Albert Jacob Willms

Albert Jacob Willms was born on August 21, 1935 in Kelstern, Saskatchewan to Abram and Mary (Unger) Willms. His first twelve years spent in the farm country of southern Saskatchewan, gave him a great love for the wide open prairies and the big blue skies of that land. It was something he always treasured.

The open prairies gave him a horse on which he spent many happy hours. Here he also learned the value of a strong work ethic, helping from an early age at various farm tasks. During harvest time, young Albert took the threshed grain by horse and wagon to the elevators some 12 miles away. He enjoyed the freedom of the wide open spaces and the thrill of catching yet another unsuspecting and hapless gopher.

After many disappointing harvests the family decided to pick up their roots and move to southern British Columbia after Al had just turned 12. Here Al’s father obtained regular employment in New Westminster at a sawmill along the Fraser River. As well, all the older siblings also were able to find work and so the family would be looked after. Here they settled onto a lovely 2 1/2 acre small farm on Lennie Road (123 St.) just off Scott Road in Surrey. Here the family joined other believers at Strawberry Hill MB Church, later known as Kennedy Heights MB Church, where all were involved in leadership roles.

Moving from the prairies was painful for young Albert. Having to begin in a new school when the school year had already started. The biggest challenge for timid Albert was coming from a small rural school with only four students to a much larger school in Surrey. Along with his shyness he also had a stuttering problem. This caused him much grief, but he found that as he grew older he could sing fluently without ever stuttering over any word he sang. As he grew and gained friendships through his church and school connections he developed a great love for music. He enjoyed singing in the church choir and was privileged to learn how to read music and sing the tenor line. Here he also learned conducting skills through regular practices under the gifted leadership of Menno Neufeld. He loved choral work and especially loved singing in male quartets.

By the time Al reached high school he had gained a great deal more confidence and found great fulfillment in team sports. He played every sport available at Princess Margaret High School and upon graduation received the Citizenship Award that year. After spending one year at Hepburn Bible School, where he also was involved in a male quartet and in the school choir, Al decided to train to become a teacher. He taught in the Delta School District for 20 years. During these happy years he finished his Bachelor of Education degree through summer schools and night classes. In this way he also completed his fifth year. Through this all he maintained an extremely well run school, had a family to attend to, and was always fully involved in church through directing the choir for each Sunday service.

In 1965 Al met Alice Sawatzky, an elementary school teacher in Surrey, at a youth roller skating event in Lynden Washington. This developed into a quick friendship with both of them singing in the Bethel Choir in Abbotsford. Their friendship quickened into love over another cup of hot chocolate during the choir breaks. Al and Alice were married in Clearbrook MB Church on April 9, 1966. Three beloved children were born to them over the next years, Colin, Jennifer and Andrew. Al loved his children and worked hard to provide for them in every way he could.

In 1979 an opportunity arose where Al could take a leave from his teaching career and move to a raspberry farm in Abbotsford. Together with his young family he made the life-changing career move returning to Delta for one more year of heading up a school from 1980-81. The farming enterprise was difficult for Al. He was sure he had made a mistake and that he had misread God’s directive to him. With the interest rates exorbitantly high at the time and the berry prices unstable, Al was sorely tried. All the while God had been working in Al’s heart. He had given his life over for the Lord to direct and had been baptized as a teen at Kennedy Heights church but this move and the ramifications of it were extremely difficult for Al. But during this time he sought to find new meaning and purpose to life. For one more year he returned to being a principal but this time in Abbotsford at a christian elementary school. Al loved interacting with his staff and the students. Parents always spoke highly of him and he blessed many through his leadership here.

Al never lost his love to work with young people and in 1988 he found himself at Trinity Western University working as the Director of Financial awards, developing many wonderful friendships along the way. During these years, Al was able to put all three of his kids through university. He spent many hours proudly cheering on Andrew and the Trinity Western Men’s basketball team. These were golden years for Al and the family up until his retirement in 1999.

Leading up to and into his retirement years Al gained a lot of satisfaction and pleasure watching his children find their own spouses, Melody, Carlton and Dana. Also in 1999, the first of Al’s seven grandchildren arrived. Nathan signaled a new time in Al’s life, that of grandpa. Al was grandpa to Nathan and Megan. Poppa Al to Jared and Daniel. And grandpa to Eva, Micah and Joshua. They were his pride and joy.

During this time he also picked up woodworking, making many wonderful pieces of furniture for the family. As well, he revisited his love of music and singing as the baritone in the Watchmen Four quartet. During this time the group put out two CD’s that dad was very excited about. He took special pride in being able to give his CD’s to his children and his many friends.

In the last few months Al’s relationship with his heavenly Father became a source of great comfort and joy to him. He often said that he felt himself sitting in his Poppa’s lap, with God holding him close. His faith kept him positive through the last difficult weeks of his life and he was often found encouraging those that came to encourage him. In the end all that mattered to Al were two things. The grace of God. And the love of God. Al had a bucket list of things he needed to say to those people special in his life. He was able to give a blessing to each of his children before he passed away. His blessing was as follows: Let Jesus’ light shine into you and through you, and outwards to those around you.

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Albert Jacob Willms passed into the presence of His Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on Monday, January 30, 2012 with his family at his side. Al was born to Abram and Maria (Unger) Willms on August 21, 1935 on the family farm near Kelstern, Saskatchewan. Al loved the wide open prairie but after many discouraging crop failures his family decided to move to Surrey BC when Al was 12 years old. He soon became acclimatized to the situation and by the time he graduated from Princess Margaret High School he had been active in all the sports programs. He pursued teaching as a career spending many happy years among young students as a classroom teacher, a band instructor and also as a principal in the Delta School District. Al married Alice Sawatzky and together they raised their family in Surrey later moving to Abbotsford to spend some time growing raspberries. Al never lost his love to work with young people and so in time he found himself at Trinity Western University working as the Director of Financial awards, developing many wonderful friendships. In his retirement years Al gained a lot of satisfaction and pleasure in interacting with his children and grandchildren, woodworking and singing baritone in the Watchmen Four quartet. Al loved the Lord and worked in the church in various capacities spending nearly twenty years as a choir conductor at Kennedy Heights Church in Delta while living there and in more recent years with the seniors at Northview. We will miss “Big Al” as he was affectionately known to many. His kind, loving ways, quick wit and easy laughter had an impact on many. We will miss him so much but we cherish the memories and the knowledge that to be ‘absent from the body is to be present with the Lord’. Al is survived by his loving wife, Alice, his children Colin (Melody), Jennifer (Carlton Haak) and Andrew (Dana) along with his seven grandchildren, Nathan and Megan Willms, Jared and Daniel Haak and Eva, Micah and Joshua Willms, three sisters Mary Voth, Olga Willms and Linda Willms, as well as many dear relatives and friends. Al was predeceased by his parents, two brothers, Ab and Henry, and one sister Helen Priebe.

Arrangements under the direction of Woodlawn Funeral Home, Abbotsford, BC.