Herbert ‘Bert’ Knorr, beloved husband, father, brother, and friend, left this world suddenly on Sunday January 7, 2024 at the age of 83. He will forever be in the hearts of his wife, Flora; his daughter, Lili; his sisters, Muschi and Hedi; and the many friends and family members whose lives he touched.

Everyone who knew Bert remarked upon his kindness, his warmth, his curiosity, and his great intelligence. A born adventurer, Bert set off from his home in Abenberg, Germany as a young man to explore the world, resulting in brushes with quicksand, a stint in Switzerland as a bookbinder, a journey to Red Deer, Alberta and a few memorable months living in a small beach town in Mexico. He eventually made his home in Toronto, where he worked as an award-winning exhibit designer creating displays for museums and corporations around the world.

Bert had many interests and passions. He was accomplished in martial arts, with a black belt in Karate and obtained a high level dan in Kendo. He believed deeply in the power of meditation and meditated each morning. Bert’s love of reading began when he was very young – spanning almost every genre of literature – and never stopped. He was a talented sculptor, creating thought provoking pieces from his first apprenticeship to his last project in his final days. He loved nature, never ceasing to remark upon the beautiful color of the sky, the stars, the trees in the backyard, or a mountain range in his beloved Himalayas.

His positive attitude and kind heart was an inspiration. We love him to the sky and moon and will never forget the beautiful lessons he taught us.

As were his wishes, he will be cremated. There will be a funeral service following his cremation, with a celebration of life to follow in the summer.

Bert was a passionate advocate for safe sanitation. He devoted much effort in his last years to building toilets for people living in impoverished communities without access to safe sanitation infrastructure. If you would like to make a donation, we would ask that you kindly contribute to this project that was so important to him. You can make a cheque to the Tesari Charitable Foundation and mail it to the office at 233 Ellis Ave, Toronto, ON, M6S 2X4.

The Tesari Charitable Foundation is a registered Canadian charity and can issue a tax receipt for donations over $20.