Cornelius Conrad Peter "Kees" Brenninkmeyer

BRENNINKMEYER, CORNELIUS CONRAD PETER, "KEES" Son of Suzy and Hans, brother to Julie, Elise and Laura. We are devastated by the loss of our son and brother who perished on January 4, 2007 alongside the love of his life, Claire Dixon, in the mountains which were their inspiration. Cornelius was born in Duluth, MN on March 27, 1981 and Claire was born in Whitehorse, Yukon Territories on September 29, 1979; both born in lands of ice and snow. They were accomplished mountaineers and had undertaken a 30-day traverse of the Wapta Ice Fields as volunteer hut custodians for the Alpine Club of Canada. Throughout his 25 years of life Kees was driven by boundless energy, an adventurous spirit and a deeply caring, sincere heart. You were just as likely to find him kite surfing across Buzzards Bay as thrilling the neighbourhood kids with an impromptu baseball game in the front yard. Charismatic, welcoming and eager to include the people around him in the activities he loved, Kees excelled as a ski instructor in high school. He steadily acquired the skills and experience thereafter to become a professional mountain guide in Argentina, Chile, British Columbia and Alaska. His great abilities and enthusiasm were exemplified when he summitted and skied down Denali with Claire in 2004. Kees was a member of the American Ski Guide Association and was recently accepted into the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides Ski Training Program. A reluctant student, Kees nonetheless graduated from the Salisbury School in Connecticut with distinction in Economics; although he was most proud of starting a mountain biking team. He complemented his education at the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver, whilst furthering his ski guiding training at Extremely Canadian in Whistler, B.C. Upon graduation in 2005 he was presented with the Managerial Leadership Award for Outstanding Achievement. Cornelius is survived by his parents, three sisters, grandmother, great-aunt, nine aunts, ten uncles, 29 first cousins and friends throughout the world. He was devoted to his family and took great joy in the company of his friends. We have fond memories of travels to Kenya, Egypt, Mexico and Europe or road trips following the snow. His smile, his laugh and the exuberance with which he embraced the world around him will be dearly missed. We are consoled by the fact that he was "living the dream". We are thankful that Claire and Kees' mountaineering expertise compelled them to leave records and marks as they travelled. This allowed the search team of Lisa Paulson, Mike Grande, Percy Woods, Steve Anderson, Mike Henderson and "Atar", to locate them swiftly after they were reported missing. The search and recovery teams have our unending gratitude. The family will receive friends at the Humphrey Funeral Home - A.W. Miles Chapel, 1403 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, Ontario (1-800-616-3311) from 5 8 p.m. on Thursday, January 25, 2007. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Friday, January 26 in Holy Rosary Church, 354 St. Clair Avenue West, Toronto, Ontario. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to one of the two organizations where Kees volunteered his time. Mount St. Vincent Children's Home in Denver, CO provides services and programs for children with emotional and behavioral problems. Kees assisted the grounds crew at the home and was very fond of the sisters and volunteers who worked with the children there. Donations may be made online at www.msvhome.orgdonations.org or by calling (303) 458-7220. He also volunteered at L'Arche Daybreak, a residential community of men and women with intellectual disabilities. The woodshop where he worked at L'Arche Daybreak built Kees' casket. Call (905) 884-3454 x224 to make donations.