Dr. Alfred Alexander Guenkel

On June 19, 2022 Dr. Alfred Alexander Guenkel passed away peacefully at Cottage Hospice in Vancouver, BC at the age of 79 after a brief battle with lung cancer.

Alfred was born in Aachen Germany on April 11, 1943 to Ernst and Kathe Günkel where he grew up with his sister Elke, and many aunts and uncles. He especially loved his Oma (grandmother) who supported his education. In his youth, he enjoyed white water kayaking, working with his hands and spending time outdoors.

After studying at Aachen Technical University, Alfred arrived in Montreal in 1967. He attended McGill University, supported by a McConnell Memorial Fellowship, and earned his PhD in Chemical Engineering in 1973. He is forever grateful to McGill for the financial assistance he received. It was also in Montreal that he met his wife Shizuko whom he shared a lifetime of love and adventure. After graduation, his first job was with Proctor & Gamble in Bruxelles, Belgium. But he missed Canada and returned to Montreal a few years later working with leading chemical company, Canadian Industries Limited (CIL), followed by a transfer to their Vancouver subsidiary company in 1978.

Education and learning were always core values to Alfred. He taught at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia from 1983 to 1989. Later, as adjunct professor at UBC, he mentored, taught and supported many young engineers.

Alfred joined NORAM Engineering as a partner in 1989 when the company was a small start-up. Since then, NORAM has emerged as one of the world’s preeminent nitration and sulphuric acid process companies. His particular area of focus was in mononitrobenzene (MNB), a key intermediate used in making polyurethane. He was the inventor of numerous patented processes and was extremely proud that over 65% of the world’s annual MNB output is produced in plants designed in Canada by NORAM. Despite the effects of Parkinson's in his last ten years, he continued working full time, interacting with the younger engineers, conducting experiments at the lab and visiting his clients and chemical plants around the world.

He was inducted into the Canadian Academy of Engineering in 2002, awarded the APEGBC Meritorious Achievement Award in 2013 and the UBC Faculty of Applied Science Dean’s Medal of Distinction in 2021.

Not only was Alfred an eminent chemical engineer, he was a loving husband, father and grandfather. Alfred is survived by his wife of 51 years Shizuko, his sister Elke Schwartz of Aachen Germany, his daughter Julie and daughter-in-law Bianca Garbutt of Vancouver, his son Patrick and his two grandchildren Ronan and Sebastian of Paris France.

There will be a small family service and scattering of ashes at sea. A celebration of life event will be planned for later this year. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Cottage Hospice (the Bloom Group), Parkinson’s Society of BC, BC Cancer Society, or UBC Faculty of Applied Science.

We miss you Alfred, and will always hold you in our hearts.

From your loving family forever.