Bayern

An obituary by Helmut Warter, former chairman of the bdla Bavaria

In the course of my work for the working group "Kulturschatz Planungserbe" of the bdla Bavaria, it was consistently nice for me to get in touch with former colleagues.

One person who was genuinely pleased that someone from the "old bdla days" had contacted him was Gerrit Stahr. So last summer we met at his place in Haag in his sympathetic wooden building on the sloping outskirts of the village with regenerative energy supply, near-natural garden including reeds and stream for a detailed exchange of ideas, which we actually wanted to continue at irregular intervals.

In the process, he reviewed his entire life story. Together with Eike Schmidt, the two "Prussians" from the far north courageously founded an office in the middle of Upper Bavaria, which was soon successful thanks to their collegial partnership. The later Garten Landschaft editor Eike was the chain-smoking mouthpiece and copywriter, the quieter Gerrit the artist and designer. Together, the two families renovated their shared apartment in the Hague Castle piece by piece for decades in coordination with the representatives of the preservation of historical monuments - a nerve- and money-devouring major project full of stories.

The much too early death of his partner made the affable Gerrit enter into yet another partnership with Heinz Haberland.

What memories remain? His strong handshake, his upright, slightly sluggish gait - the result of having overcome polio - his illusionless knowledge of human nature, his love of trees and habitats. He kept his bones and joints, which were over eighty years old, in good shape by exercising for an hour every day.
Death overtook this esteemed colleague in the bathroom in late October 2020. As a sudden heart attack on a chair. If I had to characterize Gerrit in two words, it would be his cheerful welcoming cry, "Gee, yeah!"

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