Obituary

Gerhard Fritz Schlecht, aged 90, passed away at home October 8, 2025. He was born March 11, 1935 in Kirchheim, Germany. Gerhard spent the first 19 years of his life in Germany, enduring the many hardships of war as a child. These early years instilled in him the value of family, self-reliance, and the freedom to make his own way in life.

His early years were also filled with sports and adventure. He played soccer on the local team and made friends for life. He loved the mountains, hiking, and skiing. He built an early rendition of an ebike, a motorcycle you also pedaled, and headed alone at the age of 15 into the Alps looking for adventure and slopes to ski with wooden planks. However, the west was calling and Gerhard immigrated to Canada at age 19, with the hopes of making it into the United States, the land of freedom, adventure, and opportunity.

He often told us about the moment he first stepped off the bus in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. No one knew where he was and his future and fate were in his own hands. That was the freedom he was seeking, and he loved it. In Canada, Geerhard worked odd jobs and played second-division soccer. This opened doors and provided connections, friends, and work opportunities. He proudly recalled being referred to as “the sizzling left wing” in the local newspaper.

In 1959, he made it to the United States and worked in the tool and die industry in Los Angeles. He played soccer on the Los Angeles all-star team. He recalled the experience of competing with amazing players from around the world with awe.

Soccer wasn’t the only allure of Los Angeles. He met his wife Diane at the beach there in 1965. Both were fiercely independent, but there was chemistry and they immediately clicked. Their first date was pastrami sandwiches and beer. Trying to impress her, he took her to dinner at a French restaurant. They drank a bottle of Pommard wine, had their first kiss under a quince tree, and married six months after meeting. They became lifelong partners in business, building houses, family, and everything else. Their only child, Heidi, was born in 1968.

Seeking to leave Los Angeles, Diane and Gerhard traveled throughout California looking for land. They found 10 acres on Miller Hill Road in the Santa Cruz Mountains, with a pear and plum orchard. It was beautiful, undeveloped, with ocean views and covered in fruit. Perfect! They spent four years building a house on the weekends, buying one lumber load at a time as money allowed. They collected water in metal garbage cans from the creek on Morrill Cut-Off and camped onsite while the building was done. It was an adventure.

Diane tiled floors and stained boards, while Gerhard used his meticulous nature and tool-and-die precision to make the house come to life. Gerhard wanted to leave his treasured home feet first, and he did. While building the house and developing the property, Gerhard and Diane built and ran Heidi’s European Deli in San Jose for many years. Here they fed and connected with many Europeans who became lifelong friends. They retired early and traveled extensively.

Gerhard and his daughter Heidi took many trips together as well. They climbed mountains and skied together, enjoying each other’s company and many adventures. Heidi’s husband Sterling is an accomplished climber and took Gerhard on several climbing experiences as well. Gerhard was a beautiful skier and a natural athlete. Hiking and skiing were not merely athletic goals but a way to experience the beauty and grandeur of the natural world.

Gerhard made the most of his beloved Santa Cruz Mountain property. He planted over 80 fruit trees with the help of his daughter Heidi. He also put in 2.5 acres of pinot noir grapes that he lovingly tended to until he was 85 and watched over until his death. He planted his vegetable garden in perfect rows any machinist would be proud of. He grew the fruit and vegetable varieties he missed from his homeland, including mache lettuce, radishes, and green gage plums. He helped aging neighbor, Mr.

Rapp, prune and spray his trees. From him, Gerhard learned the ways and stories of the mountain elders. Family was central to Gerhard. He maintained close contact with his German relatives throughout his life. He helped and supported Heidi and Sterling in every way, and he loved playing dollhouse and farm with his granddaughter, Shani, dispensing his pearls of wisdom and trying to teach her to ski. He was her Opa, and she has inherited his love of hiking and outdoor adventure.

Gerhard was a social man, making many connections and maintaining them throughout his life. He was also a self- described loner, happy to take the path less traveled. He knew time was the valuable currency, no one gets more no matter how much money they have. He valued his family and was generous with them in all ways. He had an easy smile, a quick wit, and unexpected humor. He was sharp, well-read, a talker, and a storyteller. He was an optimist and also a realist, knowing his time had come and nature would take him. He had 90 wonderful years filled with all the things that make a fantastic life. He will be dearly missed by his wife Diane, daughter Heidi, son-in-law Sterling, granddaughter Shani, and all those who enjoyed his stories, smiles, and laughter.

If you would like to celebrate Gerhard’s life, we will gather at Gerhard’s home on his birthday, on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. If you would like to attend, email Heidi at plumlinejams@gmail.com and we will share details.