Obituary for Peter Peters
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Obituary of Peter Peters
I, PETER PETERS , was born on Dec. 7 / 1931. My parents were Jacob D. and Margareta
[ Friesen ] Peters . My birth occurred on the Sam Smith farm , some eight miles north and east of the
town of Killarney. I was the third of eight children .
Already in 1933, my parents with their three children, moved to the Archie Currie farm,
which was situated ten miles south and four miles west of Killarney. For my parents those were very
difficult years. My father experienced fairly serious heart related health issues; the years of the
depression were challenging; and providing for a growing family was not easy. The basic family needs of
shelter, food and clothing were provided and this only with very hard work, with prayer and with a living
faith in The One, Who saw our parents and our family through .
After ten very demanding and difficult years, our parents were able to move to the David
Sproule farm, situated two miles down the road to the north – east. By this time, the economic
circumstances were beginning to become more promising, the family was growing up and able to help
with chores and farm work, and the many needs of the family were becoming somewhat less
demanding.
We were a happy family! As children, we were not really able to comprehend the poverty
level at which we had lived. We had always had enough – so we thought. We all benefited much from our
parents loving and from their ongoing sacrificial care for all of us. As children we attended the local, rural
Victoria Lake school. A school that had a somewhat notorious reputation. I have often remembered and
reflected on the many and various experiences at this school, which I attended for nine years. For us, a
somewhat conservative Mennonite family, the unsheltered setting of the school and its ongoing history,
became in a real sense, the setting for growing up in a real world.
Although my parents wanted a high school education for all of us, I was the first one for
whom this privilege became a reality. I was able to attend The Mennonite Collegiate Institute in Gretna,
Manitoba for the last two years of my high school education. I always appreciated the sacrifices my
parents made for me to attend this school. Those two years very certainly affirmed the direction of my
life; even equipped me considerably with the desire to live for and to serve Jesus. Paul J. Schaefer, our
principal and teacher, had a most positive influence on my life .He became one of my numerous mentors
on whom I could rely for support and guidance .
One year of teachers training at The Provincial Normal School in Winnipeg, and one year of
teaching in a rural school, were certainly very positive detours in my life’s pilgrimage. Those two years
became a significant part of my nurture and training, and affirmed within myself the goals which I
needed to strive for in my life. I never regretted those two meaningful and helpful and formative years.
A significant dimension of my life related to fellowship, community, faith activities,
marriage and family. I loved people. I loved, and was interested in and cared for many people. I was still
relatively young when I became quite impatient about finding that person whom I wanted to love, with
whom I wanted to live and work and dream together. Although I did play the field for several years, I did
come back to my home community to pursue that search quite seriously. I had known Helen Neufeld
since we were both young children. In December of 1952 and in February of 1953 we really met each
other in a special way. And our relationship seemed to jell well.
On June 19 /1954 our marital journey began. And what a journey that turned out to be.
What a wonderful gift from God! What unity, joy and love Helen and I were given to experience. Our
marriage gave me a much better understanding of heaven. We were passionately in love, a love which
blessed our lives for more than four decades. Helen was the most precious person I had ever known. She
was a loving support and mate! She became an exemplary mother! She was a most trustworthy friend
and a wonderful companion!
It was quite early in my life [ in my later teens ] that I clearly felt a Divine tug on my life. Not
only did Jesus invite me through His Spirit to yield my life to Him; He also challenged me to take on
various services of ministry for the Kingdom. It was by the Grace of God alone that He gave me exposure
to a series of ministries and opportunities. And I tried as best I could to honour Him as I served in various
capacities.
Helen and I pursued two vocational interests. For twenty five years we farmed. And we
were grateful indeed how God had prospered and satisfied us. Following that time period, we became
involved with business. We were part owners and I was the manager of a farm fertilizer and chemical
retail outlet. This enterprise continued for some thirteen years, at which time the facility was sold. We
then opened up an interesting 4500 square foot gift store, which gave us great joy and much satisfaction.
Yes, it became my privilege, albeit sometimes my burden, to serve in various capacities in a
variety of organizations and ministries. During the busiest twenty five years of my life, 1960 to 1985, I
served on ten various boards or committees concurrently with average of nine years on each. I was
privileged to work in these capacities with many people from various walks of life. Even in retrospect, I
trust that my time and energies were well invested. Those were quite demanding, yet very good years.
Helen faithfully carried a huge part of the family responsibilities during my many days or evenings or
nights either away from home or on the road.
By nature, I was always somewhat hyper. Life was too slow for me unless it was intense.
And sometimes I felt that the speed at which I was living, gave me at least ten years of living for every
five years on the calendar. I was still a fairly young person, when in my late forties, I considered that the
cup of my life was full enough! I felt I had lived to capacity for a fairly long time. My desire to proceed to
my eternal home came upon me, and has stayed with me for a long time since then. However, since
those initial years, God has seen fit to reveal many very unusual experiences and lessons to me; and
although the cup of my life was so very full, I still enjoyed and benefited so much from the many
gracious acts of God in my life – and this with every passing year thereafter.
It was in my early fifties that the Good Lord saw fit to give to Helen and myself a new and a
very fresh breath of His life and Spirit. Although this was a most private and holy experience, and has
hardly been spoken about, yet i shall remember and be eternally grateful for the way in which God did
visit us, and how He walked with us especially in the years from 1984 and on.
Next to my personal faith in Jesus, and next to my lover and mate, my family was
everything to me. Because I was on the road, or in the field, or at the church, or at a board meeting or
tending to business, the burden of raising our children fell on Helen’s shoulders. In spite of my frequent
absences, I did love my children and I was proud of them. I was proud of them even when on occasion
the reason for my pride could not be seen or comprehended by the casual or careless observer. I always
did believe firmly that the Lord would reach out and touch each one of my loved ones with His healing
and with His redemptive Touch. And God has seen fit to doing that.
The four children, and the four spouses they have brought into the family, were always
appreciated and loved. You my children were precious to me even when the pain and the anxiety of
many long nights and anxious days kept your mother and myself on our knees. What a worthy cause and
what a wonderful end result to our and your efforts.
BRIEF TRIBUTE TO HELEN
October 28 / 1996 marked a very significant bend in the road in my personal life. After a
very strenuous three and a half year struggle with cancer, Helen, my most BELOVED succumbed to this
terrible disease.
For well over forty two years she had been my very best FRIEND! My constant COMPANION!
My Helpmate! She was indeed my SOULMATE and my LOVER! Helen had been my ongoing support and
encouragement! And when others could not or would not understand, she did understand. I feel I have
been the most privileged of men, to have had her, to have known her, to have held her, to have been
loved by her. Helen’s death was nothing short of a stunning blow to me, and her loss far beyond measure
or calculation ! HELEN, I will always, always miss you ! And will always love you and the memory of you!
Were it not for the Grace of God, and were it not for my faith in the promise and hope for eternity, and
were it not for my personal commitment to Jesus Christ, I would have been hard pressed to continue on!
During Helen’s three to four year illness and during the twelve years prior to that, we had
become quite familiar with misfortune, pain, loss and loneliness. It was during these very difficult years
that we learned to depend on the Grace, the Mercy, the Love and the REALITY of our Lord. We often had
needed to drink deeply from the springs of the eternal and divine resources without which we may have
fallen. To God be the Glory for His staying power, for His sustenance, for His capacity to deliver, to protect
and to keep !
It was during these last eleven to twelve years of Helen’s life that we faced numerous
hurdles, some of which were so to speak insurmountable. It was in those experiences that we
consciously chose not to become victims, but rather victors in the furnace of life. The enemy, including
the cancer, had not defeated us! The pain and the parting had not broken Helen’s spirit! Not even in the
face of the fleeting breath of life.
Helen and I raised four children. Four very precious lives they were! They had been
entrusted to us, to our care, to our nurture and to our steadfast love! We always saw the best in our
children! And we most always could envision the end result! And although there were difficult and
sometimes quite tumultuous experiences, yet the good times always outweighed the tough times.
Our four children, and their spouses and their children, have been an enormous source of
joy and encouragement to us, and to me! They have surrounded us, they have under girded us and they
have encouraged me since the loss of their mother, and their grandmother. How she would have loved to
meet her great grandchildren, and have baby blankets for each of them. I feel deeply grateful to my
family! How could we, how could I have been so very fortunate.
Love to you all, dad !
MY LIFE WITH FAITH
Faith and I were married on March 14/1998. At the time of my passing we had been
married for 20 years and 10 months. Our first meeting, at a week end seminar / retreat on the topic of
grieving, was certainly not a coincidence. We both came to believe that our friendship relationship
which developed and led to our marriage was orchestrated by God! We were happy together. We
believed that both of us had much to give to each other, by which our lives and our marriage could be
and has been enriched.
Both Faith and I have had considerable firsthand experience with sickness in the family,
with pain and with loss. It was because of this common denominator that we developed and had an
understanding, not only for each other, but also for others. We both believed and experienced that God
was a God of new beginnings. We did enjoy a second spring season, as also a brief and hastening
summer time .We were able to share at least a part of the colourful fall season of life. God has been
good to us ! And as our lives increasingly meshed and intertwined, we both remembered and shared the
stories of our personal lives. We had need to share our stories and be intimately heard by each other.
I was very grateful to Faith for her love; for the way in which she has given so much of herself to
me, and for the way in which she cared and supported me. She was a companion when I experienced
certain slippage in matters of health. I have benefited much from her love, her kindness and her
understanding. The lessons learned from her pilgrimage, and the lessons learned from my pilgrimage,
enabled us to grow together in unusual ways. It is without a doubt that God had a plan and a purpose
for the coming together of our lives.
Faith, you are a very precious person! Faith, you have been a wonderful and caring friend ! You
have been a tender and loving companion! I trust that God will be gracious and generous with you and
with Arlen and Heather and family!
PREDECEASED AND SURVIVED BY ;
I was predeceased by my wife and soul mate, Helen
As also by my parents, Jacob D, and Margareta [ Friesen ] Peters
And by Helen’s parents, John A. and Helena [ Enns ] Neufeld
By Faith’s parents, Chester and Goldie [ Klassen ] Funk
Predeceased by My brother John Walter, my sister, Mary [ Peters ] Enns , my Brother- in – law,
John Enns
Predeceased by two nephews , Scott Goertzen and Wayne Hiebert .
Predeceased also by sister-in-law, Helen [ Sawatzky ] Neufeld
Predeceased also by brother in law Abe Neufeld
Predeceased by Hunter Peters – Great grandson
I am survived by my loving wife, Faith, her son and family , Arlen and Heather Wiebe and
Meredith.
Survived by my four children and their spouses and
families :
Gerald and Irene [ Thiessen ] Peters and their family
Candace and Calvin Martens, Tyler and Anita Martens, Megan, Calista,Elizabeth
Shaun and Mellisa, Willow, Sawyer
Jolene and Serge Jolliceour, Liam, Bentley, Hailey
Lawrence and Cathy [ Dyck ] Peters and their family
Sherri Lee [ Peters ] and Chet Yoder – Jayden, Kierra , Makias and Tagesa
Mike Peters and Katie Harrison
Corey and Olga Peters
Bob and Carolyn [ Harms ] Peters and their family
Amanda [ Peters ] and Kevin Mark – Silas, Elijah, Chloe, Cassia, Clement, Grace
Danielle [ Peters ] and Jeff Gillies – Hayden, Amara, Wyatt, Hannah and Maisie
Robin and Kristina Peters – Carter, Addilyn, Blakely
Dustin Peters
Brenda [Peters] and Murray Neufeld and their family
Kyle and Kara Neufeld – Jaxson and Emma
Tara [ Neufeld ] and Daniel Sokoloski – Elletyn and Ben
Survived also by the children of Mary [ Peters ] and John Enns
By brother Jake and Margaret [ Enns ] Peters and their family
By sister Anna [ Peters ] and Henry Dyck and their family
By sister Helen [ Peters ] and John Hiebert and their
family
By sister – in – law Linda [ Nickel / Peters ] and Rueben Willems and their families
By sister Kay [ Peters ] and Henry Goertzen and their family
Survived also by Helen’s brothers :
Frank and Wanda [ Neufeld ] Neufeld and their family
John and Rita [Sawatzky ] Neufeld and their family’
The family of brother Abe and wife Helen
Survived also by Faith’s siblings :
Gilmour and Hannah [ Fehr ] Funk
Phyllis [ Funk ] and Leroy Schmidt and their family
Janice [ Funk ] and Jeff Fast and their family
Cynthia [ Funk ] and Phil Willms and their family
Survived also by very many friends and relatives who have been with me on the road.
CHURCH AFFILIATION
From May of 1950 to end of December 1990 I was a member of the Whitewater Mennonite
Church. The first twenty of these years were spent with the Lena area congregation and the last twenty
years with the Boissevain congregation. I did enjoy and cherished the many experiences and memories of
those years. I did appreciate the active involvement with that church, especially from 1965 until 1990.
In the year 2005 , it appeared that I had found a church home with the body of believers at
the River East Mennonite Brethern church on McLeod Avenue, in Winnipeg. Very early on in this time,
I learned to appreciate the » spiritual chemistry » of that congregation. I appreciated the wide open
hearts and arms which included me; I was glad and very grateful that this congregation gave me a
place at » their table « . I became a member of this church in November of2005 .
To this congregation, especially to the very gifted ministerial and pastoral women and men, I
became and remained indebted. Dear congregation, you had my love, my respect, my gratitude and
my prayers.
FAREWELL! FAREWELL! FAREWELL !
I got to » living my exit » 21/ 01/ 2019 .
I have reached my destination!
I did enjoy » the last of life for which the First was made » !
If I could, even as you are all gathered here. I would want to thank each person. whose life has touched my life
with beauty, with meaning and with purpose!
I had hoped that a part of me would live on in the lives of those whom I loved so much!
The experiences of my life created within me a fairly deep well with clear and cold, fresh water. I realized
that I was the only one who had access to the pump handle. I have ,as best as I was able, pumped and
shared the water with those who were on the road with me!
Farewell -Faith and farewell Arlen and Heather and family!
Farewell -Gerald and Irene and your precious family!
Farewell -Lawrence and Cathy and your wonderful family!
Farewell -Bob and Carolyn and your very interesting family!
Farewell -Brenda and Murray and your privileged family!
FARE YE WELL, all of you my relatives and friends! FAREWELL!
Ich war schon ganz muede ,
Ich ging ein zur Ruh !
Ich schlosz meine mueden Augen zu , und betete und bat: Mein Lieber Vater, lasz
das Auge Dein , Ueber all’ meinen Kindern sein !
[ Loose translation ]
I was quite tired ,
I went to my Rest.
I had closed my tired eyes and prayed, and asked ;
My dear Father, Now with your eyes, watch over all of my children !
Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Peter Peters December 7 1931 –
January 21 2019..
Décès pour la Ville: Winnipeg, Province: Manitoba