Browse the obituary of residing in the province of Ontario for funeral details
Peter Woelk Obituary
I, Peter Woelk, was born August 11, 1929 in Paulsheim , Molotschna, Russia. I was the third child of Heinrich and Liese Woelk (Unruh). In 1937 my father and my sister were taken by the Russians never to be seen again. In 1943, my mother, brother and I were forced to flee to Poland due to military unrest at home. It was there that our mother passed away in March of 43. After one year in Poland, we continued on to Germany and there, shortly after in the Evangelical Church I was baptized. My baptismal verse was 2 Timothy 2:19.
After eleven months we were again evading the Russians and fled to Holland. There we stayed until 1947 when we boarded the ship Volendam heading to Paraguay. Settling in Paraguay was hard but I had to say that we could once again sleep in peace and worship our God openly. In 1955, I left my brother in Paraguay, and set out for Buenos Aires Argentina. It was there that I met Natalie Heyde. We fell in love and were married May 7th, 1960. We were blessed with three sons in the next five years. Eventually, due to the unstable economy, we made the difficult decision to emigrate to Canada where we landed August 5,1967.
This ends the writings of Peter himself.
In Canada, Peters’ sponsors were Abe and Elizabeth Wiens from Tofield Alberta. Since they were farmers and Peter was not, the family stayed in St. Catharines. The first home was an apartment on Duke St.in downtown. Peter found work quickly pouring cement basements. This work was hard but shortly after he was employed with Janzen Plumbing and Heating where he worked for many years and made many lifelong friends. He also worked for Superior Plumbing and Heating for several years before retiring in 1995. It was a difficult transition because he loved what he did and so enjoyed the people he worked with.
The family home was purchased in 1968 where the family grew up and many wonderful decades were spent in that bungalow. In 1970 the in-laws came from Argentina and for 13 years they were all together again.
Peter served many years as usher and deacon. His love for serving in the church was very close to his heart, with a particular love for helping the seniors. Peter enjoyed being together with his friends drinking yerba mate’ or playing dominos. Always a fun time for him. He was also an enthusiastic hockey fan, especially if the Maple Leafs were playing.
There were numerous trips to Paraguay to visit his brother, Heinrich, and family as well as trips to Winnipeg, Alberta, BC, and Germany. Naturally camping was a must for many summers at Mikisew as the boys grew up. Family bbqs were also a happy time for him.
Unfortunately, with age came declining health and a time where he could no longer stay in his home. Tabor Manor became his new home where he was so lovingly and compassionately taken care of until March 31st when he passed from this world to be with his Lord.
Peter is survived by his wife Natalie, his boys Robert (Yvonne), Albert and Richard (Linda), seven grandchildren: Mitchell, Brianne, Alexandra, Samantha, Nicole, Devan, Serena and five great grandchildren, Jameson, Elizabeth, Holly, Arabella, Memphis.
Visitation will be at Linwell Church, 335 Linwell Road, St. Catharines on April 5th at 9:30am, funeral to follow at 10:30am.
In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Mennonite Central Committee.
To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Peter, please visit our Tree Store.
Read more
Support and Share
How did you know Peter Woelk?
Family
Friend
Work
Other
Help others honor Peter’s memory
Share Obituary
August 11 1929
March 31 2025
Death notice for the town of: Vineland, Province: Ontario
death notice Peter Woelk August 11 1929
March 31 2025
obituaries notice Peter Woelk August 11 1929
March 31 2025
We offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Peter Woelk August 11 1929
March 31 2025 and hope that their memory may be a source of comfort during this difficult time. Your thoughts and kind words are greatly appreciated.
