Moving On!

Peter Nickel

December 26, 1926 - June 22, 2008

My Dad, Peter Nickel, at the age of 25.

Ever since my last post I have not been able to sit and write anything!
I knew that I needed to finish what I had started in my previous post and that was to write something about my Dad. It's been over a month already, since my Dad passed away and I still don't know where to begin!

How do you close a chapter in you life that was so important?
How do you say goodbye to a person that occupied such a big part of your heart?

So, I will just copy and paste what has already been written about him.

The following is what we wrote about him in the Funeral Leaflet but, is this all there was to Peter Nickel? No, there was so much more to him than that, but suffice it to say, that he led a very full life, not always an easy life but a life that, in the end, was full of the Lord's many and rich blessings.

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Peter was born on December 25^th, 1926 in Siberia, Russia and came to Paraguay with his parents, Peter & Margaretha Nikkel nee (Born), an older sister and one younger brother in May of 1932. They lived first in Fernheim and then in Friesland. Here he attended school and spent his teenage years until, in 1951, Peter decided to move to Curitiba, Parana, Brazil.

Peter had apprenticed as a furniture maker in Paraguay and soon found work in a furniture factory in Curitiba.
Shortly after his arrival in Curitiba, he met Gertrude Janzen and she would become his future wife. They married on January 17^th, 1953. After the birth of their first child, in 1954, they tried their hand at dairy farming. After the birth of their second child in 1956 they sold the farm having decided to try long distance trucking.

Finally, he had found something that he enjoyed and also provided a good living for his family. His business expanded and he bought a property in Boqueirão, where he built the family, their first new house. Here the family was blessed with 3 more children.

The Nickel home in Brazil

By 1968, Peter and Trudy had decided to move their family to Vancouver, BC where most of the Nickel and Janzen extended family had already migrated to and arriving in Vancouver on the 23^rd of December.

In the beginning of their new start in BC, Peter worked for his brother, Dietrich. who had sponsored and made it possible for Peter and his family to come to Canada. Dietrich was in the house building business and Peter wanted to learn everything he could about this business while attending evening English Language Classes so that one day he would be able to run his own business.

Peter had finally found his life’s calling! To be a house builder.

In 1970 there was one more trip back to Brazil to sell the house and one truck that was still left.

Now, Peter was free to be the builder that he had envisioned himself to be and was blessed with many prosperous years, working in this field until his retirement.

On May 26, 1985 upon the confession of his faith he was baptized at Sherbrooke Mennonite Church by Pastor Henry Kliewer.

In 1994 after his retirement, Peter and Trudy made another major move. This time to Abbotsford, BC. Fishing, camping and traveling in their motor home was already a big part of their lives and now became their new lifestyle.

Watching the waves in Hawaii.

Peter had always loved fishing and now had ample time to enjoy this sport. He also had lots of fun teaching his grandchildren how to fish. Trips to California in the winter became a ritual that lasted for 14 happy years.

The sand dunes in Southern California.

He will be dearly missed by his loving wife, Gertrude, and his 5 children and their families.

Peter lived to be 81 years, 5 months and 28 days old.
On January 17^th, 2008, Peter & Gertrude celebrated their 55^th Wedding Anniversary.

We thank the Lord for a life well lived! To God be all honour and glory!
Goodbye, Peter!
Good bye, Dad!
Goodbye, Opa!

Until we meet again!

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The following is what I wrote and read after the fellowship meal on the day of the funeral.
Between the 2 I think that you will get a good insight into my Dad's life and how much he was loved and how much love he spread around to the people he cared for.

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My Dad!

This picture was taken on one of Mom & Dad's last camping weekends.

Being the oldest of the 5 children, I guess, that I am allowed to say that I knew him best!
Dad was a gentle and, for the most part, as we knew him, a happy man.
All my life, I remember him whistling or singing, or at least humming, while he was working.

He was a very hard working man and once his finances allowed it, he always took time for holidays with the family.

With him being in the long distance trucking business in Brazil, Rudy and I and later Carlos, were privileged to see many parts of Brazil that other kids only learned about in school. During school holidays in July and during the months of December to the end of February, we knew that we would get to go away with Dad and his big truck at least once or twice a year, while the drivers that worked for him would enjoy some holidays with their own families.

Rudy, Carlos & I knew about every truck on the road, what make and brand it was. I always say that I know nothing about farming or dairy but that we grew up with the smell of diesel in our nostrils. If for some reason we could not go with him, he would always remember to bring something back for us, a chocolate bar, candies, and sometimes a small toy. We always knew that he had a surprise for us in his pockets.

Also, if a family a trip was not possible, Dad would make sure that he would find a house to rent at the beach and we would spend a week or two and sometimes longer, having fun at the beach.

He was also a strict man with a few very important rules that we had to obey.

1. No lying.

2. No cursing or swearing.

3. No fighting or yelling.

4. No disrespecting our Mother or our Elders.

5. And when in trouble, come and talk to him.

At the age of 12, I had the privilege of traveling with him to Paraguay to see my Opa & Oma Janzen. I felt so very grown up. He let me go by myself from Assuncion to Fernheim while he continued on the Canada.

Mom and Dad trusted us children to behave appropriately and allowed us to spread our wings. While always reassuring us that they were there for us, should we need them.

Being the oldest I also left the house first. When I married Wally, he told me that I had made a good choice and that he gladly handed over his responsibilities to Wally. He, Dad, would now continue making sure the other 4 were being looked after. Not that he ever stopped looking out for me and my family as well.

Over the years, as he grew older and more frail, he looked after us like the proverbial Mother Hen, with Mom right there beside him.

In the last few years, his health declining, we had to sometimes remind him that he always used to say that he planned on becoming at least 120 years old and that he was still a few years short of his goal. He would just smile and say that he thought he wouldn’t quite make it there.

How often did we laugh when we heard of folks getting married where there was a bigger age gap the husband being the older one; he would say that there was another smart fellow. He always said that there was a good reason why he married our mother. So that one day when he was old and frail, she would look after him. He certainly was right on that one!

There are so many other things I could say, but will stop here with one last thought.

In his last few years one of his biggest concerns was that there would be peace and harmony in his family. He prayed for his own family and siblings daily.

That all of them would one day become children of our Heavenly Father and that we would all meet again, someday.

Chris & Angela' Wedding - May 3rd, 2008.
It was the last family picture that we took with our Dad and Grandpa!

He was a great Dad and we will miss him.

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OK! So I have tried and tried to get the fonts and colours fixed but have not been able to do it. Don't know what the problem is, tonight, or how to fix it! Sorry!