Timeline

Detailed Timeline

1881:

Julius Bendig is born.

1885:

Koyus Bendig (née Koyus) is born.

1893:

Ewald Eigenfeldt is born.

1913 (approx.):

Grete Bendig is born.

1914:

World War I begins. Julius Bendig, aged 33, is listed as a casualty of the war (though records in the late 1940s list him as “invalid”).

1918:

Charlotte Bendig and Fritz Bendig (twins) are born. Charlotte later marries Hans Conrad.

1923:

September 28: Horst Eigenfeldt is born in Alt Sussemilken, East Prussia (later renamed Karlsrode).

1924 (approx.):

Hildegard Eigenfeldt is born.

1926:

Ursula Eigenfeldt (Ula) is born.

1928:

June 19: Elly Anni Bendig is born in Alt Heidlauken, a village on the Wiepe river (later renamed Wiepenheide).

1930s:

Alt Heidlauken is renamed Wiepenheide.
Alt Sussemilken is briefly renamed Karlsrode.
Horst Eigenfeldt attends a one-room schoolhouse in Alt Sussemilken.
Charlotte Bendig marries Hans Conrad.

1934:

Karl Eigenfeldt is born.

1939:

Helmut Conrad is born.
April 1: Horst Eigenfeldt (age 15) begins an apprenticeship as a baker in East Prussia.

1940:

Dora Conrad is born.

1941:

Gerda Conrad is born.

1942:

April 1: Horst Eigenfeldt completes his baking apprenticeship.
October 16: Horst Eigenfeldt (age 19) enlists in the German Navy, immediately transferred to the Minesweeper division.
Elly Bendig (age 13) is pictured in a school photo.

1943:

Fall: Horst Eigenfeldt’s minesweeper conducts an “inspection” of a French fishing boat in the Bay of Biscay.
Fritz Bendig is killed in combat during World War II.

1944:

January 1: Horst Eigenfeldt’s German Navy paybook is issued.
January 20 – February 8: Horst Eigenfeldt has leave to Hohenbruch (Elly’s town), where he visits Elly (age 15) and takes a photo with her.
April 4 – April 19: Horst Eigenfeldt has leave to Karlsrode (his hometown), but also visits Hohenbruch Bakery.
May-June: Horst sends numerous photos to Elly from his minesweeper.
June 15 (approx.): Horst Eigenfeldt’s minesweeper, M4456, is likely sunk by British aircraft off the coast of France. He is in the water for eight hours before being rescued.
Hildegard Eigenfeldt marries Gerhard.

1945:

January 20: Elly Bendig (17), her parents Julius and Koyus, her sister Charlotte, and Charlotte’s three children (Helmut, Dora, Gerda) flee Wiepenheide due to the advancing Soviet Red Army. They travel 100 km to Königsberg.
January: Elly contracts Diphtheria and is hospitalised in Königsberg, preventing the family from boarding the Wilhelm Gustloff (which sinks, killing 9,400 people).
The family sails on the M.S. Mars to Frederikshavn, Denmark, and stays in a refugee camp there for a week.
They are transferred to a refugee camp in Skagen, Denmark, where they remain until 1947.
April 30: Hitler commits suicide.
May: German armies surrender, ending WWII in Europe.

Late 1940s:

Julius Bendig is listed in West German records as “invalid.”

1947:

Oma (Elly) and her family are sent by train from Denmark to Hamburg, Germany, then transferred to an old army bunker where their belongings are stolen.
They eventually move to Bünde, West Germany, where Elly’s aunt (Koyus’s sister) lives.
October 8: Horst Eigenfeldt is released from a POW camp and arrives in Mörsen, West Germany, where his sister Hildegard and her husband have a farm.
Political divisions increase between the Soviets and other Allied powers in Germany.

1948:

June: Deutsche Mark is introduced in Western Germany.
June 1948 – May 1949: Berlin Blockade is in effect. Horst is in Berlin during this time.
July 4: Horst receives a letter of reference from a master baker in Brandenburg (Berlin), suggesting he left Mörsen to find his father in Berlin.
July 20 onwards: Horst works as a baker in Berlin.
December 31: Horst stops working at Adolf Müller Bakery in Berlin.

1949:

January 11: Horst signs a work contract with Wismut, an East German uranium mining company.
May: Berlin Blockade ends.
October: East Germany becomes a communist regime.
October: Horst Eigenfeldt returns to West Germany from Berlin, settling in Mörsen.
November: Horst begins working in coal mining in Bochum, West Germany.

1950:

September 8: Horst Eigenfeldt (age 27) and Elly Bendig (age 22) marry in Bünde, West Germany. Horst moves into the two-room attic suite with Elly’s parents and sister’s family (nine people total).
October: Horst begins working in ironworks in Herford, West Germany.
Ursula Eigenfeldt marries Herbert Libor.

1951:

Horst and Elly visit the Greves (Hildegard and Gerhard).

1952 (approx.):

Wolfgang Libor is born (son of Ursula and Herbert).
Elly (age 24) is photographed with her parents (aged about 67 and 71).

1954 (approx.):

Klaus Libor is born (son of Ursula and Herbert).
April: Horst’s German passport lists his occupation as “baker.”
April 21: Horst and Elly receive permission to leave Germany for Winnipeg, Canada.
April 30: Horst and Elly pass a health check.
May 17: They receive permission in Hannover to arrive in Winnipeg.
June 25: Horst (age 30) and Elly (age 26) arrive in Quebec City, Canada, then travel to Winnipeg. They find an apartment and jobs within the German community.

1956:

Horst and Elly buy their first car, a 1953 Mercury Monterey.

1958:

Julius Bendig (Elly’s father) passes away.

1960:

Koyus Bendig (Elly’s mother) visits Horst and Elly in Winnipeg. She declines to stay in Canada due to her age.
Horst and Elly buy a new car, a 1960 Ford Falcon.
Horst and Elly become Canadian citizens.

1961:

Horst and Elly visit Yellowstone Park with their Ford Falcon.

1962:

August: Horst and Elly’s son, Ralph Arnold, is born in St. Boniface hospital. Elly has a difficult labour and is advised not to have more children.
Ralph Arnold is named “Ralph” for two weeks before being renamed “Arnold.”

1963:

Horst and Elly move to a new house at 90 Kingston Row in Winnipeg.

1964:

Summer: Elly and Arnold (age 2) visit Germany, staying mainly in Bünde with Elly’s mother Koyus and sister Charlotte. They also see Opa’s sister Ula and her family, and Elly’s sister Grete.
June: Elly, Charlotte, Grete, and Koyus are photographed together in Bünde.

1965:

Summer: The Eigenfeldt family takes a vacation, driving from Winnipeg to Vancouver and back.
Arnold (age 3) starts speaking English, taught by a neighbour named Marilyn.

1965-1966 Winter:

A particularly brutal winter in Winnipeg contributes to Horst and Elly’s decision to move to Vancouver.

1966:

Late Spring: Horst drives alone to Vancouver to find a job and a place to live.
Elly and Arnold follow Horst by train to Vancouver.
They stay in a basement suite in East Vancouver for several weeks.
Late Summer: Horst finds a job at Meteor Meat in North Vancouver.
The family finds an apartment at 1011 Richelieu Ave and Oak Street.
The Kingston Row house is sold for $13,900.
Horst purchases a 1965 AMC Rambler Classic 770.

1967:

Arnold (age 5) starts Grade One, wearing an outfit made by Elly.

1968:

Summer: Elly and Arnold (age 6) return to Germany, staying in Bünde with Koyus and Charlotte. They also visit Ula and her family. Gerda visits with her sons, Tilman and Konrad.
There is a falling out between Grete and the rest of her family, possibly due to comments around Dora’s passing, leading to an “inseparable rift.”

1969:

Charlotte (Tante Lolly) and Dora visit Horst, Elly, and Arnold in Vancouver.
Horst and Elly purchase a duplex at 233 W. Keith Road in North Vancouver.

1970:

Horst visits his father Ewald and sisters Hilde and Ula in East Germany.
Arnold (age 8) begins folk guitar lessons with Mrs. Neville, learning to read music.
Horst and Elly quit smoking.

1971:

Koyus Bendig (Elly’s mother) passes away (aged 86).
Elly is involved in a car crash at 15th and Chesterfield in North Vancouver, totalling the Rambler. Arnold receives a concussion.
Horst replaces the Rambler with a 1968 Chevrolet Chevy II Super Sport.
Arnold (age 9) begins playing soccer for the Capilano Thunderbirds.

1972:

Arnold (age 9) plays on his first baseball team and is selected for the upper division (Majors).

Early 1970s (Late 40s for Opa):

Horst takes up sailing and purchases a Kolibri sailboat.

1973:

The family takes up skiing.
Arnold (age 11) gets a new guitar.
Arnold begins studying at Bob Dressler’s Music Studio.

1975:

Dora Conrad (Elly’s niece) passes away from cancer in her 30s.
Arnie (age 13) starts high school.
Elly begins working as a tailor at Jack Fraser, a men’s store in Park Royal.
Horst purchases a Vespa motor scooter for his commute.
Summer: The Chevy II breaks down on a family trip to Yellowstone Park.
Arnie (age 12) is moved to goalkeeper in soccer and excels. He is selected to the “All-Stars” in baseball.

1976:

The Chevy II breaks down on a family trip through the Olympic Peninsula.
Arnie (age 14) begins piano lessons with a nun.
Fall: Arnie begins composing music.

1977:

Horst and Elly trade in the Chevy II for a 1977 Mercury Comet sedan.
Arnie joins the North Vancouver Youth Band and takes up trumpet.

1978:

The North Vancouver Youth Band (including Arnie) makes a trip to the Calgary Stampede.
Horst, Elly, and Arnie drive to San Francisco with Charlotte.

1979:

Arnie gets his driver’s licence.
Horst buys a second car, a Toyota Corolla wagon.
The North Vancouver Youth Band travels to England.
May: Arnie is hired for his first professional gig playing bass guitar.
Arnie is featured in a local newspaper photo playing with his band.

1980:

May: Arnie graduates high school with numerous awards, deciding to pursue music as a career.
September: Arnie begins studying jazz at Vancouver Community College and studies double bass.
Fall: Horst visits his father Ewald in East Germany for the last time (Ewald is 87).
Horst and Elly pay off their mortgage on the Keith Road duplex.
Horst, Wolfgang, and Klaus Libor are photographed together in Bünde, West Germany.
Arnie attends his Grade 12 graduation with Kathy Kozor.

1981:

Ewald Eigenfeldt (Horst’s father) passes away (aged 88) in East Germany.
Wolfgang and Klaus Libor visit Horst and Elly in Vancouver.

1983:

Canada-wide recession. Interest rates reach 17%.
Meteor Meat closes down, and Horst (age 59) is laid off.
Arnie is playing regularly with a “class rock act” band.
Arnie begins studies at UBC, using the name “Ralph” for one year.
Arnie playing career culminates with a six-night gig at Mings nightclub, earning $1000 a month.
Arnie develops tendonitis from playing bass.

Mid-1980s:

Horst begins making his own beer.

1985:

Arne receives tendonitis at Ming’s, solidifying his decision to concentrate on composition rather than performing.
Arne graduates from UBC with a Bachelor of Music in Composition.
Arne begins a Master’s Degree at SFU in Computer Music, receiving $14,000 in scholarships.
Arne purchases an Apple IIe computer.

1986:

Arne begins dating his future wife.
Arne spends seven weeks in Europe, including three weeks attending music classes at Darmstadt Summer courses and travelling to Paris, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and East Germany. He visits cousins Klaus and Wolfgang, and Tante Lolly.
Horst and Arne rebuild the garage at 233 W. Keith into a recording studio, “Sayvon Sound.”

1988:

Arne graduates with his Master’s degree from SFU.
Arne is selected for the CBC Young Composer’s contest.
September: Arne (age 26) moves out of his parents’ home to live with his girlfriend.
Horst trades in the Toyota and buys a Mazda.
Elly purchases her dream car, a Volkswagen Rabbit.

1989:

September: Arne is hired for one year as a visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Victoria, living there for eight months.

1990:

May: Arne and his girlfriend marry.
August: Arne and his wife move to Chicago for his Doctorate at Northwestern University. Horst and Elly drive them to Seattle to see them off.
Lithuania gains independence from the Soviet Union.

1992:

Arne is selected for the CBC Young Composer’s contest again.

1997:

Charlotte (Tante Lolly) makes her last visit to Vancouver.

1998:

Arne and his wife move to Maple Ridge.
Horst helps Arne build a trellis in their backyard.

1999:

Hayley Eigenfeldt (Arne daughter) celebrates her first Christmas with Oma and Opa.

2000:

Charlotte Conrad (Tante Lolly) passes away (aged 82) after developing Alzheimer’s.
Arne and his wife purchase their first house in Maple Ridge. Horst helps finish the downstairs suite, build the Kidz Klub, and convert the front yard into a garden.
Horst is pictured painting in his basement studio.

2002:

Horst joins Arne family on a train to downtown Vancouver.

2003:

Horst (age 80) is diagnosed with cancer and has 3/4 of his stomach removed. His weight drops significantly.
Arne declines a job offer in Hawaii to be with his father.
Horst informs Arne that their trips to football games will cease due to his difficulty walking.
Arne is converted to an Assistant Professor at SFU.

2004:

Arne is on one of his first research trips to Marseilles, France.

2006:

Horst is diagnosed with colon cancer and has part of his large intestine removed.
It becomes apparent that Elly is having problems, later diagnosed as Alzheimer’s.
Horst is diagnosed with metastasized lung cancer (small amount), but it never returns after he diligently follows a naturopath’s advice (green tea, turmeric).
Ethan Eigenfeldt celebrates his 6th birthday.

2007:

May: The family gets Lola, a dog.
Elly is photographed wrapping waffles and cookies for Arne family to take home.

2008:

March: Horst is hospitalised due to extremely low blood pressure, low iron, and pneumonia. His swallowing becomes severely impaired.
Horst realises he will never eat again and gives up the will to live.
April 11 (Saturday): Arne speaks with Horst before leaving for a conference in Germany. Horst says “goodbye, Arn.”
April 13 (Monday): Horst Eigenfeldt passes away (aged 84) in the hospital. Arne receives the news in Stuttgart, Germany.
Horst’s last self-portrait is taken.

2009:

Arne takes almost two months to recover from his father’s death.

2013:

The last known photo of Elly is taken.

2019:

Ursula (Ula) Libor passes away (aged 93).

2024:

Gerda Conrad passes away.
Arne Eigenfeldt publishes his family history.
Arne visits Lithuania.

Cast of Characters

Bendig Family (Oma’s Side):

Elly Anni Bendig (Oma): Born June 19, 1928, in Alt Heidlauken (later Wiepenheide), East Prussia. The youngest of four children, she grew up in a village without modern amenities. She was a refugee in Denmark during WWII and eventually settled in Bünde, West Germany. She married Horst Eigenfeldt in 1950, and they immigrated to Canada in 1954, settling in Winnipeg and later Vancouver. She was a trained tailor and stayed at home until her son Arnold began high school, then worked as a tailor. She had a complex, overprotective relationship with her son. She passed away sometime after 2013, having shown signs of Alzheimer’s since 2006.
Koyus Bendig (née Koyus): Born 1885. Elly’s mother. She had a Lithuanian name and spoke Lithuanian, indicating her origins from the area close to the Lithuanian border. She was in her early 40s when Elly was born. She endured the refugee camps and relocation to West Germany with Elly and Charlotte’s family. She lived alone after Julius passed away, close to Charlotte in Bünde, West Germany. She visited Elly and Horst in Winnipeg in 1960 but decided not to move to Canada. She passed away in 1971.
Julius Bendig: Born 1881, from Benkleim. Elly’s father. He was 47 when Elly was born. Listed as an “invalid” in West German records in the late 1940s, though also mentioned as a casualty of WWI (which he would have been 33 when it began). He was a cobbler before the war. He endured the refugee camps and relocation to West Germany with his family. He passed away in 1958.
Grete Rentel (née Bendig): Born c. 1913. Elly’s oldest sister, fifteen years older than Elly. She married Kurt Rentel before the war. They fled the Red Army separately in 1945 and settled in Nuremberg, West Germany. They had no children. There was a significant family falling out in the 1970s, after which they lost touch with the rest of the family.
Charlotte Conrad (née Bendig) (Tante Lolly): Born 1918, Elly’s sister and twin to Fritz. She married Hans Conrad before the war and had three children: Helmut, Dora, and Gerda. She fled East Prussia with Elly and their parents in 1945 and lived in Danish refugee camps before settling in Bünde, West Germany. She visited Elly and Horst in Vancouver regularly from 1969 onwards. She developed Alzheimer’s and passed away in 2000.
Fritz Bendig: Born 1918, Elly’s twin brother. He was killed in combat during World War II in 1943.
Hans Conrad: Charlotte Bendig’s husband.
Helmut Conrad: Born 1939. Son of Charlotte and Hans Conrad, Elly’s nephew. He was 6 years old when they fled East Prussia in 1945. He remembers Horst “suddenly appearing” in 1950.
Dora Conrad: Born 1940. Daughter of Charlotte and Hans Conrad, Elly’s niece. She was 5 years old when they fled East Prussia. She worked in Bonn (then the capital of West Germany) and was an active outdoors person. She passed away from cancer in her 30s in 1975. Her passing was linked to a family rift with Grete.
Gerda Conrad: Born 1941. Daughter of Charlotte and Hans Conrad, Elly’s niece. She was 4 years old when they fled East Prussia. She confirmed Elly’s Diphtheria diagnosis that prevented them from boarding the Wilhelm Gustloff. She later left her husband and had a child with another man, causing a temporary disownment from Elly. She passed away in 2024.
Tilman: Gerda Conrad’s son, Elly’s grandnephew. Visited Bünde in 1968.
Konrad: Gerda Conrad’s son, Elly’s grandnephew. Visited Bünde in 1968. Arnold got along better with him than Tilman.
Kurt Rentel: Grete Bendig’s husband. He fled with Grete from the Red Army in 1945 and settled in Nuremberg.

Eigenfeldt Family (Opa’s Side):

Horst Eigenfeldt (Opa): Born September 28, 1923, in Alt Sussemilken (later Karlsrode), East Prussia. The oldest of four children. He was an apprentice baker before enlisting in the German Navy’s Minesweeper division in 1942. He was likely a POW and released in 1947. He worked as a baker in Berlin and a miner in East Germany before returning to West Germany. He married Elly Bendig in 1950. They immigrated to Canada in 1954, settling in Winnipeg and then Vancouver, where he worked at Meteor Meat. He was more adventurous than Elly, taking up sailing, skiing, and painting. He had a deep, quiet love for his son and grandchildren. Diagnosed with cancer multiple times, he passed away on April 13, 2008, at the age of 84.
Ewald Eigenfeldt: Born 1893. Horst’s father. He was a wheelwright by occupation and served in World War I. He remained in East Germany after the war, living in the same house for decades, and Horst visited him in 1970 and 1980. He passed away in 1981 at age 88.
Hildegard Greve (née Eigenfeldt): Born c. 1924. Horst’s sister. She and her husband Gerhard had a farm in Mörsen, West Germany, where Horst stayed after his POW release in 1947.
Gerhard Greve: Hildegard Eigenfeldt’s husband.
Ursula Libor (née Eigenfeldt) (Ula): Born 1926. Horst’s sister. She married Herbert Libor and had two sons, Wolfgang and Klaus. She settled in West Germany. She passed away in 2019.
Herbert Libor: Ursula Eigenfeldt’s husband.
Wolfgang Libor: Born c. 1952. Son of Ursula and Herbert Libor, Horst’s nephew. He visited Horst and Elly in Vancouver in 1981 and was visited by Arne in Hamburg in 1986.
Klaus Libor: Born c. 1954. Son of Ursula and Herbert Libor, Horst’s nephew. He visited Horst and Elly in Vancouver in 1981 and was visited by Arne at Lake Constance in 1986.
Karl Eigenfeldt: Born 1934. Horst’s brother. He remained in East Germany after the war, living near his father Ewald.
Luise: Ewald Eigenfeldt’s sister, Horst’s aunt, who lived in Berlin.

Arne‘s Family:

Ralph Arnold Eigenfeldt (Arne/Arnie): Born August 1962 in Winnipeg. Son of Horst and Elly. Initially named Ralph, then Arnold, and later adopted “Arne” professionally. He moved with his parents to Vancouver in 1966. He was an only child, often lonely, but excelled in sports (soccer, baseball) and especially music. He pursued a career in music, becoming a composer and later a professor at SFU. He married in 1990 and moved to Chicago for his doctorate before returning to Canada. He initiated the creation of the family history website.
Arne’s Wife (unnamed): Began dating Arne in 1986. Married Arne in May 1990.
Ethan Eigenfeldt: Arne’s son. His interest in family history spurred this website.
Hayley Eigenfeldt: Arne’s daughter.
Kieren Eigenfeldt: Arne’s child.
Lola: The family dog, acquired in May 2007.

Other Individuals Mentioned:

Marilyn: A neighbour girl in Winnipeg who taught young Arnold English.
Frau Schafswart and Hansi: Two mysterious individuals pictured with Horst at Hohenbruch Bakery in April 1944.
Gordon Williamson: Historian quoted regarding German minesweepers.
Mrs. Neville: Arnold’s lovely Grade Three teacher who taught him to read music and play guitar.
Peter Taylor: Arne’s music teacher at Carson Graham in Grades 11 and 12, who also taught at a local music studio.
Bob Dressler: Owner of Bob Dressler’s Music Studio where Arnold studied guitar.
Wolf: Arnold’s first soccer coach (German).
Dan and Ernie: Coaches for Arnold’s first baseball team. Ernie selected Arnold for his team based on Dave Empy’s interest.
Dave Empy: Coach of the best baseball team in the North Shore, who had played semi-professional baseball. He coached Arnold in “All-Stars.”
Brian Smith: A talented baseball player on Arnold’s team, two years older, who served as a role model.
Katherine and Billy: Childhood crush for Arnie.
Teri: Arnie’s girlfriend in Grade Nine.
Jack Fraser Manager (unnamed): Manager of the men’s store where Elly worked. He gave Arnie advice about dating.
Kozor Family (Mr. & Mrs. Kozor, Susan, Kathy): Family friends of Horst and Elly from Winnipeg who also moved to Vancouver. Arnie had a significant crush on Kathy, and she was his Grade 12 graduation date. The families later had a falling out over a skiing incident.
Gordie: Son of another family friend, one year younger than Arnold. He would stay with Arnold for a week in the summers, providing Arnold with cherished company.