Paul Steindl was born in Upper Bavaria a state (or as we know it, a province) in Germany in 1928. He arrived in Canada in 1955 as an immigrant and ended up in Prince George. Two years later in 1930 Nan (Clark) Steindl of English decent made her dbut into this world in Weyburn, Saskatchewan. In 1957 these two met in Prince George and got married in 1959. The couple raised two children, David Steindl who teaches the nursing programs at the College of New Caledonia and daughter Jane (Steindl) Allan who works for Federal Express in Vancouver. They now have 4 grandchildren.
Now let me tell you how they met! In 1954 Nan was working as an industrial nurse for Saguenay Construction in Kitimat. Saguenay Construction was part of the $500 million Alcan project that set out to build the first aluminum smelter in British Columbia. This was the largest public-private partnership ever for Canada in the early 1950's. To brush up on some history; the aluminum smelter in Kitimat started their production back in 1954.
Nan said, "I always had my hard hat in the ambulance. We were trained and ready to go whenever we got a call for help. There was never a dull moment. After Kitimat the company offered me a transfer to Montreal. I felt that British Columbia was the place for me so I declined the offer and I have never regretted it. I moved to Prince George in 1957 and I worked as a nurse at the jail and at the Prince George Hospital until we started to raise our family."
Now, let's get back to my original story about how they met. Paul was working as a carpenter and boarding with a couple who were both of German decent.
As it turns out Nan was good friends with this same couple when they lived in Kitimat. They met one day down town and they invited Nan for dinner. Paul and Nan soon met one another through this friend and the rest is history. They will soon be celebrating 54 years of marriage.
Paul says, "I was a finished cabinet maker - turned carpenter and I worked for Irwin Homes for 17 years. We did lots of apartments all over the City of Prince George. I went back to my trade as a cabinet maker and started my own business. I called it Quantum Wood Working and I spent the next 20 years doing the work that I loved."
If they are not out on the golf course Paul and Nan can be found playing bridge at either the Elder Citizens Recreation Centre or at the Prince George and District Senior Citizen Centre.
They love to cruise and recently got back from a family cruise to Alaska. Nan happily says, "There were ten of us on the cruise and it was wonderful."
The couple has volunteered for many causes over the years. Nan recently retired from her 15 years of volunteer work at the Hospital Auxiliary Thrift Shop. She fondly recalls many fun times at the thrift shop knowing Kathy Smith and her mother Alice Neil; two of the many wonderful volunteers who spent year after year volunteering at the thrift shop.
The World Baseball Challenge is coming to Prince George from August 13th to the 23rd. The Prince George Senior Activity Centre, at 425 Brunswick Street, will be feeding the teams 3 meals a day for the duration of the games. Centre Manager, Trianda says, "We would love some help. If you can volunteer and give us 2 hours of your time to clear tables, set up, wash dishes and possibly some preparation work it would be greatly appreciated. Just call me at the office, 250-563-1915 or 250-564-3287, for times of shifts and your availability. I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to the many volunteers who have already signed up."
