Ulrich and Margarete both grew up in Germany. Margarete, née Giesinger, was born in 1960 in Sulzbach and Ulrich Schoene was born in Backnang in 1957.They married on July 10, 1981 in Oppenweiler, and in July 2021 they celebrated 40 years of marriage with their two children – Eva, born in 1983, and Marc, born in 1985.
Both Margarete and Ulrich brought different educational backgrounds to their partnership. Obviously, a combination that has worked well in so many ways.
Margarete pursued a Post-Secondary Education in Business, focusing on Bookkeeping. Ulrich became a Master Craftsman, specializing in Bricklaying and Tile setting, a 4-year program involving work experience and apprenticing with master tradesmen, before being granted his full qualifications, equivalent to a Masters Degree in Trades. Together they operate Schoene Tile and Stone Inc.
They moved to Canada in May 1996. The only regret they have is that they did not move here earlier. They fell in love with B.C. and when they discovered Salmon Arm, they knew this was where they wanted to be. They felt welcome here. People were friendly and they quickly became woven into the community. The beautiful setting, the four seasons, with all the outdoor organisations such as the Trail Alliance, skiing, boating, and a host of other activities plus a vibrant Arts community all appealed to them. Perfect.
They decided that they had personally gained so much from the community that they wanted to find a way to be able to give something back. After doing their research they chose to establish an endowment with Shuswap Community Foundation. They had several reasons for this choice. Its focus is local. They liked the way funds were distributed across so many different organizations. Another big benefit was that they themselves would not have to be responsible for developing criteria for the distribution of funds, or the administration of investments. They trusted the Foundation to do an excellent job and are very happy with the way it has managed their fund, which is called the Ulrich and Margarete Schoene Family Endowment Fund.
