Obituary

Honorary member of the EFFS, Mr. Franz Knispel passed away, April 23rd, at the age of 82 years.

Franz Knispel was, if any, Mr. EFFS himself.

His devotion to the European Funeral Services on the organizational level dates very long back. He was a highly estimated General Secretary of the EBU, and during the period where the negotiations of the merger of the EBU and the AET he understood how to bring the two parties together.

Franz Knispel became the first Executive Director of the EFFS after the founding in December 1994, and he invested a lot of time and energy in setting up the Secretariat in Vienna. He worked in his own methodical and quiet way, and he never made a big deal of it. Even after he stepped down from this position he continued to assist his successor in the Secretarial function, and for many years the EFFS could benefit from his wise advice in difficult situations.

The EFFS has indeed benefited a lot from Franz Knispel’s professional skills, energy and know how, and this efforts will be appreciated in grateful remembrance.

Our thoughts go to Franz Knispel’s wife, Gerda. We hereby want to express our deepest sympathy, and send all our best wishes.

We have been informed that the funeral services will take place, Wednesday, May 13th  at 3 p.m. at Krematorium Simmering, Simmeringer Hauptstrasse 337, 1110 Wien (11th district).

On behalf of the EFFS

Birgit Baltzer