Gottfried Schalm

On February 8, 2023, in Calgary, at the age of 97, Gottfried Schalm, our dear husband, father, Opa and great-Opa went home to be with his Lord and Saviour. 

Gottfried was born on February 2, 1926 in Syczow, Poland.   Together with Christa, he served as a missionary in Nigeria with SIM for 27 years between 1955 to 1993. He also served as a pastor in Winnipeg, and with International Student Ministries Canada in both Winnipeg and Calgary.

Gottfried is survived by his loving wife of 66 years, Christa; his children, Dorothea Schalm, Annegret (Bob) Horton, Michael (Margret) Schalm, Christina (Mitch) Peters, Markus (Teresa) Schalm; his grandchildren, Ryan (Nicole) Schalm, Steven (Emily Chin) Peters, Micaela (Jeremy) Epp with Kaiden and Lucas, Danielle (Steve) Selinger with Hailey, Kirsten (Kun Devanny) Horton with Kai, Stephanie Schalm, Niklaas (Kate) Schalm with Sylvie, Marie Horton, Matthew Schalm, Emily (Kyle) Friesen, and Michael Peters. He is also survived by his brother Erwin Schalm, his sister Renate Jansen, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Gottfried was predeceased by his parents, Gustav and Natalie, stepmother Lydia; brothers Robert, Leo, Bernard and Reinhold; and sister Else.

Gottfried’s life was marked first and foremost by his deep commitment to Jesus Christ.  He loved to spend time with family, especially his grandchildren, and he always tried to make those times memorable.  He was courageous and persevered in difficult times. He had an unassuming nature that was full of sincerity and humility.  He was loyal, dependable, practical, hard-working and always helpful.  He was respected for his wisdom and teaching, a man able to communicate especially well with the written word.  Gottfried can now chime in with the apostle Paul who in 2 Timothy 4:7 states “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”In honour of his memory, Gottfried had requested that in lieu of flowers, memorial gifts be made in support of the Adunu Theological Training Institute (Project Name = Updating Theological Schools in Nigeria; Project Number = 96514). Please send your gift, designating the project name/number to:  SIM Canada, 10 Huntingdale Blvd., Scarborough, ON, M1W 2S5, or call Somayyeh or Jenny at 1-800-294-6918 for assistance.