He was a passionate watchmaker: Wolfgang Bornemann.
He didn't give up his business on Spiegelgasse in Erding until he was 80.
Now he's died.
An obituary.
Erding / Niedergeislbach -
Wolfgang Bornemann kept the clocks in Erding running for decades.
Now the life of the popular watchmaker has come to an end.
He passed away last Saturday at the age of 83.
Only three years ago Bornemann had given up his business with “watches - jewelry - trophies” on Spiegelgasse after 44 years and went into well-deserved retirement at the age of 80.
Bornemann from Herford (Westphalia) came to the Erdinger air base during his military service and then found a job in the watch and jewelry store Widmann.
After seven years he realized his desire for independence.
The master watchmaker soon made a name for himself.
Up to five employees were employed in his workshop to manage the necessary cleaning of the mechanical watches.
Only the advance of quartz watches and increasing competition via the Internet brought changes to Bornemann's business.
As a second mainstay, Bornemann had relied on jewelry from the start and among other things offered wedding rings, necklaces and rings, always combined with expert advice.
He loved his job because of the variety between repairs in the workshop, talks with customers and trading.
Bornemann was proud that his most important tools, namely his eyes and hands, were still in perfect service even at an advanced age, as he emphasized when he left his business.
He only wanted to keep a small set of tools from his shop and explained: "I'll only use it to repair the batteries in my own watches."
Freed from business operations, Bornemann was looking forward to retirement at the side of his wife Annemarie, with whom he was married for 38 years.
The couple was active in the Taufkirchen riding club and had two horses of their own.
The passionate rider used to play even smaller tournaments, later he did not ride on horseback because of the risk of falling.
Annemarie Bornemann also looks back on the wonderful time together.
“Back then we were able to fulfill our dream of having our own farm with horses, dogs and cats,” she says.
Bornemann's son Rainer, who inherited the watchmaker's gene from his father, and the two stepchildren with grandchildren and great-grandchildren were always welcome here.
Bornemann's wish to “stay healthy as long as possible” when giving up his business did not come true.
Health problems made life more and more difficult for him, and the beloved walks with the dog lady Wally were no longer possible.
His family, friends and former customers mourn the loss of Wolfgang Bornemann, who certainly still have one or the other watch from the traditional store in use.
The urn interment will take place in the immediate family.
GERDA GEBEL
