Tribute

In the morning on December 29, 2021 John Peter Franken was welcomed into heaven and able to meet his Saviour, Jesus Christ face to face after a courageous battle with renal cancer. He was 73 years old at the time of his passing. John Peter (Jan Piet) was born on April 7, 1948 to John & Ann (van den Berg) Franken in Bandoeng, Netherlands East Indies (currently Indonesia), the oldest of 3 children. In 1950 his family moved to the Netherlands, and in 1953 the family emigrated to the United States and settled in the Seattle, WA area, where John spent the majority of his childhood. On December 26, 1973, John married his beloved wife, Sandi (Sandra) Groothuis of Sumas, WA, and they just celebrated 48 years of marriage. Shortly before being married, John moved north across the U.S. border into British Columbia, Canada and began his teaching career. For over 40 years, John dedicated his life and teaching skills to Christian education, having taught at Christian schools in Abbotsford, Houston, Kelowna and Smithers, BC. His longest service was in Smithers at Bulkley Valley Christian School. John, Sandi and their 3 children (Cedric, Jodi & Kristin) moved to Smithers in 1986, and it was home for many years. In their retirement,
John & Sandi ran a small Bed & Breakfast called Chickadee Acres out of their home in Smithers. John loved chatting with all the folks travelling through, offering them a glass of BC wine, and directing them to the best wildlife and birding spots. John was passionate about all things nature and God’s creation. He was a bird enthusiast to the core, loved to fly fish (especially for steelhead) and enjoyed taking hikes all over the Bulkley Valley. John was a world traveler and loved to read and talk about faith, politics and the environment. Creation care was a topic near and dear to his heart. Throughout the years, John was very involved in several local CRC churches.  In the spring of 2020, John and Sandi moved to Elim Village in Chilliwack, BC. John enjoyed having new hiking areas to explore in the Fraser Valley. At the end of 2020, John was informed his renal cancer was back and had metastasized into his bones. His last Christmas was spent surrounded by his whole family making memories for them to share and celebrate in the years ahead. John is survived by his loving wife Sandi and children – son Cedric and wife Kate of Hull, IA | daughter Jodi and husband Kevin of Cloverdale, BC | daughter Kristin and husband Brian of Valley Springs, SD | plus 5 grandchildren (Emma, Jonathon, Michaela, Lucas, Kendra) – and siblings Robert Franken and Irene Helgath. John’s life touched so many people throughout the years – it is hard to name them all. He will be missed dearly by his family, friends and many more that knew him near and far.

MEMORIALS

As many of you know, John loved mountain bluebirds. He placed bluebird boxes all over the Bulkley Valley, keeping records and managing them for many many years. When John moved south to Chilliwack, the Bulkley Valley Naturalists took over managing the boxes.

In lieu of flowers, we would love donations to be sent to the Bulkley Valley Naturalists. They will be doing a bluebird box building program this year and will use all donations in John’s name to purchase materials for this project in memory of him.

Mail cheques to: (Memo to Mountain Bluebird Project)

Bulkley Valley Naturalist
9210 Snake Rd
Smithers, BC
V0J 2N7

For an online donation, go to A Rocha Canada. They are working closely with the Bulkley Valley Naturalists in the Northern BC Programs and will direct all funds to the bluebird project. A Rocha is able to give a tax deductible receipt if desired. Here is the link: https://arocha.ca/portfolio-items/nature-centre-houston-bc/