Peter Paul Nikolaus Elvers Obituary

Peter Paul Nikolaus Elvers was born July 29, 1933, in Hamburg, Germany, and died peacefully at home on April 13, 2026, at the age of 92, surrounded by loved ones.

In the late 1950s, he left Germany to seek his fortune in Canada. He arrived alone with a backpack of carpentry tools and less than $100 in his pocket. A skilled cabinet maker, he loved the feel of wood in his hands, the challenge of precise measurements and angles, and the chemistry of creating his own wood stains and finishes.

He believed deeply in the power of education. His father died when he was four, and his mother when he was ten. From an early age he understood that education would be the path to making something of himself, and he pursued it with determination. It took him ten years.

After long and physically demanding workdays, he attended night school to resume the education interrupted by the Second World War. He completed high school, then went on to university for a science degree and later earned a teaching certificate.

After a number of early jobs, he found his professional home at Red River College. Over a career spanning more than thirty years, he worked his way up from carpentry instructor to Dean of Trades and Technology. He was proudest of the role he played in the education of others, helping many students learn a trade and build lives of their own. A trade had allowed him to leave Germany and build a life in Canada, and he often said that with a trade, you could always find work.

He loved opera and wildlife photography, read voraciously, and was an excellent storyteller, becoming a skilled writer in his later years.

He was always ready to lend a hand, offer advice, or show up with a hammer at your jobsite — no job too big or too small. Peter was a force of nature. When he set his mind to something, little could shake him, not even his own age or infirmity. At the age of ninety, he built a ramp to the family home for his wife Helga, who was disabled.

Helga predeceased Peter in June 2025 after a lengthy illness. In her final years, Peter cared for her with endless patience and devotion, calling her the love of his life. He leaves his daughters, Annette (Brian) and Michelle (Sean), and three beloved grandchildren, Michael, James (Sarah), and Andrew.

A celebration of life will be held Thursday, April 23, 2026, at 11:00 am at Friends Funeral Service, 2146 Main Street, Winnipeg.