It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Paul Thiele on December 11, 2023, just one day after the death of his dear wife of 12 years, Cheryl (Stewart).

Born on March 10, 1942, in Lodz, Poland, Paul’s family fled the country for Germany following WWII. Shortly after the death of Paul’s father in 1954, Paul and his mother came to Canada to join his older brother, Gus. Paul suffered many losses throughout his life: his brother Gus in 1965 and his mother in 1966, his first wife Judy (Ewert) in 1993, his in-laws and surrogate partners, Sue and Ed Ewert, and his second partner, Theresa Andrews. Paul’s sister-in-law, Bonnie Thiele, and his great friend, the late Tom Teranishi, supported him throughout these losses.

Paul was diagnosed with congenital cataracts as an infant that left him with 10 per cent vision. Despite this, Paul completed a BA at UBC and then pursued an MA. At UBC, he met Judy Ewert (BA, BLS), a blind library science student who became his devoted partner in life and work, marrying in 1968.

At this time, there were very few resources available to students who were blind or partially sighted. While pursuing his MA, Paul was asked to head up the newly created Charles Crane Memorial Library, which Paul tackled with dedication. Much of the work he and Judy, Crane’s co-founder and head librarian, did was pioneering. Always a strong advocate for the rights of the visually impaired, particularly with respect to access to education, Paul served as a consultant on many advisory boards and was well known within the visually impaired community. His pioneering work at the Crane Library and dedication to students were recognized with the conferring of an Honorary Doctor of Laws by UBC in 2021.

Paul is mourned by his many friends and former colleagues, sister-in-law Bonnie Thiele, nieces Ursula Schmelcher and Angela Thiele, nephew Geoff Thiele, seven great-nieces and nephews, and a growing number of great-greats.

A Celebration of Life for Paul and Cheryl will be held on Sunday, April 14, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the UBC Golf Club (5185 University Blvd). Please RSVP by March 25th to paulandcheryl2024@gmail.com. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to BC and Alberta Guide Dogs, the Judith C. Thiele Memorial Scholarship at UBC, or the Paul E. Thiele Bursary for Students with Disabilities at UBC.