Jürgen Piehl
Jürgen Helmüt Piehl
March 30, 1934 – September 5, 2025
Early in the morning of Friday, September 5, 2025, Jürgen Piehl, loving husband, father of two and “Papa” to three grandchildren, passed away at the age of 91.
Jürgen was born on March 30, 1934, in Hamburg, Germany to Marguerite Karoline Elisabeth Gudehus and Hans Albert Wilhelm Piehl. Jürgen grew up with his older brother, Joachim, in the city of Hamburg, Germany. As a boy, he came of age during a dark chapter in his country’s history, with the rise of the Nazi regime bringing hardship and uncertainty to daily life. Jürgen and his family did not have it easy during these years, and Jürgen was frequently sent to various relatives for safety. After a bomb crashed through the roof of his building and landed in his bed (fortunately it did not detonate), the family was moved to a small village called Harmsdorf which was not too far from Hamburg. Jürgen was given the responsibility to look after a farmer’s rabbits, which was a job he remembered fondly.
Jürgen often spoke of his vivid memory of the day Allied troops entered his village in 1945, offering to give him a ride into town & marking Germany’s defeat and the end of the war. Jürgen was 11 years old at the time. Not too long after this, the family moved back to Hamburg.
In his teenage years, Jürgen took the German learning tract for a trade (instead of the university tract). He went to school to be a hairdresser and obtained his degree in 1952. After apprenticing for some time, he was on his own and worked in Sweden, Germany, Paris, and St. Moritz, Switzerland, where he said that he would often ski on his lunch breaks. As a young adult he worked on a European cruise ship as a hairdresser. This enabled him to travel and do the hair of famous people, even royalty.
In 1959 Jürgen’s life took a decisive turn. He met Mrs. Hancock of Hancock Park in Los Angeles who sponsored him to come to the United States. Jürgen jumped at this opportunity and moved to Los Angeles where he worked as a hairstylist in the old Farmer’s Market. It was there that he met his future wife, a beautiful and outgoing Southern belle from North Carolina who had recently moved to California and came in to get her hair done. After just a few months of dating, Ann and Jürgen were married on May 28th, 1966, in Monroe, North Carolina. Almost immediately after the wedding, Jürgen whisked his new bride, who had never been out of the country, back to Germany, where they lived with his mother in Hamburg for two years while he built, with his own hands, an attached apartment onto her small home. In 1968 the couple returned to Southern California, purchasing a home in Santa Monica in 1969, where they lived for 45 years. Their daughter, Nicole, was born in 1970, followed by their son, Chris, in 1973.
Jürgen’s life was marked by relentless hard work, craftsmanship, perseverance, and skill with his hands. He established his own salon, “Jürgen of Hamburg,” in the Crown Towers, a condominium complex in Westwood. He had his business there from 1970 until his move to Colorado in 2014. In his so-called “spare” time, he was a professional handyman whose abilities extended far beyond minor repairs. He could rewire a house, plumb a bathroom, frame walls, and finish carpentry with the German precision he prided himself on. One of his proudest projects was transforming the family’s detached garage by adding on a two story fully finished bedroom and bathroom for his son Chris, handling the electricity, plumbing, and framing entirely on his own – this was a 7-year project!
When Jürgen wasn’t working, his two great loves were deep sea fishing and skiing. From San Diego, he would head out on 24-hour boats in search of halibut, yellowfin and bluefin tuna, and albacore—often donating much of his catch to the Rescue Mission since his family wasn’t fond of fish. Jürgen had first learned to ski in Germany on long wooden skis, and he skied a pair of Rossi 210’s well into his eighties. One of his greatest joys each year was an annual trip to Steamboat to ski with Nicole, Chris, and granddaughters Addie and Greta.
In 2014, having finally retired, Jürgen and Ann sold their Santa Monica home and moved to Centennial, Colorado to be closer to their son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren. They quickly joined Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church in Greenwood Village, CO, where their son Chris is an Associate Pastor. Jürgen became a familiar presence at worship each Sunday with his wife and family. After a lifetime of labor, he embraced retirement with grace. He gladly lent his fix-it skills to help his son with home projects, and he developed a daily rhythm of long neighborhood walks, enjoying the Colorado sunshine and striking up conversations with neighbors.
Jürgen lost his dear wife, Ann, in April 2023 after a short battle with ovarian cancer. By this time, he had begun to experience mild dementia, but with the support of his son and family nearby, he continued for a time to live simply and contentedly on his own. As his dementia progressed, he moved first into assisted living at Someren Glen in Littleton, where he enjoyed the security and company of new friends, and then later into memory care at Sunrise at Orchard in Centennial. In the years following Ann’s passing, Jürgen endured profound loss and change, but through it all, he remained kind and content. He was patient and thankful, quick to smile, and unfailingly positive. His trademark German greetings (“Guten Morgen, meine Dame!”) and sunny disposition made him a favorite at church and among residence staff. He was simply a delight to be around.
Jürgen rallied from several health challenges in his final two years, including multiple strokes, and was determined to keep up his cherished daily walks. On September 4th he suffered a major cardiac event and was lovingly cared for by his son and daughter-in-law. Still alert enough to give and receive words of love, he told his family he loved them. The next morning, he passed peacefully into the arms of Jesus in the presence of his daughter Nicole, who had arrived just two hours earlier from Oregon.
Jürgen is survived by his daughter, Nicole (husband Jim), his son, Chris (wife Wendy), and granddaughters, Adeline, Margaret (Greta), and Clara Jane.