In loving Memory
Thedy Brandli, aged 76 died unexpectedly on April 20, 2011 in Forest Grove, BC.
Thedy was born on June 22, 1934 to the late Heinrich and Elsa Brandli and was raised in central Switzerland. After completing high school he went on to do a goldsmith apprenticeship. At the age of 25 he opened his own jewelry store in his hometown of Schwyz, Switzerland.
During his apprenticeship he played many sports but his passion was for downhill skiing and mountaineering. He was a professional ski racer in the 1950s. One of his highlights was participating in the famous Wengen Downhill in Switzerland. He went on to become a certified ski instructor and mountain guide in the Swiss mountains. Thedy was very fortunate to be able to combine his love of nature by skiing in the winter months and taking tourists on guided mountain tours in the summer months.
Thedy married his loving wife, Armida, in 1972 and shortly after they moved to the town of Sils Maria, just 15 minutes away from the famous ski resort of St. Moritz. Thedy opened a second jewelry store and at the same time purchased a hotel with his wife. The Hotel Cristallina was a small boutique style hotel with room for 25 guests located on the beautiful lake of Sils. Thedy spent his days at the jewelry store but was back at the hotel during the evenings to support Armida who did all the cooking for the guests. Thedy served the food and entertained the guests with stories of ski racing and his many mountain excursions.
One year after taking over their hotel, Thedy further expanded his involvement in the sport of skiing by becoming the manager of the Corvatsch Ski School. The Corvatsch Ski resort is one of the most breathtaking and highest mountains in the Engadiner Valley. There, Thedy was responsible for supervising 50 ski instructors and looking after many prominent guests during the winter ski season. In the summer months he organized his own mountain climbing school, La Margna School, and employed 17 mountain guides. Thedy was a member of the Swiss Education Pool for the Swiss ski instructors association.
During his last eight years in Switzerland, Thedy was president of the Switzerland Ski School Association in Kanton Graubunden, which was made up of approximately 53 ski schools.
In 1989, Thedy, Armida and their three children, Thedy, Pius and Alja fulfilled one of Thedy’s life long dreams to move to Canada. They purchased the Beckerlake Ranch just outside of Forest Grove on the Eagle Creek Road. Together with his family they built up a successful business raising cattle and running a small bed and breakfast for guests from around the world.
Thedy also continued working in the jewelry trade and opened the very successful Gold Rush Trail Jewellery in 100 Mile House in 1990. Together with wife Armida, they ran the Jewelry store until they retired in 1997.
In 2004, Thedy was able to fulfill another of his lifelong dreams by making a trip of a lifetime to Africa where he climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. The trip was a surprise on his 70th birthday and he enjoyed every moment of the six-day adventure. On October 5, 2004 Thedy reached the summit of the mountain at 5,685 m above sea level to watch the sun rise over Tanzania.
Having lived in Canada for the last twenty-two years, Thedy had a large circle of friends in the community. Everyone that knew him was aware of his passion for hunting and love for his family.
Thedy is survived by his ever loving wife Armida; son Thedy and his two children Thedy Junior and Sophie; son Pius, his wife Kelly, their son Matthias; daughter Alja, her husband Tim and their two children Natalie and Markus. Thedy also has three children from his first marriage: Barbara, Didi and Guy as well as four grandchildren: Laura, Luca, Robyn and Anuk. His only sister, Sonja Inglin, is still living in Schwyz, Switzerland.
A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, April 27th at the Becker Lake Ranch on Eagle Creek Road in Forest Grove. Family and Friends are welcomed to join the service, which will start at 2 pm. The service will take place in the Becker Lake chapel. The service will be followed by a small gathering with food and refreshments at the house to celebrate the life and memory of Thedy.
100 Mile Funeral Service Ltd. entrusted
with the arrangements. 250-395-3243
Condolences can be sent to the family at www.100milefuneralservice.com