John Henry Loewen

It is with sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved father, grandfather and great grandfather, John Henry Loewen. He passed away peacefully into Glory and into the presence of his Lord on Dec. 23 at the age of 98.

Predeceased by his wife Helen (2000) and 6 siblings, he leaves behind his 5 children and their spouses: Howard Loewen (Irene), Paul Loewen (Annemarie), Elsie Schmidt (Vic), Dan Loewen (Lynn) and Dave Loewen (Val), 14 grandchildren, 15 great grandchildren and 5 siblings.

He was born on April 13, 1917 to Henry and Helena Loewen (nee Klassen) of the Neu-Samara Mennonite colony in Russia. After World War I his family chose to immigrate to Canada mainly due to increased religious repression and economic stagnation. Through an arrangement made by MCC prior to their arrival, the Loewen family joined a group of 12 Mennonite families. They traveled by train from Quebec City and settled on farms near Colonsay, Saskatchewan.

As a boy, John had various jobs on the family farm and attended school in Colonsay and Gnadenheim. Life on a Prairie farm was a difficult existence, especially in the 30’s, but he and his family persisted. It was at the age of 15 that he accepted Christ as his personal savior. With the burden of sin on his heart, he found forgiveness. His favorite verse at that time was Matthew 11:28: “Come unto me all you that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest”. At the age of 18, he was baptized in Watrous, SK and received membership into the Mennonite Brethren Church. At the age of 20 John attended the Tabor Bible School in Dalmeny, SK for 3 years. He occasionally stated that these Bible school years were the highlight years of his youth.

John traveled to BC from Saskatchewan in 1940 to look for work but only worked a short while in the Abbotsford area before he was conscripted to join the Canadian Army. He was opposed to going to war so instead he went to a forest camp on Vancouver Island where he fought fires, cut down burned trees, planted trees and worked in camp kitchens. On a visit back to Abbotsford, he was introduced to Helen Reimer by her brothers. He had met the Reimer boys earlier during a harvest season in Boissevain, Manitoba. John became interested in getting to know Helen and so they gradually got acquainted with each other over the next two years through letter writing. Their friendship grew and they were married on March 25, 1944 at her home church in South Abbotsford. Two years later they purchased seven acres of land from Helen’s father on Huntingdon Road in Abbotsford. This land consisted of stump filled pastureland and forest. John slowly built up his farm by adding more chicken barns and clearing more land for crops. During his early farming years he worked off the farm as well, taking on jobs such as carpentry and feed mill work. Eventually he had 8000 laying hens and five acres of raspberries. He was a very conscientious and successful farmer until his retirement from the farm in 1976.

John faithfully served as a deacon in his home church, the South Abbotsford MB Church for many years. He and Helen frequently hosted out-of-town guests to the church at their new home in Clearbrook over the next 20 years. It was there that their gift of hospitality was utilized to its fullest. He also spent many hours using his building and repair skills to help in his church, MEI and CBC. In addition, he supported other community organizations such as MCC and Meals on Wheels in various ways. His children will never forget all the help he was during their home projects. He always enjoyed seeing the excitement of those who admired the completed handiwork or project. It was his way of giving back to the community and to the special ones in his life and of passing on the blessings which God had provided him.

During John’s senior years relationships became even more important. He learned to relax and look forward to visits, reunions and trips. The anticipation and excitement to “hit the road” got the better of him several times a year. He found true contentment in traveling, especially to see his siblings and his children’s families. The anticipation of making connections with family, relatives and friends seemed to provide him with energy. Even after his dear wife Helen passed away in 2000, he continued to travel. He always felt that if he was healthy enough, he should do what he could to visit those who meant the most to him. He was always thankful that he could celebrate meaningful events such as ceremonies and birthdays and he enjoyed retelling his experiences when he got home.

John always preferred one-to-one chats rather than conversing within a group. Many individuals were blessed by his accepting and kind manner. He seemed to offer a listening ear, provide a word of encouragement or be the voice of reason. And when he was the one who needed encouragement, he submitted himself to God, and graciously accepted the support and care of others. He was a humble, gentle and wise man who will be missed many.

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