PETER KISTLER
Surrounded by his Swiss and Canadian family, Peter slipped away peacefully on April 20 after a brief illness.
Born in Aarau, Switzerland in 1943, Peter loved skiing, hiking, travelling and spending time with good friends and family. When he was 18, he spent a year in Portland, Oregon as an exchange student, where he developed a love for the West Coast.
After a long career as a Swissair pilot, Peter retired and fulfilled his boyhood dream of touring the United States. He travelled for 14 months with his wife, Cindy, in a fifth wheel which they named “Roadrunner”. (They called the truck “Coyote.”) In 2000, they settled down in Cindy’s home town of Nanaimo where Peter became active in Harbour Watch, Power Squadron, Retired Airline Pilots of Canada, Probus and helping out people in various ways. In recent years he enjoyed captaining his boat, April Lady, in local waters. He especially enjoyed taking friends for outings.
Peter was known as being kind, gracious, and genuinely interested in others. He always had a twinkle in his eye. He is survived by his wife, Cindy, and their blended family—Peter’s children: Lukas, Myriam and Beatrice; Cindy’s children: Tonya, Andrea and Greg; and their grandchildren Chenoa, Araya, Chaka and Leyla.
Peter’s favourite travelling song was “On the Road Again.” We wish you happy travels, Peter.
A celebration of Peter’s life will be held at the Cottonwood Golf Course on May 3, at 2:30 p.m.
Flowers are gratefully declined. Donations in memory of Peter can be made to: The Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation:
www.nanaimohospitalfoundation.com