Willi Mulhaupt

January 16, 1939 - January 17, 2023
In Loving Memory ~
Willi Mulhaupt of Kimberley, B.C., passed away unexpectedly while on vacation in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico on January 17, 2023 at the age of 84.
Willi was born January 16, 1939 in Tiengen, Germany, the oldest of 3 children.
He originally trained as a butcher in Switzerland and later went on to become a chef. Willi moved to England in 1962 where he worked as a chef in several restaurants and hotels.
Willi immigrated to Canada for Expo '67 in Montreal and later moved to Calgary in 1970 where he was a cooking instructor at SAIT and head chef at 2 prestigious restaurants. In 1978 he moved to High River to open up his first restaurant - The Pioneer. In 1981 he moved to Kimberley, B.C. to open up the Alpenrose Restaurant, a landmark in the town for over 25 years.
For the last 20 years, Willi was a snowbird spending his winter months down in Lake Havasu, acted as the event coordinator and made use of his cooking expertise at the Beachcomber Resort. Willi loved the outdoors, especially his passion for hunting, fishing, hiking, and tending his garden.
Devoted husband, father, grandfather and friend, Willi was a beloved member of the community and touched many who know him. He will be greatly missed.
Willi is survived by his siblings Manfred, Gisela Schilling, wife Coco, son Michael, and stepchildren Debbie, Larry, Gary, Angel and Brian.
Willi is predeceased by parents Emilie and Karl, and wives Marlene and Inga (He almost outlived 3 wives as he always said).
Willi's remains will be spread in some of his favourite hunting grounds in B.C.
A celebration of life (informal dress) will be held at Purcell Golf Course in Kimberley on Saturday, May 20th from 1-4 pm.