Peter John Lieuwen was born on August 25th, 1929, in Andijk, The Netherlands. He was the fifth child of a family of 11 of which nine survived. Peter grew up during World War II and shared many stories with us of survival during that time. In 1948, Peter and 2 cousins immigrated to Canada to avoid conscription into the Dutch army. Peter sailed on the Kota Inta and landed in Halifax. Boarding a train, they made their way to Alberta where the two cousins settled. Peter continued west, to Houston, B.C, a place he would invest in and call home for about 70 years. In Houston, Peter worked in small lumber mills located miles from town. In 1949, Peter and Betty met at Koning General Store where Betty was employed as a clerk working for her father. A quick romance ensued, followed by an engagement and a wedding, where three Lieuwen siblings married. Peter began work for his father-in-law as a clerk. Interacting with people became Peter’s passion, and he went on to eventually purchase the store from his father-in-law. Later, Peter sold the grocery side of the operation to focus on hardware, and eventually sold his hardware store and worked as a maintenance man painting and repairing townhouses for the local mill. He ended his career working for Federated Coop as their petroleum manager. Peter John Lieuwen was affectionately known as PJ to most that knew him. As a business owner, Peter was known by the community as a fair and honest businessman and treated everyone with respect and gave everyone a chance, regardless of who they were or of their status in the community. Peter was a man of faith and vision and was instrumental in establishing a Christian School in Houston. He also loved to sing in church and in choirs. In conclusion, Peter or PJ was a huge man in our lives. He had a deep faith, and he modeled his faith in action. Losing Mom and Dad so close together will leave a huge hole in our lives, but we know that while we grieve here, heaven rejoices.
Peter will be lovingly remembered by his children, Irene (Dean) O’Neill, Richard (Annette) Lieuwen, Carol (Don) Haviland, Rose Stegenga, Brian (Betty) Lieuwen, Doug (Stephanie) Lieuwen, 20 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his loving wife Betty, granddaughter Michaela and son-in-law, Frank.
Special thanks to Dr. Nyvall and the Care Aids at Menno Home for their thoughtful and loving care of Dad.
A Celebration of Life is scheduled for Wednesday, July 17, 2024 at 10:00 am at Gateway Community Church in Abbotsford. For the friends in Houston the Celebration of Life Service will be simultaneously live streamed to the Houston Christian Reformed Church.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in memory of Peter to the Houston Christian School [email protected]. Please include “in memory of Peter Lieuwen” in the etransfer.
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