Tribute

On December 13th, Mel went home to Jesus.

Mel was a man of very strong faith, and through the sadness and tears there is rejoicing that he is no longer in pain and is now with our Lord and Saviour.

Mel was born in Minitonas, Manitoba, moving to Prince Rupert, BC at the age of 5. He grew up in Prince Rupert and spent many years of his adulthood there. Prince Rupert is where his children Michel, Trevor, and Adelle would be born and raised and where he would work 25 years at Kelly Douglas.  Eventually Mel moved down to Abbotsford, and would marry Marge, which added three more daughters, Cheryle, Donna, and Cindy into the family. In the following years Mel would become a grandpa and eventually a great-grandpa. Mel loved his family and was so proud of them, talking about them to anyone who listened. He was so grateful to be a grandfather of 16 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren, and thoroughly enjoyed all the times he would be called upon to complete ‘grandpa’ duties, including chauffeuring.

Throughout Mel’s life he worked many different jobs, but his time in the Air Force and time as a locksmith would be the two careers he was most passionate about. He had a love for history and photography. At the age of 18, he joined the Air Force, where he would serve for 3 years doing photography, which would even present him the opportunity to snap a few pictures of Queen Elizabeth II. Later in life, Mel would take a locksmithing course and then create his business M&M Locksmith, which he would operate for around 20 years. Mel was a people person and enjoyed helping others, making this a great career choice for him and one that he thrived at. Nearly everywhere Mel and Marge would go, a customer from some point through his career would be saying hi!

Mel was a member of South Abbotsford Church for 39 years, many of which he was a greeter. He loved to arrive at church early, and even after ‘retiring’ from greeter duties, he was so honoured by all who stopped by his seat at the back to shake his hand.

Although stubborn and very opinionated, Mel was also a man that exuded positivity and enjoyed life. He loved his family and friends, and above all loved the Lord and sharing Him with anyone who would listen. As much as a home body Mel was, he thoroughly enjoyed the numerous trips him and Marge went on and getting out of the house to do a walk around Mill Lake when his health allowed him to.  Mel managed to survive through 3 heart attacks and 1 battle with cancer, but eventually the cancer would come back. After being given 3-4 months to live in late 2021, the Lord fortunately had other plans and allowed Mel to be with us for years longer than expected. As per his wishes, Mel managed to stay at home through his battle, and passed away peacefully with family at his side.

Mel leaves behind his beloved wife of nearly 39 years, Marge; children: Michel (Jim) White, Trevor Weick, and Adelle Weick; step-children: Cheryle (Mirko) Kupsch, Donna Epp, and Cindy (Kurt) Sharp; grandchildren: Elya White, Melissa Epp (Danny Laplante), Christopher (Laura) Blickensdoerfer, Megan Epp, Brianna Blickensdoerfer, Andrew Friesen, Alannah Sharp, Joshua (Melanie) Blickensdoerfer, Benjamin Friesen, Emma (Conner) Sperling,
Caleb Friesen, Danica (Nate) Lynch, Erin Sharp, Niklas Kupsch, Roni Goldman, and Jamie Goldman; and great-grandchildren: Jael, Jaron, and Hayden. He is also survived by his brother Gary Weick; in-laws: Bill Heinricks, John (Hilda) Falk, Erna (Walter) Janzen, Peter (Sandra) Falk, Ben (Pat) Falk, Jess Falk, Ev Falk; and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his son-in-law Scott Epp; brothers: Josef (Eileen) Huff, Tedford (Rilla) Huff, Ralph (Edith) Weick; sisters Mary (Art) Mckinley, Gert (Pete) Stubbert, Dot Heinricks; brother-in-laws: Abe Falk and George Falk.

A service to remember Mel will be held at South Abbotsford Church on January 8th, 2025 at 10:30am. The service will be live streamed on South Abbotsford Church’s YouTube page –   http://youtube.com/live/dwbgPzEmR9A?feature=share