Letter: Joe Mueller made Revelstoke a better place

To Friends of Joe Mueller,

In a quiet, unassuming way, Joe Mueller made Revelstoke a better place. Joe didn’t like the spotlight. He wasn’t interested in public speaking or attention grabbing. He was hard-working, bee keeping, shake splitting honest friend who treated his neighbours with respect.

Revelstoke citizens gave that respect back to Joe.

Because he was so modest, he’d always get flustered when I said he was a very special guy.

It was inevitable that Joe and I would meet. When Joe came to Canada from Switzerland, he brought his deep-rooted commitment to democracy. I was once the Member of Parliament for East Kootenay. In 1997, Revelstoke was added and the constituency became Kootenay Columbia.

Joe was in the front row of my first public meeting to listen to Revelstoke residents. After most of the audience left he quietly asked probing questions. Joe told me where local citizens had morning coffee and he volunteered to come with me.

So the Joe and Jim strolls began. We were in and out of restaurants, up and down the streets, to and from city hall and businesses. Joe was known and respected in industrial shops, lumber operations, with loggers and truckers. The Revelstoke Rod and Gun Club banquet was a must attend and Joe would never let me forget it.

The footings of democracy in Canada are person to person, face to face respectful dialogue. And Joe delivered those opportunities in spades.

In that respect, Joe was a special guy who made Canada a better place, but for my wife and me Joe made our world a better place.

We’ll miss him.

Jim & Jeannette Abbott.

READ MORE: Obituary Notice – Xaver Joseph Mueller