April 11, 1981 – June 10, 2023
Daniel Krenz lost his life on June 11, 2023, while visiting Egypt at the coastal city of Dahab. He loved snorkelling – to him, sea life was a source of such beauty, abundance, and transformation.
Daniel was predeceased by his older brother Serge Krenz in 2007, at age 27; grandmothers Anna Krenz and Ewdochia; and grandfather Daniel Humeniuk. Daniel will be dearly missed and forever remembered by his mother Joyce and father Victor. Both sons are now gone forever. He will also be missed by his cousins, Greg Krenz, Terry and his wife Brenda Krenz.
Daniel was born in Winnipeg on April 11, 1981, and received his initial schooling in Winnipeg’s Charleswood area at Royal School, Charleswood Junior High, (where he was elected as school president) and graduated from Oak Park High School in 1999 achieving a 90% average in senior year (emphasis on all science and math). Danny was extremely intelligent and hardworking; striving to do his best at all times. At the University of Manitoba, in 2006, he obtained a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (B.Sc.) Mechanical & Manufacturing – Aerospace option. In 2009, he obtained a Master of Science in Engineering (M.Sc.) Mechanical & Manufacturing – Aerospace Material Science and had a publication called “Laser Beam Joined Inconel 718 Superalloy with a Filler Wire” which was accepted in 2009. In 2004, during the summer months, he served as Optics Lab Project Researcher for the Max-Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg, Germany and 3 years later in 2007 worked as High Strength Steel Researcher at ThyssenKrupp Steel in Duisburg, Germany. Returning to Winnipeg, he worked as a Research Assistant at the U of M. Later in 2016-2018, he served 3 terms as Adjunct Professor at the highly respected ESB Business School at Reutlingen University in Reutlingen, Germany.
In 2008 he was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis which he realized could hamper his goals. He persisted with this affliction, having his left hip replaced in 2021 and was already preparing for his second hip replacement later in 2023.
He loved to travel. He managed to visit not only 7 or 8 countries in Europe but also travelled to the Far East where he spent some time in Yangshuo, China being an English teacher, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia. In South America, he was enamoured with Colombia where he considered moving to retire. He travelled to Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Paraguay. Six more countries in Central America along with Cuba were added to his list. In his pre-travel days, while growing up in Winnipeg’s Charleswood area, he took active participation in Tai Chi, Kung Fu, and Wushu competitions and later began to be a Martial Arts Instructor in Trier, Germany. Among the most memorable trips that he took was with his late brother Serge in 2001 and 2002 where they spent time visiting Morocco, Germany and Thailand gaining further insight into our Global Community.
Danny met many people on his travels. In Germany, he bonded with a special family – his “heart brother”, Chris Wegehaupt along with his wife Sandy and daughter Nele whom he held in high regard and who became a part of our family as well.
We as parents, are grateful to have had him for the past 42 years. The complexity and unexpectedness of life leave us shrouded in sorrow for what might have been. We shape our dreams and hopes but, in the end, must be grateful for what we had; “all the rest is silence”. The loss of our two sons is a final blow.
Cremation has taken place and a memorial service to Honour his Life will be on Thursday, August 24 and will start at 7:00 pm at Assiniboine Park’s Qualico Family Centre. Doors open at 6:30 pm.
Friends are invited to sign Danny’s online book of condolences below to leave condolences, photos and share memories.
14 thoughts on “Daniel Krenz”
Danny was an incredible person with such a thirst for adventure. He would sweep into town and he and my husband, Tim, would pick up like they just saw each other yesterday. I always looked forward to catching up with Dan. Gone way too soon, he will be missed.
I met Dan in the seventh grade and he rapidly became a great friend. I’ll always appreciate Dan’s massive thirst for adventure, courage to take different roads in life and all of the laughter we shared. Danny you certainly touched many lives around you.
I met Daniel when he visited Colombia, such a great energy and charisma, a tender and soft guy, super interesting conversations and stories we shared. Not a super close friend but close enough to be today in tears knowing he is not with us anymore. No matter the pass of time, he always sent a message from anywhere in the world with the same love as the first time we met,
I will always treasure this.
Gonna miss you…
Jiayou…… we will train again when see each other 💪🏼
Wushu brothers always
I met Dan several times. Each time he spoke with me, he treated me with an attentiveness and respect that took me aback. He did not do small talk. He (we) would talk deeply about things that mattered to both of us. Truly a unique human being. I am shocked and saddened by his passing.
I will miss running into Daniel’s smiling face and his upbeat attitude in our usual haunts in Winnipeg. He was always concerned about what was doing and how I was doing. He always left me in a better mood after talking with him.
Danny was like a son to me. He was over pretty much every single day, hanging out with my son Jason.
I was so proud of these two boys when the ran for President and Vice President and won the election.
These two had their challenges with teachers, other parents, and even students judging them on their appearance. (They both had “different” hair)
Danny was always appreciative of our hospitality and I had a chance to sit down with Danny as an adult, at Jason’s wedding.
We spent a lot of time talking. He shared with me what he was doing, and he thanked me relentlessly for inviting him into our home. He spent many Christmas’s with us. He was a part of our family.
Every time I saw Danny at Jason’s place for one of his kids birthday party, he’d always spend a lot of time with me.
He was a brother to my daughter Jasmine.
He watched out for her when she entered high school with a lot of fear. Danny managed to make her transition to another school a lot easier.
I’m deeply saddened that Danny has passed.
He has left a huge impact on my heart, as well as so many other hearts.
He was a great human being, and I loved him.
Danny’s twinkling eyes and welcoming smile are sweet memories of my junior high and high school days at Charleswood and Oak Park. I remember his unique way of seeing the world and teasing nature,, guided by a kind heart.
I wish I had learned about his amazing travels and where his adventurous spirit took him another way. He clearly soaked up experiences and travelled outside his own experience to connect with others and see the world. Within the sadness, I feel such an admiration and am glad he lead such a lionhearted life. Although, undoubtedly, too short. He deserved more time and many more escapades.
My heart goes out to his family for this incredible loss and the earlier loss of Serge. In reading both write ups, I am struck by the thoughtfulness, intelligence and brave sons they raised.
My deepest and heartfelt sympathies.
I would wake up early everyday so I could listen to Dan practicing the guitar back in our junior high…he didn’t know about this until much later. Although our connection was forged when we were young, the impact of knowing him never faded. Throughout my life, I was fortunate enough to have moments of reconnection with him, and these moments remain etched in my heart as cherished memories.
Dan’s influence on my life was and is evident. He taught me valuable lessons about authenticity and being true to myself. Dan’s legacy lives on in strength and authenticity. I will carry the enduring impact of his friendship and wisdom with me always.
Dan had an outsized presence and charm that made him stand out in any crowd, and this is not simply hyperbole. For Dan, it’s simple truth. He also lived a fuller life than most people do in one hundred years. I keep telling myself that over and over again because it feels completely wrong that he is gone so early and yet, he did. He lived more fully than most of us do. He did more. He tried more. He was bold and brave and beautiful, and I admit I envied that spirit sometimes because I have never been like that. I’m sure many of us wanted to be more like Dan.
I met Dan through Colin when they started doing Wushu, so almost twenty years ago. He was a steady part of our lives ever since, always a familiar presence through his connection to Colin, Dirk, Matt, and so many others. He would pop in and light up the room with a grin, and then disappear again. But you always knew he was doing something fascinating, interesting, important–somewhere in the world.
Which is why when I finally had kids of my own, I looked forward to them some day meeting “Colin’s best friend Dan.” Because it’s good to have a wild, dynamic, vital soul in your lives. They are so rare, after all. The kind of person who takes on risks and challenges that most of us mortals shy away from. The kind of person who might inspire a kid to say, climb Mount Everest one day. Or as someone at the memorial yesterday mentioned, to sneak into a temple and sleep there overnight. Brazen, daring, and unorthodox, yes. But sometimes it’s good to do a few wild things that make you feel truly alive. I think for Dan though, that was just his every day life.
As a mom with two little boys, I cannot imagine the grief Dan’s parents are feeling right now. There is the grief friends feel, which I saw last night. It’s harsh and hard and painful. But a parents’ grief must go even beyond the deepest love of friends. Because you have cared for him from the time he was born and you watched him grow. You know all of his iterations–from toddling baby to small boy to awkward teenager to this last version. The charming, intelligent, kind man who we were left with. You should never have had to lose him so early. I am truly sorry for your loss. You deserved much more time. You deserved to see him do many more brilliant things in many more amazing places. You deserved this with both of your children. I try to imagine what I would be feeling as a parent, and I hope that at least in part, you still feel proud. You raised a creative, incredible soul who was not afraid to look the world in the face or to explore every facet of it. You raised someone who set the bar high for the rest of us, to really appreciate our lives and to question if we are living them as fully as Dan did. I know I will be asking myself that more frequently from now on. Please accept our condolences. We are truly sorry and we will remember your son.
My partner Ana and I met Daniel while he was traveling in Georgia, in the Caucasus.
We met him by chance, he was at a restaurant in the mountains and I thought he was a Georgian monk….. only to discover he was from a five minute walk from my mother’s childhood home in Winnipeg.
Daniel was supposed to leave the day we met him, but Ana and I convinced him to stay a night in the mountains, and then visit a night in T’Bilisi. What a delightful delightful few days.
Our condolences to his parents, who he spoke of with so much love. It was lovely to have your sons path cross with ours.
Love you Den <3 You'll be in my heart forever
I love you Dan. On thos particular day, I send Love amd Light to your parents. I know you and Serge are together. I’m serious when I say that. Condolences. I loved your boys alot. ❤️
Me and my family had the chance to meet Daniel in Medellín, Colombia back in September of 2016 and he instantly became part of our familiy. When we opened our first listing on airbnb, he was the first guest to book our place. The day he arrived we were a litlle anxiuous because it was the first time having guests and my English skills weren’t as good. He showed up wearing the coolest attire (long and black cape, dark skinny pants and slippers). It was suprising for us at first because is not the usual clothing you see in the streets of Medellín. Since that moment we knew we just met a one of kind human being. He would spend hours telling me his fascinating journeys and stories which inspired me to travel and see the world too and he was also curious to learn more from us and culture.
As someone said in other comments, he was just a wild, charming, dynamic and vital soul. At the end of his stay he gave me a little bottle with sand taken from the desert of Black Rock, Nevada where Burning Man is held with the words “Go when you are ready” written on one side. I still keep it like a treasure since then.
He came back several times to Medellin and he always choose our place as homebase. It was very exciting to hear from his new adventures. One time he brought both his parents Joyce and Victor and it was a pleasure having them with us. They are an amazing family that created a bond that has lasted many years. Even with distance and time without being in touch there is a feeling they are alway present in our lives and once in a while Daniel would appear suddenly on my texts or videocalls to catch up and talk about life.
Daniel definetly left an impact on my life. He taught me about strength, being true to yourself, kindness, enjoy life and a lot more. He became like my canadian brother.
It came as shock for me finding out now but me and my family are sending our condolences to his parents which we still remember fondly and please know that you will always have your Colombian friends/family here. Lots of love from Medellín ❤️