'Best husband, father, grandfather' will be missed

When Petra Browning says she had “the best dad ever,” you know she means it.

Her father, Siegfried (Siegy) Wiens, died peacefully at the St. Catharines hospital at the age of 88, after a struggle with dementia.

Browning describes a dad who couldn’t say no to his kids. He worked hard and had a strong work ethic, but when he was on holidays, travelling or at the cottage, it was all about family for him. In the winter, he would take the three kids snowmobiling, and in the summer, he would take them waterskiing, she says.

He was also before his time, she adds — he never treated his two girls, Petra and her sister Angela, any differently than their brother, Siegy Jr., whether they were working or playing, teaching them how to mow the lawn, clean the pool, snowmobile, ride the tractor and have fun on the Honda 50 motorcycle, says Petra.

“He treated us like we could do anything.”

He also had an infectious positive attitude, always putting things in the best light. “I can’t remember him ever being negative about anything,” says Petra. If their mom was worried about something, he’d say, “don’t worry, everything will be fine.” In his mind, “the sun was always shining and there was always enough snow to snowmobile,” even when there wasn’t. He himself  “was a ray of sunshine,” an outgoing, social person who enjoyed having his family and friends around him.

Petra says her dad was also “the most loving husband. He would never go out or come home without kissing my mother,” says Petra.

Siegy was born in Germany in 1933, and came to Canada in 1952, with his mother and four siblings, after his father died in a tragic accident.

He worked hard at several jobs, one of them as a truck driver for a furniture store, and also as a salesman for Lincoln Interiors, which he later purchased in 1978. After Lincoln Interiors had a massive fire in 1961 and he was out of a job, he travelled back to Germany to work, and met a young, beautiful Helga Tyart who would become his adoring wife of 58 years. He brought his new bride back to Canada, and started Peninsula Flooring with Helga and his brother-in-law, Heini Esau, creating a successful business. Siegy was personable and loved to talk, says Petra, so his knack for building relationships, and his salesmanship, made the business a natural fit for him.

He was also an active community supporter, and in the early days, used his first location for Lincoln Interiors to hold Lions Club meetings, and then moved them to the family home when the building burned down.  He was a member of the St. Catharines Business Club, and one of the original members of the Virgil Business Association — Petra says for years she and Angela helped him run the French fry booth at Virgil Stampede. He was president of each of those organizations at one time or another, she says.

As hard as it was to say goodbye to their dad, Petra says the family felt like they had already lost him to dementia. When his health deteriorated to the point that the family couldn’t look after him, he was moved to Pleasant Manor. He was always well-cared for, she says, and the staff were good to him, going out of their way to joke and make him laugh.

In a story of his life, written by family to preserve their memories of him, they say Siegy “will be remembered as a big, lively character who filled the room and made friends wherever he went. He loved his family and took great pride in them, and always enjoyed spending time together.”

He was the best dad, the best husband, and the best grandfather, adds Petra, and will be missed by all who knew him.