Mountie remembered by friends and family across the country
Dawn Ostrem
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Mar 12/01) - Const. Jurgen Seewald's parents are dealing with the tragic loss of their son as best they can.
"My husband, he's not too good," said Alice Seewald, Jurgen's mother.
Alice and her husband, Helmut, who live near Simcoe Ont., said Const. Seewald told them in September -- two weeks before he left for Cape Dorset -- that he wanted to go North for a few years and then retire.
"He said, 'Dad, I'm too young to retire.'" Helmut added. "He loved the North."
Alice describes her son as a kind man.
"He never really used his gun, he talked people out of situations and did it gently," said Alice.
Memories...
Seewald spent most of his 26-year career with the RCMP detachments in Nova Scotia. But after training in 1975, he spent four-and-half years working in the Northwest Territories. His wife Tanis and two children, Carla, 20, and Aaron, 23, live in Antigonish, N.S., where Seewald's funeral was held Saturday
Many of his friends and colleagues throughout Nova Scotia and NWT are mourning the loss.
Yellowknife RCMP Staff Sgt. Dave Grundy grew up with Seewald in Brantford, Ont. "He just like a big, gentle bear," said Grundy, of six-foot, two-inch, 240-pound Seewald. "When I got to the office...my heart sunk when I saw it was Jurgen Seewald."
In Fort Good Hope, Cpl. Mark Crowther said Seewald's death was both a shock and a "wake up call."
"Some of us take our (bulletproof) vests off and they sometimes hang on the coat rack. But today, we're all wearing them.
Thousands of miles away in Nova Scotia, those who worked with Seewald recalled fond memories.
Const. Richard Head from the Lower Sackville detachment in Nova Scotia knew "Ziggy" for three years while both were serving in Antigonish.
"I know his real name but I have never called him that in my life," he said. "Ziggy is his middle name, Zigfreud actually." Head said, adding Seewald was the kind of man who loved practical jokes.
"He would always go around the office with rubber bands and flick them at people."
About three weeks ago, Seewald went home for his wife's birthday and to see his two kids. On the way back his mother said he surprised his parents by stopping in for a quick visit.
"It was a happy reunion," she said. "He visited everybody, all his friends. There were 20 people over for supper. He told us if it was not so far we should come and see Cape Dorset because it is beautiful," she added. "We were so proud of him."
Nunavut Commissioner Peter Irniq was to attend Const. Seewald's funeral in Nova Scotia Saturday.
