Dyck, John R. (1913-1988)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1988 Aug 4 p. 11

Birth date: 1913 Jul 19

text of obituary:

JOHN R. DYCK

John R. Dyck was born July 19, 1913, at Lysanderhoeh, Am Trakt, Russia. He died May 14, 1988, at Rosthern, Sask., at the age of 74 after a five-year struggle with cancer.

In 1927, he moved with his family to Canada, where they began farming in the Hanley Dsitrict and in 1933 moved to a farm at Tiefengrund.

He was baptized upon confession of faith at Sheldon, Sask.

He was married to Paula Regier on Oct. 11, 1941, at the Tiefengrund Mennonite Church. They farmed in the Tiefengrund area unti 1947, when they moved to Rosthern.

At the request of the General Conference, he started the first General Conference bookstore in Canada. he was secretary and business manager at Rosthern Junior College for 17 years.

He had a strong Christian faith and a high view of the church. He loved people. He and his wife lived out their faith by volunteering their service to Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminaries, Elkhart, Ind., and to Mennonite Central Committee in South America, Korea, India, Jordan and Winnipeg, where he launched Mennonite Foundation and the MCC Food bank. After they returned to Rosthern, he was involved in peace and social concerns, prison ministry, Swift Current Bible Institute and the General Conference Call to Kingdom Commitments program.

He leaves to mourn his wife Paula; two daughters and their husbands, Dorothea and De Honn of Waukesha, Wis., and Velma and Eric Harder of Prince Albert, Sask.; four grandchildren; five sisters, Lieschen (Mrs. David) Quiring of Saskatoon, Irma Balzer of Rosthern, Helen (Mrs. Abe) funk of Laird, Clara Dyck of Winnipeg, and Rene (Mrs. George) Kroeker of China; two brothers, Peter Dyck of Akron, Pa., and Cornelius Dyck of Elkahrt, Ind.; and a brother-in-law, Walter Neufeldt, Laird. He was preceded in death by a sister, Anna Neufeldt.

Funeral services were held May 18, 1988, at Rosthern Mennonite Church, with Rudy Froese, Walt Braun and Clare Neufeldt officiating. Interment was in Rosthern Cemetery.

The Mennonite obituary: 1988 Jun 14 p. 256