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Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 118:1
Loretta Marie Dykema (nee Carney) was ushered into heaven unexpectedly but peacefully at St. Luke’s Place on Friday, September 26, 2025, in her 92nd year. Much loved wife of Gerald Dykema for over 60 years. Cherished sister-in-law of Hilda Hood. Loving mother of David Dykema (Roswitha), Esther Pantea (Valentin), and Ruth Engler (Erich). Proud Oma of Katherine and Nathaniel Dykema; Sophia, Juliana, Stefan, and Jordan Pantea; and Daniel, Sarah, and Isaac Engler. Beloved aunt to Joe and Wendy Kuttler, Paul (Judy) Hood, and Mark (Sherie) Hood, Linda Mack, Karen Gaddey, and Gary Fairall. Predeceased by her siblings and their spouses Thomas (Virginia) Carney, Lucille (Edward) Fairall, Eleanor (William) Kuttler, and Joseph L. Carney, Jr. (KIA 1944, 505 PIR, 82nd Airborne); brother-in-law Samuel J. Hood; four nieces; and one nephew.
Born in Davenport, Iowa, on May 4, 1934, to Joseph and Gladys Carney, Loretta was an alumnus of Moody Bible Institute and Goshen College. Obeying God’s call to overseas mission work, Loretta attended orientation with Overseas Missionary Fellowship (now OMF International) in Philadelphia. While there, she met a dashing Dutch-born, Canadian minister, Rev. Gerald Dykema of Galt, Ontario. After a transatlantic courtship on the SS Oriana in 1963, they were married in Singapore on March 20, 1965. Over the next 40 years, Loretta and Gerald served with OMF in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Canada.
Loretta and Gerald settled in Cambridge, Ontario, in 1989 and retired from OMF in 2005. In 2020, they moved to Fairview Mennonite Home. Due to declining health, Loretta moved to St. Luke’s Place in September 2024.
Loretta loved the Lord with all of her heart and soul, was a prayer warrior, and shared the gospel through daily testimony. Her confidence was in God. She loved her husband and family and prayed for her children and grandchildren.
The family expresses sincere appreciation for the many personal support workers, doctors, nurses, and community health workers who have cared for Loretta over the years in the community and at Cambridge Memorial Hospital, Fairview Mennonite Home, and St. Luke’s Place.
Family and Friends will be received for Visitation on Friday, October 3, 2025 from 10-11 a.m. at Forward Church, 55 Franklin Blvd, Cambridge. Funeral Service to be held at 11 a.m. followed by reception at the Church. Interment to follow at Mount View Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations to OMF International would be appreciated by the family.
To view the Service Livestream, click the link below;
www.youtube.com/@forwardeventslive
Friday September 26th 2025
Death notice for the town of: Cambridge, Province: Ontario
death notice Loretta Marie Dykema Carney Friday September 26th 2025
obituaries notice Loretta Marie Dykema Carney Friday September 26th 2025
We offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Loretta Marie Dykema Carney Friday September 26th 2025 and hope that their memory may be a source of comfort during this difficult time. Your thoughts and kind words are greatly appreciated.