23 Feb Remembering Christian Reuter

Remembering Christian Reuter April 2, 1933 – April 16, 2025 ‒
by Karin Reuter and Brigitte Knaack

Christian Reuter was born and educated in Berlin, Germany. He was the youngest of three siblings. As a young boy Christian enjoyed spending summers at the country estate of his grandparents in Finkenwalde, near Stettin. Together with his grandfather he would patrol the large property, where grandfather taught him how to take care of things that needed to be maintained or repaired. Unfortunately, these carefree summers were disrupted by war in 1939. In his later childhood and youth Christian experienced a country in disarray, confusion and postwar hardships. For Christian as well as for his brother Joachim (Jo Reuter) the “New World” had always had a certain attraction.

In their twenties they immigrated to Canada, Vancouver, B.C., where Christian worked as a cabinet maker and also became a Canadian citizen. While living and working in Vancouver, Christian’s spiritual path led him into anthroposophical circles where he found connections and friendships that lasted a lifetime. It was there where he met two of his closest friends: Diana Hughes and Dieter Goldammer. Christian’s vocational ambition was to work in a healing profession. To achieve this, he decided to return to Germany where he studied and received his physiotherapy diploma. As it turned out, this decision had been guided by destiny. At the Physiotherapy College in Freiburg he met Karin, his partner for life. They got married and together they journeyed back to Canada ‒ this time to stay. Christian passed his Canadian physio exams and soon found his vocation at the General Hospital in Kelowna, B.C., where he would be working for more than 30 years as the Head of the Physiotherapy Department. Two sons, Daniel and Michael, arrived and Christian built a house for the family.

Christian’s ultimate quest was Anthroposophy! Anthroposophy infused into life! Rudolf Steiner’s spiritual science permeated his thinking and actions! In 1978, he started the local anthroposophical study group, which soon became his “other family.” Christian always preferred participation to leadership. When asked if he could establish a Waldorf School in Kelowna, he devoted his heart and mind to this endeavour and with lots of help achieved it. In 1982, the Kelowna Waldorf School opened its first Preschool and Kindergarten to children living in the greater Kelowna area. In 1985, Christian became a member of the First Class of the School of Spiritual Science. For many years he used to drive from Kelowna to Vancouver to attend First Class Lessons. Then, from 2003-2011, Olaf Lampson took on the task of travelling from Duncan to Kelowna to hold Class Lessons in Kelowna. In 2011, together with Brigitte Knaack, Christian was appointed as Class Holder for the First Class of the School of Spiritual Science in Kelowna. As we think of Christian, there are so many things, so many occasions we remember with gratitude. But there is one of Christian’s many qualities that stands out, one that runs through his entire life: his admirable capacity for commitment. Most importantly, of course, his loving commitment to his family, then his untiring commitment to the Kelowna Waldorf School and to Waldorf education in general.

And then there is his deep commitment to Anthroposophy, the philosophy that so profoundly influenced and inspired his life. But that is not where Christian’s capacity for commitment ended. He also had a totally selfless interest in every human being he came into contact with. Always ready to provide help and support and encouragement in all kinds of situations—spiritual or practical. No matter how much time it would take and how much personal engagement he would need to invest, it never seemed to be a burden for him. It just seemed to be what he really loved to do. In Christian’s life the word ‘interest’ played a major role: interest in life, interest in knowledge and interest in people. ‒ At one time he told us that he had come to understand that to love people means to be truly interested in them.