Nettie Dyck

Nettie (Neta) Dyck, nee Rempel, was born to parents Johann and Aganetha (Loewen) Rempel on November 5, 1924 in the small Ukrainian town of Alexanderfeld. She was the second child and first daughter in the family which grew to include 12 children. The family immigrated to Canada in 1926, just before Nettie turned 2. The then family of 5 settled in southwest Manitoba in a place called Foxwarren, near the slightly larger town of Birtle. They stayed there until 1941 when they moved to Arnold, BC. After 2 years at Yarrow Bible School and 2 years at the Mennonite Bible School in Abbotsford, Nettie moved to Vancouver to work. She attended a 50th reunion of her Abbotsford Bible School class graduation and contributed the following to the reunion program.

“It is difficult for me to put into words all that has happened during the last 50 years.

After graduation, I went to Vancouver to find employment in a garment factory. I still felt a longing for something more. Due to family circumstances, I had not completed high school. This was on my mind, since I wanted to be a teacher ever since Grade 1. During the 1950’s it was common to attend night school in order to complete high school standing. It took several years of hard study wile holding down a full time job until I received my graduation diploma. Since Senior Matriculation was also required, I enrolled in several courses at King Edward College. For History 101 I needed a textbook I could not afford, so a young gentleman offered to loan me one. That led to life changes for us both. We were married after Rudy completed his Normal School in 1955 and have made our own history ever since.

We moved to Howe Sound School District. Our first year spent in a small sawmill camp beside Green Lake, across from the present Whistler community. Then we moved to Squamish for another six years, our summers were spent at UBC, where I also took several courses. Later, night classes at UBC and Trinity Western University gave me first year university standing. My quest for knowledge has not ceased to this day. Reading is still one of my favourite pastimes.

We are often told that God has a plan for our lives. Sometimes it has been difficult for us to understand. We mourned many a miscarriage in our early years. By adoption, God gave us two healthy special children to love and nourish. In 1971, through an accident He chose to take our 11-year-old to Himself. I could only say with Job of old: “The Lord has taken away, may the name of the Lord be praised.” This was difficult for us as a family, but God’s grace was sufficient. Our daughter is married and they have a two and a half year old son, They live in Whistler and operate an excavating business.

While we were in Squamish we taught Sunday School and were active on several church boards. Our background and Bible School training were a great help to us. In 1962 moved to the Abbotsford area. It was our desire to raise our children in an Evangelistic church, and for our own fellowship and growth, we joined Central Heights. I taught Sunday School, served in the leadership of the women’s auxiliary and later in the New Horizons committee, our seniors’ group.

We have been privileged to take several group tours and cruises during our retirement, above all, I give God honor and praise for allowing me to be grounded in the Scriptures. He has been faithful in the years since 1950.”

Nettie spent her last years at Eden Care Centre in Chilliwack where she received excellent care and was faithfully visited by her dear sisters when Covid allowed. She was looking forward to going to Glory and being reunited with Rudy and Norman as well as her parents and brothers. We are thankful her prayers were answered and she was called Home with minimal drama on June 13th. I am eternally grateful that I was chosen to be her daughter and have so many years of love and nurture from her.

Nettie was predeceased by her parents Johann J. Aganetha (Loewen) Rempel as well as her husband, Rudy Dyck; her son, Norman Thomas; her brothers Henry, John, Peter, Gerhard and Jack. She is survived by her daughter Barbara Boulanger (Paul); her sisters: Kay Reimer; Mary Craddock; Anne (Hans) Spenst; and Betty (Hans) Dharmasetia as well as 2 grandchildren.

A Memorial Service for Nettie will be held Thursday, June 30, 2022 at 11:00 AM at Woodlawn Funeral Home, 2310 Clearbrook Road, Abbotsford, BC V2T2X5.

Contributions in Nettie's memory may be made to Fraser Valley Gleaners, 85 Winston Street, Abbotsford, BC V2S 8E8, www.fvgleaners.org.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.woodlawnfh-abbotsford.com for the Dyck family.