Obituary

Hans Christoph Limbach was born in Siegburg, Germany on 04/28/1964. He is the son of the late Edeltrud Marnett and the late Heinrich Limbach. He is survived by his 4 brothers Reinhold (and Antonia), Udo (and Barbara), Roman (and Brigitte), Egbert (and Claudia) Limbach, 1 sister Mechtild Zander (and the late Erhard Zander), Uncle Herbert Marnett and many beloved nieces and nephews.

Christoph grew up in a loving family home and learned at a young age how to shop for groceries, grow garden vegetables and flowers, and how to play Fußball (soccer). He was raised Catholic and was a young altar server at Mt. Michael Monastery in Siegburg. He always cherished time with his family in Germany, as well as spending time with his many friends from school and soccer leagues.

In Germany, before coming to the U.S.A., Christoph studied business at the University of Cologne. During his senior year, he traveled on vacation to Australia to explore the beautiful nature and wildlife it had to offer. Little did he know that would be where he would meet his future wife, Marcia, on a ferry in Sydney Harbor. After their brief meeting, he returned to Germany and finished his Diplom-Betriebswirt (MBA) in Finance and Foreign Trade, started his first job at a German business and wrote letters to Marcia over the next year to become better acquainted. He had to brush up on his English and spent many hours composing these letters, but over time improved and became fluent very quickly. On April 28^th, 1994, he married Marcia in Honolulu, Hawaii in a civil ceremony. They were later married in the Catholic Church in Siegburg, Germany at the same church he served as an altar boy, Mt. Michael’s Monastery.

Eventually, Marcia and Christoph decided to settle in Honolulu, Hawaii after traveling throughout the United States where he completed an American degree in Business at Hawaii Pacific University. He worked as a German tour guide in Honolulu, where he loved driving small groups of German tourists around the island, commenting in German about all of the beautiful sights. What a great place to raise children they both thought, so it was in Honolulu where all 3 of their children, Stefanie, Audrey and Kevin were born.

Christoph and Marcia wanted to be able to visit Marcia’s relatives in Chicago and his in Germany more often, so they moved to the West coast to be closer to them. They ended up in Bellingham, WA after distant relatives Cheri Ditsche (the late Alfons Ditsche) and Fred Batscheider from a suburb of Vancouver, B.C., “adopted” Christoph and his young family as their own when they arrived in Bellingham in 2004. Marcia and Christoph’s parents were not alive at this time and Cheri and Fred became their honorary grandparents.

Christoph was the most hard working, selfless “stay at home dad”. Lovingly known as “Papa”, he not only cared for the children and pets (bunnies and dogs) when Marcia was at work, but he volunteered for many school activities. He coordinated an after school foreign language program known as FLAN and offered lessons in French, German, and Spanish, finding teachers for French and Spanish, and teaching German himself. He participated in a German Immersion Camp for all of the students taking high school German in Washington state, invited to share his language and culture as a native speaker. Christoph and Marcia also hosted 3 different German students in their home as part of a foreign exchange GAPP program at Squalicum High School over the years.

Throughout elementary and middle school, Christoph coached the Eastside Soccer teams in Bellingham and was a huge supporter of every sport and activity his children were involved including soccer, dance, band, orchestra, and tennis to name a few, shuttling them around town with all of the other parents.

His love of grocery shopping continued as an adult, especially since he also loved to make delicious meals for his family every night of the week (except when Marcia wanted to cook)! He was a great entertainer and host, and loved having friends over for wonderful meals, football games, Christmas caroling parties, FIFA World Cup games, UEFA European Championship games, etc.

Christoph was a great athlete. He participated in a competitive soccer league in Germany, ran 3 marathons, completed several short sprint triathlons in Hawaii, and served as the cross country skier on his Sacred Heart Church “Praying for a Miracle” Ski to Sea team for nearly 10 years.

When it came to the weather, you just had to ask Christoph. He often forecasted weather better than the official reporters on television.

Christoph loved to travel and had a real gift of finding the best prices for air fares and hotels anywhere in the world. He made it a point to travel with the entire family every two years to Europe, alternating with Chicago, so that we could keep in touch with family and friends. He always said, “Why wait until you are too old?”

To sum it all up, you can see that Christoph loved life, his friends, and his family. Despite his long fight with cancer, he always seemed to have a smile on his face and a positive attitude. The challenge of his illness, not unlike a marathon or long Ski to Sea race, drew him closer to God, made him stronger in his faith, and kept him fighting until the end. He inspired many people on this short journey and felt so thankful that many of you made your love known to him before he died. What a gift!

His spirit will live on in his family and friends. Remember to “Celebrate life!” as Christoph always said. Travel on Christoph. Auf Wiedersehen. Until we meet again. Aloha nui loa.

Many thanks to Dr. Petros Grivas, physician assistant Norena and nursing staff at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, to Dr.Kim and the Interventional Radiology Department nursing staff at the University of Washington, to Dr.LeTellier, Dr.Hall and nurses at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Cancer Center, to all of the physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and nursing staff at PeaceHealth St.Joseph Medical Center Interventional Radiology Department, to Dr. Weiche, physician assistants and nurses at PeaceHealth St.Joseph Emergency Department, 2nd Med/Surg, Clinical Decision Unit and PACU, to Infectious Disease Specialist Dr.Spiess and her incredible office staff, to all of the covid testers at Northwest Laboratory, to all of the nurses at Whatcom Hospice and to Father Cody Ross of Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Vielen Dank for all of the loving care you provided to Christoph.

The Funeral Mass for Christoph will be held at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Bellingham, WA at 11:00am (Pacific Daylight Time) on Friday, November 5^th, 2021. All are welcome.

If you are unable to attend in person, you can join the Zoom Meeting of the funeral mass starting at 10:30 am (Pacific Daylight Time). The link to view the funeral mass is posted below. The Zoom meeting will also be recorded for viewing at a later time.

The burial service will be held at Bayview Cemetery in Bellingham at 1:00 pm. All are welcome.

A Celebration of Life for Christoph will be held at the Squalicum Boat House in Bellingham the same evening starting at 5:30 pm until 8:30 pm. Food and drinks will be provided. All are welcome.

If you are attending any of the above events in person, you are welcome to wear appropriate Hawaiian attire or Christoph’s favorite color of blue.

Love and aloha,

Marcia, Stefanie, Audrey, Kevin and Coconut

Donations in Christoph’s memory may be made to the charity of your choice: CaringBridge, the Whatcom Hospice Foundation, or the Whatcom County Youth Soccer Association.

 

Audrey Limbach is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Funeral Mass for Christoph Limbach – 11/05/21 at 11:00 am Time: Nov 5, 2021 10:30 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

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