Nils Haupt, a long standing friend of Günter Mosler who passed away a few weeks ago, wrote this moving personal obituary for GüMo which we publish here today.
Dear family, dear friends and guests
GüMo would have been incredibly happy to see all his friends, his former colleagues and his family here - with a mandatory hat. Today we take our hat off to him for the last time, in front of our
colleague, our friend - the journalist and human being Guenter Mosler.
Whatever he did, he did so with all his heart and passion. He loved aviation and everything connected with it. Traveling, foreign cultures, meeting new people, the fascination of technology and
speed, and the logistics industry as the engine of the global economy. This was his world. In particular, Günter was an almost idealistic journalist - with a good dose of almost childlike
curiosity, with an infinite openness to his counterpart, whoever it was, with vast experience from his early life as a logistician.
I remember that every day on his balcony in Frankfurt-Sachsenhausen he raised another flag - and if you asked him about explanations, he was surprised that you did not know that today is the
Mexican National Day, the Independence Day or the Chinese New Year, for instance.
GüMo was a cosmopolitan - and in his heart he remained a life-long Latino - full of pride, full of elegance and with an overdose of zest for life. If he had the opportunity to speak Spanish and
looking back to his time in Latin America, then his eyes shone, then came all the memories from his stay in Maracaibo, Caracas or Montevideo. Then he became emotional, he dove right into the
past, tabling many stories and anecdotes. In 2013, he paid me a visit in New York where I was working for Lufthansa then. I think it was his last intercontinental trip, and he was ecstatic. We
spent an evening in a restaurant and when we talked on the phone the next day and talked about his plans for that day, he had already arranged for a coffee - with a lady, whom he had met the
evening before at the hotel bar. This was also GüMo: he loved to surround himself with people - or just to meet people he knew again and again.
He was a pioneer in the airfreight industry. It was at a time when flying was still exotic and the industry reasonably well-organized and downright familiar. It was his greatest passion, but it
got even better for him when he engaged in journalism, writing about this thrilling period. Night after night he sat by his manuscript and his pride was boundless when his cargo book laid printed
in front of him. And it was really exciting to read what Günter had experienced in this thriving and demanding business.
Another highlight in recent years has been when he started writing for Flying Typers in New York. In his role as their European Correspondent, he was once again able to devote himself to all the
topics that interested him - and his many columns and articles were read thousands of times around the world by the publication’s subscribers. The harder it hit him when the collaboration ended
abruptly. For him incomprehensible and offending - and for many of us too.
GüMo was loyal - in his contact, in his cordiality and affection, he was - even in old age - a gentleman, a gentleman full of elegance and style. Silk scarf and tie, suit with handkerchief - and
the inevitable hat. So GüMo always caused a stir on the outside and that's what he liked and enjoyed. With great joy and emotion he spoke of his family, his beloved grandchildren. Family reunions
were highlights for him - and it's so nice for all of us to know, dear Mosler family members, that he could die comforted and beloved in your midst.
GüMo is dead and with him an era comes to an end. We thank him for his vividness, generosity, and friendship. When we came here we drew our hats in respect. Now we should put them on again as
last gesture of dignity and respect and as a sign of our everlasting friendship.
Nils Haupt
Senior Director Corporate Communications at Hapag-Lloyd AG
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