East Germany and the Escape
Kitchen Table Memoirs
by Doris Kienitz

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The true story of Alfred Kienitz set in East Germany – before, during and after WW2 – tells of many hardships suffered during those times. Raised with six brothers and sisters, Alfred was part of a family that worked hard to survive. His parents despised Hitler and all that he stood for. They were the first family to have a tractor in their village – only to be at the mercy of the mayor, who sometimes would loan out the Kienitz farm equipment without permission. With his three older brothers off to war it was up to Alfred, while still a young teen, to fill their shoes on the farmstead. Once married, he had no choice but to play the role of ‘police helper’ for the authorities – while at the same time risking his life by secretly assisting family, friends and even strangers to escape the clutches of Communism. After he aided his parents and brother to escape into West Berlin, he and his wife, Margot, set their own plan in motion. The adventures of Alfred will have you laughing from his amazing escapades and sobbing with grief at the adversities he and his people encountered.

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Doris Kienitz lives with her husband John Sheppard on the outskirts of Selkirk, Ontario on a farm with their dogs and cats. Together, they have seven children: Michelle, Alex & Philipp; Melissa, Sarah, Amanda and Steven and 2 grandchildren, Kirby and Charlotte. She cherishes her whole family and all her amazing friends. Her love of writing developed as a teenager, writing songs and poems; she wrote for a local newspaper as a single mom in her thirties. In 2008 Doris quit her stressful fulltime position as a Rural Route Mail Carrier to teach more of her passion: Yoga. Teaching since 2003, she loves to share the benefits and appreciates the oneness of life. Doris believes everything happens for a reason. You learn one way or another from your mistakes. For every cause there is an effect, for every action, a reaction. So many circumstances led her parents to flee East Germany and then to the new country of Canada, to make a better life for themselves and their children and for generations to come. There are so many ‘what ifs’ in life and to think that ‘if’ her parents had taken a different path in many situations…life would have been so much different! “Thanks, Mom & Dad! From all of us! Love you lots!”

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Contributors

Author

Doris Kienitz

Editor

George Down

Photographer

Jerri Whiting

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