BACHMANN, Jan

2017-07-10

1943-2017 Jan van Zyl Bachmann (age 74) died on July 10, in South Shore Regional Hospital, Bridgewater. He was the son of the late Dr. Fritz Bachmann and Charlotte Bachmann. The family immigrated to Canada from South Africa; Jan became a Canadian citizen in 1962. Jan and his wife Valentine (nee Wood) were married for 41 years and brought up a family of three boys, John, Sam, and Roger Bachmann. Jan is also survived by his wife Valentine, a step-daughter Dr. Bobbie Ross and step-sons, Fred and Andrew Stanford. Jan was educated at King Edwards School in Johannesburg, SA. He earned his B.Sc at Dalhousie in Math and Computer Science, with post-grad work at MIT. He worked at various positions that interested him, including teaching electronics in Germany, commercial photography and photo-illustration, metal work, a radio-technician on cable ships; plus he owned a Renault Dealership and Service Station in Dartmouth. He turned down computer data positions in USA because his mother was very ill in Halifax. Instead, he acquired teacher certification and taught High School Math and Chemistry, as Math Dept. Head, at Musquodoboit Rural High School. When his mother died, Jan moved to Kings-Edgehill School in Windsor, as a House Master and Math Dept. Head. True to his mother’s family background in sheep ranching in South Africa, he and Valentine started up a small sheep farm in Kennetcook NS for a few years. When micro-computers came on the business scene, Jan developed Inventory Control and Point of Sale software for small businesses in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Then he taught Business Computer Programming at NSIT (now NSCC) in Halifax for approximately 12 years. He moved to Toronto to design software at Dyad Systems for the Toronto School Board. Next he moved to Minnesota to develop On Line Computer Systems for the United Health Care Network. Due to health problems he returned to Nova Scotia in 2003, retiring to the South Shore. He will be sadly missed and remembered by his family, his friends and many students, and by those with whom he worked. He was an interesting man and was always interested in life’s possibilities. Memorial Donations may be made to SHAID Animal Shelter. On-line condolences may be made by visiting www.corkumfuneralhome.ca



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