Tribute

Dick Byker was born on June 18, 1938 in Enschede to Markus and Judith Byker (nee Moed).  He was the eldest of four sons – Dick, Jan⃰ (1942-1944), Hans and Rene.  Dad was born just as the war started and they soon moved to Nijmegen.  In his later years, dad told many stories of his experiences during the war to his children and grandchildren.   By age 13, he started trade school and began to learn the basics of metalworking, becoming a lathe operator when he was 15.  For another 3 years, Dad attended school in the evening during the winter months.   He joined the army at age 18, training as a gunsmith.  Mom and Dad met in 1959 at a Young People’s function, and they were engaged before he left for Canada with his family in May of 1960.  Mom joined him in Canada in September of that year.  They settled in Edmonton, Alberta, where Dad started his career as a machinist.  They married on July 8, 1961, and began their family, which included:  Irene⃰ (1962-1964), Yvonne, Judy, Mark, Rick and Jessica. In 1974, our family re-located to Yarrow, BC, where two more children were born, Patricia⃰ (1974) and Andy.  Dad worked as a machinist in Chilliwack and later in Clearbrook, until his retirement at age 70.  He was also an active member of the churches in Edmonton, Chilliwack and Yarrow.  Dad had a variety of interests, including playing the trombone and listening to his marching band music, woodworking, and learning about the world of computers in the early 80s (I think we owned the first Vic 20 sold in Chilliwack!).  Over the last two years, Dad’s health deteriorated, although he kept his sense of humour to the very end.  He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Jenny (nee Nies), and six children,  Yvonne (Jim Bultje), Judy (John Tenbrinke), Mark (Johanna van Orizande), Rick (Angela Hummel), Jessica, and Andy (Heather Krabbendam), twenty grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and two brothers, Hans Byker and Rene Byker.  He was predeceased by his younger brother Jan, infant daughters Irene and Patricia, and granddaughter Sarah.