Tribute

It is with both heartfelt sadness and yet victorious joy that we announce the passing of our dad and Opa, Vic, who peacefully entered into the loving arms of his Lord and Savior on Tuesday, December 8, 2020 after a short battle with cancer.  His devotion to his family and his firm belief in God and Jesus supported him in his final days and ultimately gave him peace.

Vic arrived in Canada shortly after the Second World War, landing initially in Abbotsford and eventually settling in Vancouver.  He married his best friend, Isolde Czerny and remained beside her side for 60 years until she passed away in 2018.  Vic helped raise his two sons with patience, discipline and humility.  He often took them on long family trips to see the natural beauty of Canada and the US.  Vic dedicated his sons to God and encouraged them to explore the virtues of Christian living and a robust gospel-centric Anabaptist lifestyle.  This encouragement eventually led a number of his grandchildren to pursue a life of pastoral and worship music ministry in their local churches.

Vic was blessed with the gift of hospitality … spending his retiring years visiting sick friends at their homes and in hospitals.  He was quite often seen sneaking into restricted areas of hospitals while posing as a relative or ‘lost and confused’ senior.  A big thank you to St. Michaels Hospice in Burnaby where he spent his final weeks.

Isolde, who predeceased Vic, greeted and embraced his arrival at their eternal home.  Vic is survived by his sons Mark (Elly) and Mike (Cindy), his grand children Victoria (Stephen), Jaclyn, Broderick, Zachary, Jacob and Sarah, and his sister Rita (Gustav) and his brother Jake (Hilda).  He is preceded in death by his brothers Henry and John.

Vic will be buried at Mountainview Cemetery in Vancouver, however, due to the current pandemic restrictions, this will be a small, private ceremony for family only. Messages to the family can be emailed to vloewen@lkca.ca.  In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Union Gospel Mission or Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) BC.