The kind of guy who would tell loud and clear what you think but are afraid to say because it is not politically correct.

So long my friend!

I haven't met toomany people in my life wha had the kind of heart he had. You could count on kim! He was my friend and I am doing to misss that crazy guy. 

"Stay calm... don't panic...

The 45 minutes walk along the forest path haven't been too comfortable with sooking wet clothes, but  a lot safer and I still had my Australian hat on my head. 
Another unforgettable Uwe moment. 

He really touch my life

Uwe's spirit and impulsiveness were ongoing.  It was hard not to love and respect his passion for living a good life, but Uwe didn't seem to realize that the rest of us needed some rest time; days when you don't try to pack 100 hours of living into it.  I skied with Uwe, danced with Uwe, and swam with Uwe.  He did everything to his fullest potential, and he expected the same from you.  "You're not swimming hard enough, you're not skiing hard enough, and you should learn these dance steps faster."  Some would take offense with being told to be better all the time, but with Uwe, he was genuinely interested in seeing you do better.  It was hard not to take it personally. 

Uwe constantly told me that my health and my body were the most important things I had.  Don't just exercise, but exercise hard, and don't just eat right, but make sure it is cooked to maximize its nutritional value.  He wouldn't let me heat something up in a microwave.  I became a chemist, and he was just horrified that I would work with chemicals.  I think some of Uwe's teachings rubbed off on me. I have a love of running, and as I worked my way up to a half-marathon distance, Uwe's passion and drive was a role-model for me during my training.  I would remember his instructions to ski harder, or swim harder when my legs felt like quitting.  He changed your attitude from some one who does aerobics three times per week is fit, to aerobics three times per week is a good warm-up in your exercise program. 

Uwe continuously amazed me with his spontaneity.  Uwe loved German folk dancing.  He also loved being the centre of attention.  I remember he organized a German folk dancing group.  He might have said something about wanting to do some performances, but I had never done this, so I was thinking, yeah, maybe next year or something.  Well, on the second or third lesson, Uwe informs me that we have three performance scheduled to start in six weeks, and protests that you really didn't feel ready for this didn't make a difference.  Uwe matched me with a very 
experienced dance partner and I remember having the dance steps whispered in my ear as we danced for all three performances. 

Two of the performance were in seniors homes.  I am so glad that Uwe organized this because it was so much fun.  For one of the simple dances he spontaneously decided that we should pick a partner from the audience and teach them the steps and get these seniors up dancing.  It was great fun.  Uwe was dancing with a woman about 80 years old.  I couldn't believe it when I saw him give this woman a pinch and pat on her butt at the end of the dance.  This woman squealed, gushed and batted her eyes at Uwe the rest of the night.  I would have loved to have had one last dance for Uwe at his memorial service. 

Uwe told me that he had once dreamed of going to the Olympics to compete in gymnastics.  Uwe never lived in the past, but I truly sensed that he felt genuinely cheated of the opportunity to follow his dream because of the political unrest in East Germany at the time.  Uwe had the kind of drive and ambition that one needs to follow an Olympic dream, and he lived his life with that drive and ambition.  I remember when we went swimming and he decided to do some dives, everyone would stop to watch because it was such a pleasure watching him.  He was so good. 

The last time I saw Uwe, he was kayaking.  My husband, his ex-girlfriend, and I were hiking around Skookumchok Narrow.  We saw this kayaker who looked like he was in trouble in that the kayak was upside down.  You stop, you look, and you wonder if the person needs help.  We took a closer look and when the man came up again, I realized it was Uwe.  He came and sat down, and we talked for about an hour; Uwe, my husband, my husband's ex-girlfriend, and Uwe's kayaking partner.  And then he was back in his kayak. 

I'm glad I knew Uwe, and I'm sorry he's gone.  He really touched my life. 

DEATH OF A PRECIOUS FRIEND UWE MEYER 

Suddenly a shock wave stops us and everything looks meaningless 
A big wave that the human being cannot understand and cannot bear 

Still, the struggle of life continues 
Slow, slow, you come again to the trail 
And, you try to be more cautious and appreciate the present 

The death of a precious friend was a big shock for me 
He was In the middle of his life exhuberant full of life mischievious, creative 
With all of life's complications, he knew to live the present 
He was a precious friend, although we did not agree on many things 

With him I felt we overcame our differences and understood each others' hearts. 
I felt not so lonely as with others. 

Like brothers, although you have great differences, you still love each other 
The death of Uwe Meyer was a big shock for me 
We must continue life and remember it is short 

Eight years in the groovy lane... 

                        A DARK ROOM PROFILE: UWE MEYER 

Ask Vancouverites about their favorite sights and they will invariably mention the mountains, the view atop Queen Elizabeth Park, the Lions Gate Bridge and the Cat on a Shoulder. Meet Leo the Birman, son of Flitze, perched on his human roost, Uwe Meyer. They both have the uncanny look of those who have done and seen it all together, and they have. 

Leo is a pure bred Canadian, born in B.C.; Uwe comes from former East Germany, which he left for West Germany, before settling in Canada in 1968. His original trade as a tool and die maker did not fulfil his creative and artistic leanings. He then turned to photography, a propitious move for him and for us all. His wedding pictures grace many of our living rooms, ranging from conservative Victorian gatherings to surrealist juxtapositions of a woman torso on a man's legs and vice versa. Regardless of the various settings, Uwe's masterful technique and artistry always convey to the fullest ambiences, attitudes and moods. Nowhere is Uwe's command of his choosen medium more evident than in the posters he has published himself over the past few years. From the towering view of his sprawling aerial picture of Vancouver, taken on Christmans Day of 1988, to the relaxed sight of nud but chaste bodies enjoying a woman's saxo solo on Wreck Beach, Uwe has managed to capture a diverse British Columbia, at the same time majestic and informal. On Vancouver Island, his Long Beach shot surf into eternity, while Victoria asserts itself as a green and sea-blue mini-metropolis. The Old Country Market scene has the tangy flavor of the seventies, and Billy Gruff the goat winks irreverentially at us from high in the sky. Uwe did not forget our glory and pride, the trees: his Whistler and Carmanah huge ancestors are safe for ever from rapacious harvesters. To his line of posters and giant postcards, Uwe will soon add photographic jigsaw puzzles, and boxes of fine Belgian chocolates under the Chimo brand. 

This portrait would not be true to reality if we failed to mention that photography is only a hobby for Leo and Uwe, whose more serious pursuits include computing on a Mac Soon to be Next, kayaking in the hell of ferocious white waters or in Polar Bear temperatures in English Bay, and skiing, skiing, skiing... During their spare time, on the twenty-fifth hour, Uwe and Leo are also pioneering an innovative PetSuit and possibly an injury-proof CatSkiBinding. 

On the personal level, Uwe's psychoanalytic talents have earned him among his many friends the nickname of Doctor Uwe, who operates mostly on the telephone round the clock directory, referral and general information services. 

Uwe was so built like a god. 

I've only ever gone "nude" once in my life, and Uwe talked me into it. 

I tell that story every time people talk about wreck beach and ask me if I've ever been there.  While up at Whistler Uwe talked me into going nude in a hot tub.  He insisted that that was the way it was up at Whistler.  Over the course of the time that we were in the hot tub, about six people came and went.  The other women were wearing bathing suits, and the men didn't even make an appearance of trying to keep their eyes off my breasts.  You have to admit that an 18-year-old well developed breast line gives a pretty magnificent view, but these eye goggling geezers were quite a bit older than Uwe, who was almost twice as old as I was at the time.  So much for my one nudist experience.  My husband has tried hundreds of times to get me to go to wreck beach. 

I always referred to Uwe as my Olympian boyfriend.  Uwe would have been world famous if he had been able to follow his Olympic dreams.  I dated another gymnasts about ten years ago.  When he was a teenager his coach constantly tried to encourage him to compete for the Olympics, but he had no interest in competition, he just did gymnastics for the love of it.  He left gymnastics because he got tired of being pressured to 
compete.  It's ironic how life deals the wrong hands to people. 

I like to think
that this was Uwe's spirit, telling us that he is at peace.

An eagle swooped low over us

Uwe was certainly one of a kind.He was a dedicated advocate for the beach, Vancouver and our beloved natural B.C. We are all reduced by his loss, but at least he died doing what he loved, in the fullness of strength and health, living his life intensely. 

An eagle swooped low over us as we were sending his wreath out to sea yesterday - a most unusual event. I like to think that this was Uwe's spirit, telling us that he is at peace. 

I have known Uwe for 24 years, and have admired his photography and zest for living.  Always, he pushed the "envelope" whether he was freestyle skiing or white water kayaking.  Sometimes he took his Siamese cat along for the ride!   Recently, he had bought a new home and was enthusiastically improving it ; he was particularly proud of his bamboo garden. 

Ewe turned 52 this past summer, and along with other male supporters, joined the first Wreck Beach women's topfree protest on July 19, at Spanish Banks.  He not only photodocumented the event, he participated in it with great humour and verve. 

 Although we knew a kayaker had died during a violent storm on Sunday, it wasn't until Monday evening that his identity was confirmed to our great sadness.