Michael Wilhelm Schwarz

Michael Wilhelm Schwarz, 67, passed away on July 27, 2026 after a brief illness with an aggressive cancer.He is survived by his wife, Catherine Weaver (Cathy). He was predeceased by his father Juergen of Mississauga, Ontario, on May 10, 2026, and is survived by his mother Gisela in Mississauga, Ontario, his sister Karen (Paul) in Mississauga, Ontario, sister-in-law, Linda (George) in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, and his sister-in-law Faye (Jim) in Moscow, Idaho. Also survived by niece Hilary (Aaron) in Calgary, Alberta, niece Emily (Oskar) in Stockholm, Sweden, nephew Tim (Emily) in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, niece Lauren in Moscow, Idaho, niece Sydney (Chris) in Vancouver, British Columbia, and niece Madeline in Mississauga, Ontario. Additionally survived by cousins and an aunt in Victoria, British Columbia; Los Angeles California; Lunenburg, Nova Scotia; Amersfoort, Netherlands; Paris, France; and Hamburg, Germany.

Mike was born on November 22, 1958 in Hamburg, Germany. He arrived in Canada with his mother on a freighter, landing in Trois Rivière, Quebec when he was 11 months old. He grew up in Mississauga, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Toronto. After a brief period of work experience, he returned to school to get his master’s degree in computer science from the University of Waterloo. He worked for Bell-Northern Research and Nortel in Ottawa for 25 years and was one of their first remote employees when he and Cathy moved from Ottawa to Halifax in 1995. His experience as a remote employee made him an obvious choice for a one-year posting with a Nortel remote office in Beijing, China.

He joined Pason Systems first as a subcontractor in Nova Scotia in 2010, and then, after a move to Calgary in 2016, as a full employee of the main office. He thoroughly enjoyed not only the work and the people, but the multiple activities supported by the company. He was active in lunchtime ball hockey, basketball, ice hockey, and charity activities, among many other pursuits.

When he wasn’t working, Mike played on hockey teams in the winter as well as being an enthusiastic supporter of a couple of minor hockey teams. He played golf frequently, and also loved Calgary’s proximity to the mountains for hiking and camping.

Partly because his family is spread around the globe, but also because he just enjoyed it, he and Cathy travelled frequently within Canada and the US as well as to far-flung destinations in Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and South America. Along with seeing new places and attending F1 races, visiting family and friends was the highlight of any trip.

Many thanks to Mike Morgan, Claude Moskaluk, Linda, Lauren, Faye and Emily for their time, care and support through the final weeks. Also many thanks to the doctors, nurses, specialists and therapists at the Arthur Child Cancer Centre in Calgary for their excellent care. Memorial donations can be made to the Arthur Child Cancer Centre, or to the Canadian Cancer Society.