Martin Eberhart Börner, 1929-2014

A special human being who would go out of his way everyday to make people smile has left many "magic moments" of fun, friendship and togetherness for his large family and network of friends. Martin Börner, died peacefully in the early morning of November 8th , 2014. Enveloped by love and support over the past year, he had completed cancer treatment and beaten it. He was gaining strength but his heart couldn't keep up. A consummate connector of people and ideas all his life, even his last days were filled with optimism, ambition and perseverance as he continued to pursue projects and possibilities. He is predeceased by his parents and sister, and his son, Martin. He is survived by Tessa, his co-adventurer and wife for 57 years; his children, Heidi, Megan, Hilary and Jason and their spouses/partners; 13 grandchildren; nieces and nephews; a newborn great-granddaughter and a great-grandson due in December.

Martin was born and raised in the village of Hirschsprung, in the Erzgebirge Mountains near Dresden, Germany. He lived with his parents and sister in their country inn, the Buschhaus, which they owned and operated. He grew up in a loving family and learned the hospitality business from a very young age; it was to be his profession. He was deeply dedicated to his family, friends and relatives in Germany and visited his homeland often. He kept ties with his Grade 8 graduating class for decades, and rarely missed a reunion. He taught his children and grandchildren about the importance of knowing and honouring where you come from and each one of them has come to know Hirschsprung and area well through visits and stories. As much as he wanted to stay with his family, it was at the urging of his father that he escaped communist East Germany in 1947 and ended up in Switzerland working in prestigious hotels. He chose to emigrate to Canada in 1951 because of Canada's peacekeeping foreign policy at the time. He arrived in Quebec City, with $40 in his pocket. He found his first job with the Ritz-Carleton Hotel in Montreal and worked his way up to becoming Captain of the Maritime Bar, a gathering place for leading Montreal businessmen, politicians and socialites. Eventually, he decided to leave the hotel business and joined the real estate community. He became a successful industrial and commercial real estate broker and developer and was a highly respected member of the international investment real estate communities in Montreal, Toronto and the U.S. In 1968, he and two fellow German émigrés founded Montreal's Canadian German Chamber of Commerce, which has become an important organization promoting trade and cultural ties between Canada and Germany. He was also President of the Montreal Real Estate Board in 1980 and Fellow of the Canadian Real Estate Institute (F.R.I). He was a member of the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR) and in 1990 was elected Regional Vice President of the Great Lakes Region. Known for his high degree of professionalism, integrity, honesty, his colleagues and clients became his longtime friends.

While in Montreal he met the love of his life, Tessa Durling, and they were married in 1957. In everything they built, Martin and Tessa worked as a team. In Montreal, they raised a beautiful family and in 1981 moved to Oakville, Ontario to expand his real estate company which is still in operation today. In 1993, they moved to Costa Rica where until 2013 they successfully ran a bed and breakfast. Together, Martin and Tessa developed strong friendships in Costa Rica and embraced a number of Costa Rican families as part of their own extended family, and Martin is thought of as "un gran hombre siempre se recuerda nunca se va para siempre." Always co-creators, Martin and Tessa wrote a book, English Girl, German Boy, to share their experiences growing up in wartime Britain and Germany, and Martin's life in communist East Germany. Over the past 20 years, Martin also became increasingly involved with environmental preservation and eco-friendly alternatives to chemical farming practices. He influenced improvements in local coffee growing and production, and organic farming. He had great passion for creating harmony not only for people on earth but also between people and the earth.

Martin's family is proud of the way he enthusiastically engaged people on environmental and peace issues and opened dialogues with school children, seniors, mayors, diplomats, professors, and company executives alike. Martin made the world a better place and anyone who met him came away richer for it. We all aspire to emulate his love of family, zest for life, sense of humour and inner strength. Pura Vida!

In lieu of flowers, and in keeping with his interests, please donate to the University for Peace, Costa Rica http://www.upeace.org/

There will be an event in 2015 when we can all come together and share stories in remembrance of Martin. In the meantime, please post your thoughts and stories at http://www.koprivataylor.com