Hermann KERCKHOFF

HERMANN KERCKHOFF 1937 - 2023 Hermann Kerckhoff passed away peacefully this past weekend. Born in Berlin, Germany, 1937, Hermann travelled to Canada as a teenager to embrace the wilderness. Canada was depicted in movie house vignettes with lumberjacks and open space. Toronto was his destination, where he learned the trades and became a specialist in staining and refinishing hardwood floors starting his own business, Hermann Flooring. Returning to Germany in 1960, he married Christa Ottenberg and together they moved to Toronto and started a family. With three daughters, they embraced the outdoors, being in nature and on the river. It is the sport of whitewater kayaking that became their life's work. Their passion turned into a dream that introduced whitewater to everyone, creating a fun and celebratory learning environment for paddlers to enjoy and excel in. Madawaska Kanu Centre and OWL Rafting on the Ottawa River, now headed up by the third generation is their gift to all of us. Please visit the website to learn more about MKC, mkc.ca/about-us/. And if you would like to contribute to this amazing world of whitewater that is still at the heart of our family, donations towards Whitewater Ontario Advocacy can be received via e-transfer to info@whitewaterontario.ca. Thank you.