The Last of the Old-Fashioned Cowboys
With joy we remember a life well lived and with sadness we announce the passing of our precious father and grandfather, Heinz Patberg on February 18, 2026 at Creston Valley Hospital, Creston, British Columbia.
Heinz was born in Gros Kammin, Germany on April 21, 1934. After living through World War 2 with his Mother, Lina and his twin sister Inge, Heinz studied horticulture in Munster, Germany but in hisheart he dreamed of being a cowboy. As a boy in Gros Kammin he had tended to and rode the horses his father, Frederich, raised for the German cavalry, learning many skills and developing a deep love for horses that would stay with him his entire life.
In 1954, with little money and a dream he got on a boat for Canada. After landing in Montreal, he worked his way across the country settling in Lundbreck Alberta, at the Waldron Ranch under the watchful eye of Alfe Cote. Thus his dreams of being a cowboy came true. Over the next decades Heinz would work for many ranches in Southern Alberta spending the greatest amount of time at Burke Creek Ranch then at Fred Burton’s then Tim Burton’s Ranch. As Heinz recollected, those years were full of some of the best times of his life: riding for miles everyday in cold or in heat, building fences or corrals, tending countless cattle, breaking and riding bronc horses that nobody else could and living his cowboy dream.
When ranch work was seasonal Heinz headed to Waterton to work with Dave Simpson guiding dudes or to California horseshoeing, running a D-9 Cat, or cowboying. In the late 1960’s Heinz added saddlemaker to his impressive list of skills and became a master of the Balanced Ride saddle. More vocations followed including teaching horseshoeing at a college, orchard-keeping in California, building roads in the Arctic, and becoming a professional hunting guide for trophy hunters again with Dave Simpson.
In later years, you could find Heinz in his log cabin on the Ranch tinkering in his saddle shop, at his reloading bench or at his kitchen table ready for a visit over a coffee or a cold Bronc beer. To Heinz, to do a job well was of great importance, to love his Saviour Jesus Christ and to love and enjoy the people around him were just as important. Heinz was a kind and friendly person who cared about people and made friends where ever he went. The people dearest to him were his family whom he loved very much. We love him and will ever miss him. In his own words, “I led a great life.”
Heinz is pre-deceased by his mother and father and by his ex-wife, Betty Patberg. Heinz leaves behind his sister Inge Heinrich with nieces Anette Tschirsch and Susanne Koch, his children: Kimberly Vejvoda (Tom), Lisa Blyth (Alec), David Patberg (Melissa), and Jennifer Draxlir (Isaac), 18 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren.
Come remember with us Saturday, March 7, 2026 at 1:00pm at Zentner’s Funeral Chapel. Lunch and Graveside service to follow.