Dyck, Susie Giesbrecht (1912-2001)

"Mennonite Brethren Herald" obituary: 2001 Nov 9 p. 23

Birth date: 1912 Jan 27

text of obituary:

SUSIE DYCK

Susie Dyck of Abbotsford, B.C passed away Aug. 8. She was born Jan. 27, 1912 to Bernhard and Maria Giesbrecht in Hochfeld No. 5, Ekatrinoslav, Russia, the 3rd of 5 daughters. The family loved to sing accompanied by their father on guitar. Her mother died of typhus in 1919. Her father remarried and had 2 more daughters. The family made plans to immigrate to Canada, but her father died of blood poisoning; her stepmother did not pass the medical examination. The 5 sisters aged 5 to 16 immigrated to Canada in 1924. They were placed into different families and worked for them. They could seldom visit each other, and remembering the past was discouraged, causing many tears. She went to school for 4 years in Russia and 4 years in Canada but was unable to fulfill her dream to be a nurse or teacher. She asked God to give her a love for housework and make her a blessing to others. She got her first job as a nanny at 17 and began daywork in Saskatoon in 1933. In 1939 she moved to B.C, where she continued in this work. She married Peter Dyck in Vancouver June 28, 1942. They lived in Vancouver and were members of Vancouver MB Church until the mid-1980s. Their home was a haven for many nephews and nieces who came to Vancouver for school or work. Their basement suite became the home for John and Mary Plett and their daughters. Susie was a warm, giving person who loved children. She and Peter supported children overseas. She loved entertaining, cooking and baking. She enjoyed games. In 1986 they moved to Clearbrook, B.C They moved to Tabor Home in Abbotsford. After Peter's death in September 2000, she moved to Menno Hospital. Predeceased by Peter and 2 sisters, she is mourned by John and Mary Plett, and sisters Katherine Martens and Mary Redekop, both of Herbert, Sask. The funeral was Aug. 13 at Woodlawn Funeral Home in Abbotsford.