Norbert Paul Franzen – Norbert Franzen passed away in Calgary on June 15, 2007, at the age of 53.
He is survived by his mother, Maria Franzen, his brother Wilfried Franzen with his wife Ute and Daniel and Katrin, and his brother Harald Franzen with his wife Manuela. Norbert’s family lives in Moenchengladbach, Germany, where Norbert was raised and lived most of his life.
Norbert lived several years in Oldenburg, Germany, before he immigrated to Canada.
He landed in Vancouver on the 5th April 1995 and moved to Golden in June 1995. Together with his partner, he ran the Rocky Mountain Motel for 6 years. After having sold the motel, he operated Golden Mountain Adventures – bookings and more Ltd, a small central reservation and adventure booking agency for Kicking Horse Country. In 2004, Norbert moved to Calgary.
From the very beginning, Norbert was interested in the community, especially in tourism. He was the driving force behind and co-founder of the G-TEAM (Golden Tourism Entrepreneurs Association for Marketing), later known as the Golden Tourism Association.
As a long-time director and president from from1997-98, Norbert developed strong ties to fellow tourism entrepreneurs. He worked countless hours as a volunteer, helping build a tourism organization for Golden and Area A.
Norbert loved Canada, Golden and Kicking Horse Country and all they have to offer. He became a Canadian Citizen in 1999.
Through his booking agency, he tried to attract visitors from Europe and Canada to our beautiful area. However, government regulations in BC limited the way he could do business, so Norbert moved to Alberta in 2004, where such restrictions do not exist.
In Calgary, he became very active within the German expatriate community and helped new immigrants settle in Canada and make their transition into a new life easier.
We will remember Norbert as a very active and informed citizen, always having the community at heart, asking many questions, and never holding back in helping and giving advice to his friends and fellow entrepreneurs.
He left a lasting impression on us, and he will be missed by his Family, Friends and the former members of the G-TEAM.
For expressions of sympathy to his family, please email: norberts-family-in-germany@online.ms