Tribute

Peter was born at home on January 20^th, 1932 to Frank and Anna Nikkel in Rosengard, Manitoba. Peter’s early years were spent on the family farm with his six siblings, a time he fondly remembered and often told stories about.

Peter went to work in Winnipeg at the age of 15 where he honed his construction skills, learning the trade from his brother-in-law Jake Wiebe. When the cold weather halted construction projects Peter worked with his brother Jac Nikkel at a lumber camp near the village of Marchand.  In his early twenties Peter accepted the Lord as his Savior during an evening service at North Kildonan Church and sometime later attended Winkler Bible School for a few semesters.

Peter met the love of his life, Edith Helene Warkentin, at an after-wedding party referred to in low German as an “no chast” where young people socialized and played singing circle games. Peter and Edith were engaged in March 1959 and then married on August 15^th of the same year in the Steinbach Mennonite Church. On the morning of their wedding Peter and Edith drove to Winnipeg for professional wedding photos and ended up with a flat tire right on Portage Avenue! In true Peter style he casually took off his suit jacket and changed the tire on the car without hesitation or complaint.

The newlyweds lived in Winnipeg for three years while Peter worked as a finishing carpenter. They welcomed baby Wendelyn Sharon in 1960 and Gerald Wayne in 1961. They then decided to relocate to Calgary, Alberta where Roben Dale joined the family in 1964.  Peter and Edith then decided to move even further west to Abbotsford, BC in 1967 where they purchased a hobby farm on Mt. Lehman Road and added Twila Melanie to the family in 1968.

Peter started building homes on his own under the company name of Peterbuilt Homes, mostly focusing on the Mission area. This meant crossing the Fraser River via the one-way rail bridge prior to the new bridge being added in 1973!

Peter was known for his quality workmanship and for also being a reliable, fair and hardworking man of his word.  In 1979, Peter and Edith felt called to volunteer for one year at Key-Way-Tin Bible School for Indigenous peoples in Lac La Biche, Alberta. Peter worked in carpentry & maintenance, while Edith took on the role of cook for the 25 single students who lived on campus.

In 1983, Peter seized an opportunity to work in Bella Coola, BC building homes and Edith enjoyed going to visit him during his time there. Being the adventurers they were, they braved the harrowing descent into the town including hairpin turns on an impossibly steep hill.

In 1985, Peter and Edith bought the Donuts Galore restaurant in Abbotsford and successfully ran the business for six years. They enjoyed getting to know their customers and working alongside the dedicated staff. They complimented the usual diner fare with some good old Mennonite favorites like borsht and platz.

In 1991 Peter and Edith sold their farm on Mt. Lehman Road and purchased another hobby farm in the rural Bradner area where they enjoyed 15 years of retirement and created lots of lasting memories with their four grandchildren.

In 2006 Peter decided it was time to downsize and really retire so they sold their farm, moved into town to slow down the pace a little bit. Peter enjoyed going for coffee on the daily, taking scenic drives to Hope for lunch with Edith, tackling small projects around the house and seeing his kids and grandkids at family get togethers.

In 2012 Peter began to have some medical challenges that made his day to day living a bit more complicated, but Peter was not one to complain and bravely faced all those challenges.

In 2018 Peter had another physical setback and after eight weeks in hospital was transferred to the Cottage Pavillion where he received excellent care and again amazed us with his ability to accept his new reality and remain positive. Edith visited her Peter every day and his eyes would light up as soon as he saw her.

Peter and Edith’s motto for their married life was Romans 8:28:  “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God”

We love you Grandpa and we will always cherish the memories we made with you.