had always loved working with his hands and building things, and he soon took a job building furniture with a local Sherwood Park company. The company closed soon after, so Bruno went to work for Educo where he assembled abacus-style toys for many years.

Opa has always had a special place in his heart for his daughters-in-law, Trish and Lindsey. When Tom & Trish were first dating and then married, the family started to gather together for family meals. Before this, the gathering of the three boys and their father didn’t happen often. Trish’s additon to the family brought the boys together again, and Opa knew this.
Opa first met Lindsey in the spring of 2018, and they instantly hit it off. After a fall in May 2018 when Opa broke his arm, he came to live with Lindsey and Steph. Opa was once again having home-cooked meals and the companionship of family. Opa stayed with Lindsey and Steph until he moved into the Silver Birch Haven residence in October 2019. Lindsey would continue to visit Opa at Silver Birch and they would share a glass of wine while Lindsey gave Opa monthly pedicures.

Silver Birch Haven was home for Opa from October 2019 until his passing. Opa began to have more mobility issues and soon went from using a walker for assistance and into a wheelchair. Opa was widely known by all the residents, and they would see him in the hallways often as he wheeled outside to “check the weather”. Opa loved his time at Silver Birch and especially the company of the ladies that he had meals with. Opa enjoyed playing cards and sharing a beer with family at Friday Happy Hour, and his Silver Birch ladies would gather their group together and share a glass of wine while enjoying each others company.

Bruno “Opa” Untergasser passed away on January 1, 2024. His quick wit and playful sense of humour were sure to bring a smile to the faces of  those who knew him. He was a devoted husband to his wife Gisela, a loving father to his three sons and their families, and a playful Opa to his grandchildren. He will be dearly missed.

Messages from Opa’s Granchildren