Tribute

Max Neufeld

July 15, 1936 – April 15, 2016

Max Neufeld was the second of five children born to parents Abram Berdichevsky and Margarete Neufeld on July 15, 1936 in Osterwick, Ukraine. Max and his family grew up during the difficult times of World War II where he witnessed his father Abram taken by those in power never to be seen again. At the conclusion of the war, Max and his family ended up in Berlin as refugees. They eventually boarded the ship “Volendam” and on February 1, 1947 departed for Paraguay, South America. They arrived in Buenos Aires 3 weeks later and then made their way by land to Friesland and then to their new home in Volendam.  The new beginning in the jungles of Volendam were extremely difficult for Max. He continued his schooling up to grade 7, however, the rest of the time was spent working. As a young boy he had to take on the responsibilities of a man and was involved in clearing the land to prepare it for farming. Max did

not enjoy farming and quickly began to work in construction where he worked on numerous projects. Life was not easy for Max in Paraguay – he had to mature quickly and there was no time for pleasure. Max dedicated his life to his Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ at the age of 14 during an evangelistic campaign and in 1958 he was baptized in Volendam. As a member of the Church, Max was active and especially enjoyed singing and playing music on his mandolin. He was always willing to help out whenever something needed to be done. During this time he fell in love with the Love of his life, Helene Bergen, whom he later asked to marry. Helene moved with her family to Canada in 1958, while Max followed a year later.  Max and Helene were married on November 21, 1959 in Vancouver, BC. They were blessed with four children. These beginning years of their marriage were very difficult. The stresses of a new country, a new language, economic hardships and a special needs child brought Max and Helene closer to the Lord and to each other. Max lived an exemplary life and was always available to his children helping them in whatever he could.  Max was very active in church life serving in many different capacities and was always willing to serve his Lord. Max was a dedicated and a hard worker and eventually started his own business in Lathing. In 1973, Max incorporated his own company and became a General Contractor. He built well over 100 homes in the Vancouver area for over 25 years. His reputation for honesty, quality and workmanship served him well as he always had plenty of work and formed great relationships with both his trades and clients. Max was a faithful worker and the Lord richly blessed him for it. Max was a remarkable man, notable for his steadfast faith, kind heart, leadership qualities, wisdom and humour. Max loved to laugh and always enjoyed making others laugh. He enjoyed singing, playing volleyball, playing dominoes at family gatherings, travelling to Hawaii with his wife and fishing with his children.

He loved to host parties with Helene and cherished his duty of providing a barbecue full of meat. Max was devoted to his family and fully engaged with his children and grandchildren. He sacrificed for his children so that they would not have to work as hard as he did. Max was a man of integrity who loved God and his Family. Max was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s which slowly took him away from his family and friends. Helene cared for him at home as long as she could but after suffering a heart attack she was no longer able to care for him. On October 25th, 2013 Max became a resident of the German Canadian Care Home. Max was a popular resident and even in his illness brought smiles and laughter to others. Although Max’s health continued to decline he still attempted to communicate through words and laughter to his very last days.

Max exhibited peace and was ready to be with his Lord. On April 15, 2016 during the early hours of the morning, the Lord took Max to his eternal home. Max will be deeply missed.