Julius Karel Eduard Mohr

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Julius Karel Eduard Mohr on January 7th, 2022. Jules was born in Leiden, Netherlands on October 5th, 1928, the firstborn of Dr. Emil and Catherina Mohr. He spent an idyllic childhood in the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) which ended abruptly in March of 1942 when the Japanese Imperial Army invaded and imprisoned his family (and thousands of others) in their infamous concentration camps. The next three years would prove to be the most difficult of his life where he endured severe deprivations and forced labour. Somehow, he and his brother survived only to discover their father had been a casualty of the war, their mother gravely ill, and they were in the midst of the Indonesian War of Independence. Fortunately, they escaped through Singapore, and finally back to the Netherlands. 

Jules re-started life in the Netherlands by finishing high school and then proudly serving in the Dutch Army where he finished as a tank platoon commander. Following his service, he entered the civilian work force, and met his future wife Alida (Lidy), who was also a concentration camp survivor, and they tied the knot in October of 1957. After working a number of jobs, they decided to escape the economic difficulties of post war Europe and immigrated to the United States in 1962 with their two young sons.

Jules and his young family initially landed in New Jersey working on a sheep farm, but fortunately an army friend invited him to try his luck in the land of opportunity- southern California!  However, he had a restless spirit, and after three years decided to immigrate to Canada after visiting New Westminster and being impressed with the beauty and pristine landscape of BC. Once again, he packed up his family (now 3 boys) and moved to Vancouver in 1965. He worked a number of jobs there, before deciding to embark on a career with the meteorological service of Canada, with his first post in Ashcroft, followed by Port Alberni, and then finally Revelstoke in 1974.

After travelling around the globe, Jules finally set roots in this little community, and was well known on the radio as Revelstoke’s weatherman until his retirement in 1991. He loved providing detailed weather information to the local pilots and the burgeoning heli-ski industry. He enjoyed all that Revelstoke had to offer- hiking, fishing, camping, Nordic skiing, and exploring back roads and old mining towns in the area. He also owned and operated the local bike shop in the late 70’s and early 80’s, selling Revelstoke’s first mountain bikes.

 Jules was well read, had a wide range of interests and many interesting theories! He served as president of the Revelstoke Nordic Ski Club in the 1970’s and was involved in the initial Nordic development of Mt. MacPherson. He was also very interested in Revelstoke’s history and served as member of the Revelstoke Heritage committee, and of course he was the keeper of the Thomas brook watershed on Mt MacKenzie, maintaining it for many years until moving to the Selkirk Gardens in 2014.

Jules and Lidy spent some of their retirement years travelling back to the old country, as well as memorable trips to Australia and New Zealand to visit relatives, and of course they spent many summer and fall seasons travelling through the US with their distinctive VW Westfalia camper. In his later years, you would often see Jules out for a daily walk along the streets of downtown Revelstoke with his dear wife arm in arm.  One of his most endearing habits is that he always carried a secret stash of dog biscuits in his pocket during these walks, ready for any deserving pooch they might meet along the way.

Jules was predeceased by his father in 1944, his mother in 1992, and his younger brother Hans in 2019. He leaves behind his beloved wife, Alida, his sons Hans and Robert (Mary Lou) of Revelstoke, Michiel (Mike) of New Westminster, and grandchildren, Jeremy, Alei, and Rowan.

A celebration of his life will be held later in 2022.