ALFRED F. BUELOW

Adjust Text Size: A+ A-

ALFRED F. BUELOW

In the bed that he crafted, in the home that he loved and in the arms of the child he cherished, Alf gently left this life.

He was the last surviving member of the family of Wanda (Schielke) and Friedrich Buelow. Arriving in the proverbial “log cabin” on the Schielke farm in Friedensfeld, he was the only one born in Canada. His grandfather nicknamed him the “Canuck”. He was predeceased by many, including his beloved wife of 63 years, Mildred - “Mike”- and will be remembered with kindness and affection by his sisters’ children, a small cadre of cousins speckled across Canada, the US and Germany, and a large extended family by marriage.

Alfred Buelow was born with a hammer in one hand, a nail in the other, and a horn to his lips! From the moment he could walk with pennies in hand, he headed first to Segal’s and then Halas’s hardware to supply the project of the day. He had an insatiable curiosity for how things worked - reassembly often involved an extra screw alongside the working item! His drive to fix and build led him to renovations to the family home on St. John’s and summers of building with Weinbender/Model Homes while pursuing a degree in Electrical Engineering at the University of Manitoba.

His first instrument was the trumpet, and early experiences were with the Sea Cadets, Isaac Newton High School and the orchestra at the U of M. Gilbert and Sullivan operettas were a favourite - tunes from HMS Pinafore became family standards. In 1955, with the encouragement of his teacher Albert Simoens, he joined the Belgian Club band and a multi decade relationship began, continuing with the band’s move to the Fort Rouge Legion. Along the way, he played in other ensembles, but his other long-time love was the German Club Band. Here he played the flugelhorn. He paused for a while and then when his daughter took up the French Horn, she challenged him to take up a new instrument. This started with a euphonium and in typical fashion, he also added a German tenor horn and lastly a baritone to the collection. He stayed in B-flat and ALWAYS treble clef! His last band was the Winnipeg New Horizons, where he participated with his daughter until a week before his passing. He really enjoyed the camaraderie of ensemble playing and making music. This love extended to a vast repertoire of 78s, LPs, tapes and CDs. His brother had given him a record of Beethoven’s 5th and told him he would like it - oh yes - and he became a regular attendee of the symphony and lover of classical music from that moment on. “A day without Mozart was a day without sunshine”.

Through the 60s to 90s the family boated on the Red and Lake Winnipeg. First with the Siesta and then the MS Carodon. Both craft renovated and restored to perfection. In the early 50s, he and his family bought land in Matlock and with the help of his brother and family, a cottage was built. He repeated the exercise 40 years later in Ponemah where he built the family home with his wife and daughter. This became their family refuge and oasis, where so many memories are held.

He had a long career with Manitoba Hydro, retiring as the Manager of the HVDC Department. His substation design is still evident in several areas in Winnipeg. Friendships made lasted well past retirement.

Alf thrived with the challenges of design, build, renovation and repair whether it was a mega watt engineering project or a broken toy.

His craftmanship lives on in his homes as well as those of his daughter’s and many others.

Alf’s greatest gift, he gave to his daughter- unwavering love and support. His passing is felt immensely, but with gratitude from her and his son-in-love Eric.

A gathering of family and friends to celebrate this life (with music-and sandwiches) will be held on Thursday, June 25, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. at Fort Garry United Church, 800 Point Road.

Schlafen sie gut Vati- Ich liebe dich fur immer!

ALFRED F. BUELOW

With great sadness we share Alf’s passing. A Celebration of Life will be held, Thursday, June 25 at 2:00 p.m. at Fort Garry United Church, 800 Point Road.

There will be music and sandwiches!

A longer notice will be placed in Saturday’s paper.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jun 17, 2026, Jun 20, 2026