Reinhard Gogolin

Reinhard passed away peacefully on March 17, 2014 with his family by his side. He is survived by his loving wife Hilda, children; Gary (Christine), Delane (Gary), Dan, Shirley and Connie (Steve), 10 grandchildren, 2 great-grandchildren, sister Ella Schulz and many more family and friends. A Service of Remembrance will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday March 25, 2014 at Peace Portal Alliance Church, 15128 27B Avenue Surrey, B.C. A heartfelt Thank-you to Daniel and the staff at the Residence at Morgan Heights. In lieu of flowers, you may make a donation to the BC Teen Challenge at 1-888-515-3930 or bcteenchallenge.com

Arrangements under the direction of Henderson's Langley Funeral Home, Langley, BC.

In Loving Memory of Reinhard Gogolin

It is today a great honor for me to stand before you all, and pay tribute to my father Reinhard on behalf of family. We thank everyone that has come and for your support on this very important day.

My father’s life began in Poland, born July 7, 1932. I t must have been a beautiful country, for Dad talked often of his childhood years in Poland with emotion. In the countryside village of OZORKOWO KRS RIPPEN my Dad’s father was a successful farmer, and so the stories were how fertile the soil was. No matter what you planted, everything grew so well. Dad said we lived in the nicest red bricked home that was in the area. My father would also talk about those peaceful tree lined country roads that meandered among the rolling hills. In the shallow valleys of these hills, there were many small lakes that provided good Karp fishing. Apparently, Karp fish from Poland tasted like none other.

Winter times were snowy and cold. As Christmas time approached, his memory of church bells ringing from different church steeples of surrounding villages was just so special to Dad as a young lad. Dad’s “Zensucht” for the old country was remarkable.

I say it was remarkable because things changed drastically in Poland for the worse. With the outbreak of World War 2, the peacefulness and harmony of the country would be shattered. With Germany invading from the west and the Russians coming from the east, Grandpa realized it was time to pack up his family with horse and wagon with whatever belongings they could carry. Their homestead had to be left behind. Leaving Poland in 1945 in the winter time proved to be almost too late. My Aunt Ella told me many Polish families had left much earlier. The horrors of that trip fleeing out of Poland to Germany were difficult for my Dad to describe. War between the two fronts was fierce and I recall Dad telling me as they fled between two fighting fronts, along the roadside were many casualties. The peaceful country roads of Poland looked so different now. Mom told me once that Dad said he cried out to God, “Help us”, and if they should survive the trip, he promised to live the rest of his days for God. There are so many more stories of this ordeal but God did provide amazing miracles in those darkest days of the Gogolin family.

Upon my father arriving in Germany at the age of 13, he was drafted immediately into the German Youth Army, where it was a hard boot camp. Luckily that did not last long for the war ended. As Dad continued his new life in Germany, he went to school to be a gardener amongst other studies he had to catch up with. In around that time, Dad worked at a brick factory. With so much destruction and ruin from the war, new bricks were very much needed.

As time went on, Father for some reason wanted to immigrate to Canada. There was somebody he already knew in Chilliwack that would sponsor him. In 1952, at age 20, Dad went first ahead of his parents and younger sister to start again a new life in Canada. By boat across the rough Atlantic Ocean and a train ride from east to west that he told me he thought would never end. He had no idea that Canada could be so big and wondered why there were so few people here!

Arriving in Chilliwack, his first job was working for a small logging company in the surrounding mountains of the Fraser valley. Dad said it was hard and risky work. After working three long weeks and hoping to get paid soon, my Dad found out that the owner of the logging company disappeared and nobody was going to get paid for their hard work. What a first impression of getting started in Canada that must have been for my Father.

My Dad though, determined and ambitious did not let that deter him from getting started in this big new country. After that, Dad boarded onto a big seaplane and flew off to what was then the Queen Charlotte Islands for another logging job. As they approached their destination the pilot warned everybody that the water landing would be rough. The landing was a big bang and with the water coming over the fuselage, everyone on board thought the seaplane was going to sink! The stress and worry Dad had, just to get a job was unbelievable. But there dad got paid for his work and started to save money. With my Dad showing that he had a job and was earning money, it allowed for his parents and his sister also to get sponsorship for immigration to Canada. This was a year later in 1953.

After working for various logging camps, Dad decided to settle more down in Vancouver area. He started working as a gardener landscaper which he learned back in Germany already. It was about this time Dad met my Mom and started the dating relationship and were married in 1958. This resulted in to be 55 years of marriage.

Gardening was seasonal and so my Father also got a job at Weldwood Plywood Factory. This eventually became his main job for 17.5 years. My Father described the job very monotonous and became restless with it and found it to be without challenge. Dad told us kids going to school, it is important to be happy in our jobs, even it means making less money.

As years went by working at the Plywood Factory, Dad started to build houses on the side. He loved it and realized his passion and wanted to be self employed builder contractor. When he told his co-workers at the Plywood Factory that he was quitting, they thought he was crazy. How can you leave after more than 17 years of seniority they would ask? You will be back before you know it. But my Father never looked back and became a very successful builder, even through all the challenges of it.

Working for Dad in my younger years though was a challenge! Dad was fussy, had to be a really good job with neatness and efficiency. The hard times that dad experienced in his younger years must have instilled in him a habit of not liking waste! Cutting a board too short and rendering it useless, was not a good thing for me to do!

For fun, dad loved fishing. In the midst of business of work, Dad did take us two boys fishing. It was such an adventure to be hiking in who knows where to some creek or river. Dan and I remember all too well retreating very quickly out of that ruby creek area when we came across a couple of black bears in our pathway, Dad didn’t think much of the ordeal which just baffled and terrified us boys! He told us he went fishing alone a lot when he first got to Canada and saw bears frequently and that they were never a problem!

As more time went on, and getting closer to retirement years, Dad & Mom went on many wonderful vacation trips together. In around that time, Dad did also a trip back to Poland and his experience with that is a whole other storey. As the stress and demands of building was beginning to wear him out, Dad decided his building years were done. But Dad was one not to sit around very much and us kids wondered what will he do now? Even his holidays had to be busy seeing and doing things. Well the wondering what next was short lived and got busy with what I thought at first was a bit odd. My dad went to various golf courses and went on the hunt for lost golf balls! From his gardening years he always appreciated the beautiful manicured grounds of golf courses and lost golf balls not to be used again was a waste, so I guess Dad felt this was a great opportunity! And man, did he ever find so many golf balls! I would have never thought there were so many lousy golfers!

One time Dad told me he was sitting down for lunch break in a close surrounding forest of a golf course when a miracle happened right in front of him. I asked Dad what sort of miracle was that? With a grin on his face, Dad replied, while I was sitting there not far from my bucket of golf balls, a stray golf ball came flying bouncing along and landed right in my bucket with the others! He said if that if that is not a miracle then I don’t know what is! Upon hearing this story, us kids and Mom wondered about his safety and that the other miracle was he never got hit with a stray golf ball!

Upon selling these golf balls back to suppliers, Dad gave all the money to various missions and places of need.

As Dad’s health declined and losing the ability to be useful, it frustrated Dad greatly. It was hard for us as a family to see because Dad was always so determined. But my father is gone now, and the separation from us with him is just so final. I have heard and read many glorious descriptions about heaven, but Dad I wish I could ask you one more question, “What is it really like now”. Of course that is not possible anymore and the absence of my Father becomes reality. As I pondered this in the stillness of my heart, God’s spirit spoke to me, “Rely not on your own understanding and let your faith in me rise to a new level. Out of that peace will come, for I have taken your Father to a much better place.

In times like these, God seems to instill a new realization of the need we have for each other. Our differences fade as we let God’s Grace play out in us to others. In closing I quote Psalm 94 verses 18 & 19…………………….

If I should say, my foot has slipped thy, loving kindness O Lord will hold me up. When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, thy consolations delight my soul.

Thank you for listening to my Father’s story and peace be to you all.

Please allow me to introduce myself, I am Tom and I was Ray’s Tim Horton’s 5 AM friend. I met Ray 3 years ago while he sat alone in Timmy’s reading his morning prayers. I invited myself to sit down and thus a loving relationship began. Ray was my friend and of that I am a proud Man. As a young boy during World War 2, his Mom, Ray and his sibling were fleeing from the Russian army. Although they took refuge in a root cellar at night they were discovered by Russian soldiers. As one soldier pointed his machine gun at Ray, he prayed for God to spare him and his family. In return he promised to dedicate his life to Jesus Christ. He has done just that.

From the minute I met Ray until his passing, I knew he walked with God in humility and he had in fact dedicated his life to servitude for Him.

During our times together, Ray figured if he moved us over to the MacDonald’s we could get free refills and he could smuggle in Hilda’s Muffins. He so enjoyed his muffin and our sharings.

Funny though, he never ever had a second cup. He was so disciplined in many ways. Ray searched the Lower Mainland golf courses for stray golf balls. Although he received money from the golf balls, he donated all of the funds to his favorite charity. So these are my thoughts on Ray Gogolin, may he rest in the arms of God.