Kurt MEYER

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Kurt Meyer on April 19, 2024 in his 93rd year. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Anneliese; his son Mark (Cathy); his grandchildren Emily and Will; and his brothers Erhard and Jochen. He was predeceased by his eldest son Alexander and his eldest brother Hans. Kurt was born in Salzgitter Bad, Germany in 1930. He began working as a youth in the meat industry and by the age of 19 was an accredited butcher. At the age of 20, he travelled south to Mannheim where he met Anneliese. In 1954, he packed his bags and with his love Anneliese made the journey to Canada. With only a few dollars in their pocket they had to begin building a life together through hard work and endless effort. They both worked for a number of years for Canada Packers where Kurt worked as a butcher and Anneliese as a meat packer. In the early 60's Kurt saw an opportunity to better their lives and began to work for Imperial Oil as a plane refueller at Malton Airport. This led to an opportunity to begin to transport fuel to various industrial and commercial accounts throughout the city core with his own newly acquired truck. This was the humble beginning of what became KEM Oil Limited, a company which he operated for 30 years before handing it over to his sons Alex and Mark who eventually grew the business to include over forty petroleum transports before successfully selling the firm in 2008 as one of the premier petroleum transportation firms in the province. Kurt's success was based on hard work and "doing what you promise". His word was his bond and his handshake represented an unwavering commitment. He placed enormous value on his employees and treated them and his clients with fairness and respect. His passion in life was his hobby of soaring. When given the opportunity he would love to describe and recount the many and best of his glider flights at home in Ontario but also in Florida and Nevada. Kurt also enjoyed his weekly visits to the "Stammtisch" where he enjoyed a good meal and "a few beers" with some of his fellow German businessmen. It was through these two endeavors where he developed and maintained many of his lifelong friendships. Later in life as his Grandchildren grew into adults, he cherished them even more. He had special relationships with them both and you could see his mood lighten when either one entered the room. He was always quick with advice for them and always overly generous. Kurt; father, husband and grandfather will be missed by us all. We thank the caring and competent staff at North York General Hospital. A special note of gratitude goes out to to Joahna, Kurt's primary caregiver for her unwavering love and unparalleled support. Condolences may be forwarded through www.humphreymiles.com.