Tribute

Gerhard was born Dec 27, 1932 in Wielen, Germany to Jan and Geertken Vander Spoel into a farming community.  He immigrated to Canada, settling in Edmonton, Alberta, in the spring of 1953 with his fiancé Johanna.  In Edmonton, on his 21st birthday during the Sunday service, Gerhard and Johanna were married. They moved to the Fraser Valley in the fall of 1954.  After working for several years at various farming and other jobs, Gerhard and Johanna were able to buy a dairy farm in the Mt Lehman area.  They moved to a larger dairy farm in Sumas Prairie in 1966, where they farmed until retiring. 

Gerhard was a very active and faithful member of his church and the Christian School, serving many times on church council, and on the school board. For many years, he volunteered at the Bibles for Missions Thrift Store, and also served on the board.  He loved going to the auctions and repairing furniture for the store, and continued doing this until recently.  The Lord called him home on the morning of April 17, 2015.

He is lovingly remember by his wife of 61 years, Johanna and their 5 children:

John Vander Spoel; Grace and Matthew Stolk, David and Jessica Stolk with Evan, Levi, Aaron, Jeffrey Stolk, Darryl Stolk; Gordon and Anita Vander Spoel, Christine and Brandon Gross, Melissa Vander Spoel, Laura Vander Spoel; Diana and John Doppenberg, Bryan Doppenberg, Kevin Doppenberg, Karin and Brent Hoogland with Brianna, Dawson, Carter, Nathan Doppenberg, Jason and Mandy Doppenberg; David and Jenny Vander Spoel, Derin and Laura Vander Spoel, Kirsten Vander Spoel.

A Memorial Service will be held on Thursday, April 23, 2015 at 1:00 pm, Immanuel Covenant Reformed Church, 35063 Page Road, Abbotsford. 

In lieu of flowers, you may make a donation to the charity of your choice.