Tribute

Roberta Dawn English was born on April 30, 1962, in Regina, Saskatchewan to Harold and Marguerite English.  At the age of 7, the family moved to Penticton, BC, where she graduated from High School and immediately attended nursing school as it had always been her childhood dream to be a nurse.  After graduating as an RN, Dawn moved to Calgary where she nursed at Calgary General Hospital on a medical teaching floor. Dawn later progressed in her nursing career and studied Critical Care Nursing at the University of Alberta and Misericordia Hospital in Edmonton AB. In the spring of 1985, Dawn met Clarence and they were married on August 15, 1987. A year later, Clarence and Dawn moved to Abbotsford BC, where Dawn would continue to work as an Intensive Care Nurse at Langley Memorial Hospital and then at the MSA Hospital in Abbotsford until their first son was born.  

Dawn officially retired from nursing as her heart’s desire was to direct all of her love and energy into raising their 5 children.  Dawn was an active home school mom for 17 years and she devoted her love for teaching and supporting the kids in multiple settings including Sunday School, sporting events, and music lessons. In 2001, the family moved to an acreage in Yarrow, BC, where Dawn raised the children through elementary-high school and university years. Their home in Yarrow was always the hub for family gatherings and holiday celebrations, even after all their children had moved away. 

In 2016, Dawn joined Clarence in his ministry with Creation Ministries International and they were able to travel and work together. They ministered together until she had her first four seizures on November 14, 2019, only 3 days after what would be their last ministry trip together on November 11, 2019.

Dawn passed into the arms of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on March 13, 2020 after a painful and heart-breaking battle with brain cancer.  Dawn is survived by her husband Clarence of 32 years and their children: Joel and Sherri Janzen and grandson Caleb, Jocelyn and Timothy Dyck and granddaughter Renee, Adam Janzen, Mark Janzen, and James Janzen and fiancée Laura Hegeman. She is also survived by her mom, Marguerite English of West Kelowna BC, and Dawn’s siblings: Joanne and Ken Jacobson with Kendra, Matthew, Ethan and Aleah of Calgary AB, Michael and Lana English with Ashley, Shane, and Faith of Winnipeg MB, and Chris and Andrea English with Elizabeth, Joshua, Benjamin and Jacob of West Kelowna BC.  Dawn’s father, Harold English, passed away on Feb 16, 2016, after his long battle with lung and heart disease.

On behalf of the entire Janzen and English families, we sincerely thank you for joining us today as we celebrate Dawn’s life. We pray you may experience the saving faith of Jesus Christ as lived out in Dawn’s precious life.   

We love you mom

Janzen Family

Due to the March 16, 2020, BC Provincial Government’s announcement that all gatherings over 50 people is now prohibited, we are grieved to announce that the memorial service for Dawn scheduled for this Saturday at Yarrow MB Church has been cancelled. As a result, we are arranging a small, private service to remember Dawn’s life. Unfortunately this service will be by personal invitation only. Please know that we plan to have a celebration of life for Dawn sometime in the future, once the virus situation has been resolved.  This may be this sometime this summer.

Please gather this Saturday at 2:00 PM PST with your family or with a small group to watch the live stream of the private memorial service.  The live-stream link is:

https://www.facebook.com/PrairieChapelAbbotsford/posts/497142944288732