Peter Klassen entered the world in March of 1931. He was born in Manitoba to Frank and Katharina Klassen, immigrants from Russia, his birth certificate listing only the section-township-range of the farm where his family lived. Being the oldest son in a large Mennonite family, he often felt that extra weight of responsibility that came with that distinction, yet had many good memories growing up on the family farm in Manitoba with his seven brothers and two sisters. He also had good friends in the surrounding farms that accompanied him to school and in the adventures of youth. There was a tragedy on the farm that became part of his identity. His sister Suzie died at a young age. He would recount her death in times of reflection saying, “Someday I will see her again.” Other notable experiences on the farm, such as the administration of medication to foxes, which required the persuasion of a stick, were recounted later in life as he playfully threatened his children when they resisted taking their vitamins. Faith and church were at the center of their family and Peter accepted the Lord at a young age, yet to him Christianity was less about a personal relationship and more a list of do’s and don’ts at this time in his life.
The family later moved to Ontario, near the town of Grimsby and St. Catharines. It was here, that many of his early work experiences such as working in vineyards, at a basket factory and at Yale & Towne making locks were a meaningful part of his growth as a young man and set a lifelong pattern of hard work and dedication. During this time, a fascination of airplanes and the wonder of their engineering grew, and he often dreamed of flying. He would eagerly watch the WW2 training flights overhead and vividly remembered the nearby crash of a T-6 World War II training plane. This love of flying led him to become a pilot later in life and was a evident well into his 80’s.
As a young adult, he would continue to make trips back to Manitoba to visit friends and family. It was on one of those trips that he met Katherine Reimer and fell deeply in love with her. They had a long-distance relationship for some time that was marked by Peter writing letters and making multiple trips, often driving through the night, so he could be with the woman he loved. Eventually Peter and Katherine were married in Manitoba in May of 1956. Shortly thereafter, they moved to Nebraska where they worked side by side at Grace Children’s Home in the small mid-west town of Henderson. While in Henderson Peter and Katherine were blessed with their first two children, Martha and Jonathan. Looking for opportunity to provide for his young family, they moved to Colorado where Peter began working in construction with his brothers. Very shortly after moving they had a third child, Rebecca, giving them 3 kids under the age of 4. During the next decade in Colorado, he built many houses, owned and operated a restaurant and motel and spent good deal of time flying.
During this time of worldly success and growth, Peter drifted from his relationship with the Lord. But God used a series of events culminating in a car crash to get his attention about what was really most important. One sleepless night as he was wrestling with some important decisions, Peter opened the Bible and read this passage in Matthew 10, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside of your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” The Holy Spirit used this passage to open his eyes and heart to the intense love God had for him personally. He recounted this experience many times of how he cried for joy that night and how his faith was transformed from Religion to a personal Relationship with Jesus. He immediately reprioritized his life including making church attendance on Sundays and Wednesdays an important family event. In addition, Peter and Katherine participated in outreach through Lay Witness Missions, sharing their faith all around the country. Maybe most important was his personal commitment to studying God’s word, evidenced by his quiet time with the Bible early each morning.
This spiritual change preceded a lot of other changes over the next few years. After an eleven-year pause, their family was growing yet again with the birth of their fourth child, Matthew, in 1971. Less than two years later, they would move the family back to Canada due to the death of Katherine’s father. Here, he continued to build homes for a time before starting a custom cabinet and woodworking shop. Through all his years as a self-employed craftsman, he never had to pay for marketing to get work because his attention to detail and his customers’ praise were all the advertising he needed to stay very busy. He had a love for simplicity in wood working and preferred straight lines and honest square cuts to pretentious displays. Whether in context of business or personal relationships, Peter would quickly turn conversations into opportunities to talk about Jesus and God’s love for people. Although he was an introvert and would rather spend time quietly working in his cabinet shop, he thoughtfully invested in the lives of other people, many who were in need of God’s love. Because of his influence and love he led many of his friends to a relationship with God and saw their lives transformed.
When Peter retired, he still loved working in his shop (his comfort zone) making all kinds of toys, furniture and making beautiful placards with verses and phrases that were all giving glory to God. He gave them to anyone to grace their homes and are still spreading seeds of joy and faith. Peter was a wonderful father to his children and loved all his Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren, spending time and sharing the love of Jesus with each one. Later in life after developing Alzheimer’s, forgetting many names and daily events, yet he would never forget Jesus. Even in his final days, when he was failing fast and his memories were all but gone, he remembered the song “Jesus Loves Me, This I Know”.
He is survived by his loving wife of 64 years, Katherine, his daughter Martha Penner (Robert), his son Jonathan (Cathy), his daughter Rebecca Penner (Lawrence) and his son Matthew (Kim) as well as 12 Grandchildren and 14 Great-Grandchildren. His brother Abram and his sisters Suzie and Mary have gone on to glory ahead of him and they joyfully greeted him in the presence of the Lord along with his mother and father. In lieu of flowers please contribute to Ethnos 360 Aviation (ethnos360aviation.org). When making a donation please designate Peter Klassen Memorial in your donation line. This organization embodies many of the things that Peter loved and in which he believed.
Partager l'avis de décès
v.1.9.5