Saturday's memorial service for Dan
Zeidler attracted an "overwhelming crowd" and
proved to be a "validation of what a wonderful
person he was and what a full life he lived," says
CWA|SCA Canada Director Arnold Amber.
Several hundred people crammed into
two rooms and an adjoining hallway at the Thomson Funeral
Home in Winnipeg to hear tributes to Dan. Speakers
included his two sisters, a niece, a friend, Amber,
and friend and colleague Dan Oldfield, the senior staff
representative at the Canadian Media Guild (CMG).
It was, says Amber, "a
coming together of people who had shared his life
over the years."
There was a large turnout of union associates. From
the United States came seven members of The Newspaper
Guild, including president Linda Foley, secretary-treasurer
Bernie Lunzer and retired staff representative Bruce
Meachum, another close friend of Dan's. From across
Canada came several dozen Guild members, including
CWA|SCA Canada staff, leaders from several of its Locals,
and former CBC colleagues. CMG members at CBC and APTN
in Winnipeg were also there to salute the staff rep
with whom they'd worked so closely.
The shared memories and stories
that had everyone laughing was a true celebration
of Dan's life and also an affirmation that "he loved life and made sure
that he lived life," says Amber.
While the recurring theme of the ceremony was that
Dan Zeidler was a gentle, good humoured person, there
were also revelations, for he had an assortment of
interests and passions outside of union activism: avid
gardener, wine connoisseur, musician, aspiring chef
and animal lover.
What wasn't a secret for anybody was Dan's devotion
to his wife, Hortense.
Dan — born in 1951 in a transit camp near Frankfurt
as his parents fled communist Czechoslovakia, coming
to Canada as refugees — was raised in Chatham,
Ont., without a large number of relatives. When he
wed Hortense, he married an extended family. It was
wonderful, says Amber, to see her surrounded by so
much family and so many friends to help her through
the crisis.
Tributes and remembrances can be
emailed to the webmaster@cwa-scacanada.ca for
posting on the memorial page.