Elizabeth Noreen Kuhnel (nee Harris)

October 30, 2017 27 Condolences Print Obituary Send Flowers

October 7, 1951 – October 29, 2017

At 2:45 a.m., on October 29th, at Edmonton General Hospital, Elizabeth passed into the arms of her Lord, after an incredibly valiant effort battling an unrelenting spreading cancer. She was gracious and always thinking of others first even to the end, and spent many happy times with her family and friends in her last weeks with us.

She will be forever remembered as the Love of His Life by her husband of 34 years, Hans. Elizabeth was born in Toronto to Robert and Elizabeth Harris. After graduation from U of Waterloo, she moved to Alberta, where she met and married Hans, raised their family, enjoyed a significant and successful career with Tourism Alberta, helped in the operations and accounting for the 4 Kuhnel restaurants, amassed hundreds of close friends, engaged importantly in her church and bible study group, and, amongst many, many other things, ran 7 marathons. She loved life, gladly gave much more than she got, lived humbly, imparted wisdom meaningfully, inspired those she touched, was respected and admired by co-workers, and through her quiet determination “made a difference” in all her endeavors.

Her family was the most important part of her life. She loved them unconditionally. She leaves behind Hans and their children, Kristie and Tyson. Kristie’s husband Mark Epp, and their children, Samuel, Grace, Henry, and a baby to be born in January. Tyson’s wife Jessica. Will also be sadly missed by stepdaughter, Susan Manning, husband John, and daughters Emma, Abby and Kate; and by stepson Mike Kuhnel and companion Gillian and her son Daks. Extremely close are her brothers Bob and Victor and her sister Jane who cared for Elizabeth untiringly during her last months, and brought her much joy.

The Harris family all knew and loved Elizabeth immensely: Robert’s son Bradley and his wife Dom and daughter Riley, and his other sons Andrew and Patrick; Victor’s wife Donna, and their son Kieran and daughter Caitlin and husband Aaron Core, and; Jane’s clan – daughter Sarah Siebert, husband Mike, children Ethan, Kyla, Chloe and Clayton, son William, and son Robert and wife Elena, children, Cruz, Maximus and Iyla.

The family wishes to express sincere gratitude to the staff of the Cross Cancer Institute, West Edmonton Home Care and Edmonton General Palliative Care.

A celebration of life will be held on Friday, November 3rd at 1:30 p.m, at Beulah Alliance Church 17504 98A Ave NW, Edmonton.

Donations could be made to Young Life West Edmonton, or to a charity of your choice in Elizabeth’s name.

  1. I had the distinct pleasure of working with Elizabeth. She was committed, hard working and very honest. She did everything she could to make the things she believed it become successful. My thoughts and prayers are with the family of this beautiful lady.

  2. Lieber Hans,
    tief traurig und berührt habe ich gehört, dass Liz den Kampf gegen den verdammten Krebs verloren hat. Was hat sich der liebe Gott dabei gedacht???! Warum müssen immer die wertvollen Menschen so früh gehen? Für dich war Elisabeth deine zweite große Liebe, wie schmerzlich war es für dich , sie gehen zu lassen. Auch wenn du weist, dass Harald Liz im Himmel empfängt und ab jetzt auf sie aufpassen wird!!!!
    Wir haben mit euch beiden so viele schöne Stunden und Tage erlebt, immer waren es freudige Ereignisse die uns zusammengeführt haben, diese bleiben unvergesslich. In unserm Herzen nimmt Elisabeth einen grossen Platz ein und wenn wir uns getröstet haben, können wir uns vielleicht auch über die schönen gemeinsamen Erinnerungen freuen. Ich denke da an unsere gemeinsame Reise nach Kuba oder nach Kroatien, da waren wir vier noch alle gut drauf! Hans hat Spaghetti für eine ganze Kompanie gekocht….Da glaubten wir, das geht immer so weiter…..
    Lieber Hans , wir können leider nicht zur Trauerfeier kommen. Es ist alles so kurzfristig und Problem beladen. Wir sind aber mit unserem Herzen und in Gedanken bei dir und deiner Familie. Den Verlust von Liz ,diese unsägliche Lücke, lässt sich nicht wegtrösten.
    Wir Wiesbadener sind sehr, sehr traurig! Wir umarmen dich und wünschen dir und deiner Familie viel Kraft und Tapferkeit ,ohne Liz weiter zu leben.
    Mit liebevoller Umarmung grü8t Karin

  3. So sorry for your loss.
    I worked with Liz for many years in tourism and she was always a pleasure to work with.

  4. Dear Hans and Family, May God guide you and strengthen you as you morn the loss of your beautiful wife, mother, grandmother and sister. My thoughts and prayers are with you. HUGS, Ellen Mae Simmonds PS Kristie I wold love to have your email address.

  5. Kuhnel Family,

    My deepest condolences and sympathy to your family. I worked with Elizabeth and she was a wonderful lady. This is very sad. May she Rest in Peace.

  6. Dear Hans and Family.
    Jack and I are so sorry to hear of Elizabeth’s passing. Our thoughts are with you.

  7. The Carr Family….Barry, Pat, Jennifer and Robyn

    We are remembering Elizabeth’s wonderful and gentle soul. It was always a pleasure to be in her company. Our heartfelt thoughts are with all of you at this very sad time.

  8. We are remembering Elizabeth’s wonderful and gentle soul. It was always a pleasure to be in her company. Our heartfelt thoughts are with all of you at the sad time.

  9. Hans and Family my deepest condolences on Elizabeth’s death.May you cherish all the good years of life together. I can still see her running with the mountains behind her in Kananaskis.
    Rest in peace
    Dick Shuhany

  10. We are so sorry to hear of Elizabeth’s passing. She brightened everyone’s life who had the privilege of knowing her. May your memories and strength of family provide comfort in the days ahead. Our thoughts are with you at this sad time.

  11. I am so sorry to hear of Elizabeth’s passing. May the thoughts and prayers of others sustain you at this time and the good memories bring you peace. I know that childhood friends Bessie Maher (Harris) and Helen Watt (Cowan), and many others were there to greet her as she transitioned.

  12. I consider myself very fortunate to have known Liz and appreciated her thoughtful input while we worked together. She was always looking to do the right thing and doing it exceptionally well. A wonderful person who will be missed.

  13. Elizabeth was a champion for Canadian Badlands Tourism and instrumental in many of our achievements over the years. She is missed by all of the lives she touched with her sweet spirit, and we are grateful for the time that she was able to spend with us!
    Please accept our deepest condolences to her family.

  14. Dear Hans, Kristie, Tyson, Susan, Mike and Family. Elizabeth brought an enthusiasm for life, such a welcoming smile and an abundance of positive energy. Your family, friends and colleagues were blessed to have known her. She was a true inspiration to many. Please accept our condolences.
    Pat and Lee Chandler

  15. I’m so terribly sorry for the loss of such a lovely person in your lives. My thoughts and prayers are with you as you navigate your grief and gather your best memories to bring you comfort. Hugs.

  16. A heart filled loss of a lovely woman of God through Jesus Christ, Elizabeth left her mark of love on everyone she came in contact with at Sands Resort here in California. Her presence at worship each Sunday will always be appreciated and remembered. I fondly remember an afternoon of golf with Elizabeth and Hans and a sister. Our sadness is great and our condolences are conveyed to Hans and entire families as you mourn your great loss. Please know that our prayers go up for you all and that God will carry you far beyond your grief. We all can rejoice that we will all be together again in His eternal kingdom. Rest in His gentle arms dear Elizabeth!

  17. What an energetic hiker, Liz was at her winter home in the desert! We enjoyed her upbeat spirit and wonderful sense of humor. Please accept our sympathy. Blessings to you and your family as you grieve.

  18. Hans and family,

    Our hearts reach out to you in deepest sympathy. We so enjoyed getting to know Elizabeth as we transitioned from first shift to second shift in Higher Ground. She was always gracious and always willing to help when needed. Her spirit was always so positive and gentle. We know you will miss her greatly. May the wonderful memories you have help sustain you in the days ahead.

    Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
    May God keep you in His loving arms and comfort you,
    Art and Jeanette

  19. We are so sorry to hear of Elizabeth’s passing. We had the pleasure of participating in the Irongolf with Elizabeth and Hans. Our prayers are with your family during this time of sadness and change.

  20. Dear Hans,

    So sorry to hear of Elizabeth’s passing. Dianne and I wish you a short period of grief and a long stretch of happy memories.

    Irv and Dianne Kipnes

  21. I am grateful to have worked with Liz for many years in the tourism division and she was always very kind, thoughtful, and caring. I will always remember her getting into her running gear at lunch hours here at work… dedication, that’s for sure! She always talked about Hans, her children, and her grandchildren with a huge smile on her face. My prayers are with your family during this difficult time. May she rest in peace now.

  22. So sorry for your great loss. I thoroughly enjoyed my time working for Liz. She was always passionate, caring and dedicated. Her generosity and genuine care for her staff did not go unnoticed or unappreciated. We will continue to pray for you in the weeks and months ahead as you walk this path of grief.

  23. Dear Hans and family,
    I am very sorry to hear about Elizabeths passing away.She was a remarkable woman and will be missed dearly.Just seeing how full the church was with people to pay their respects shows how much she was loved and respected Thinking about you at this very emotional and difficult time. Regards Aaron.

  24. The loss of Elizabeth is shared by many of us who knew her as mentor and friend can be nothing compared to the loss of her as your life partner, mother and grandmother.
    Take strength in knowing that her’s was a life well lived. Like so many Ifeel blessed to have had the privilege of having met and worked with Liz.
    My thoughts and prayers to you all.

  25. What a genuine & loving person Elizabeth was. Even though we only met her a few years ago in Desert Hot Springs, she felt like she was a long time friend instantly. We hiked, played Golf, Pickle Ball, Bocce Ball & Bridge as well as line-danced and went to yoga . She always made you feel like you were her best friend, even though she had so many others. She shared an incredible love with her husband, Hans and she adored her family emmencely . She was such a sweetheart and we are going to miss her dearly.

  26. Dear Hans, Christie & Tyson. We were sorry to hear of Elizabeth’s passing. She was a fine lady and she will be greatly missed. I am so glad you all were such a great part of my mom’s life, she adores all of you and has been so sad for you. Our thoughts are with you.

  27. We are so saddened by your loss. Elizabeth will be greatly missed in so many ways. My last email correspondence with her was her hoping for health again to help us serve and love teens with disabilities. Her heart for others was such an example to all of us. We love you guys and will continue to pray for you to sense God’s closeness to you in this time.

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