Abram R. Reimer

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ABRAM R. REIMER

Peacefully, on Monday, Nov. 6, 2017, with family by his side, Abram R. Reimer finished his earthly pilgrimage at the age of nearly 97.

He lived his life according to Psalm 19:14, which we found underlined in his Bible. “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.”

Abram is survived by his wife of 71 years, Margaret, who he steadfastly and dearly loved. He met her first when he was 21 and she was only 16. He carried her picture in his wallet to this day. He is also survived by his children, six daughters and four sons; 28 grandchildren; 47 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren.

He was predeceased by his infant daughter Tina, as well as by all of his siblings.

Dad was born on Dec. 31, 1920 to Cornelius and Maria P. Reimer. He received his grade 1-9 education at the Clearsprings School. In his early twenties, he gave his heart to the Lord and was baptized on a warm November day that felt like summer. Mom and Dad got married on June 16, 1946, shortly after the sudden loss of his father. He and Mom started a small farm in addition to him running the family farm.

Two years into their marriage, they left it all and moved to the Quellen Kolonie in Mexico, together with their infant daughter. The place was a barren ranch infested with snakes and scorpions. Dad proceeded to build doors and windows for all those adobe houses. During the twelve years they lived there, he was instrumental in getting the cheese factory started. He enjoyed making cheese. Then he established a gas/oil station as well as the post office. All the supplies had to be hauled through the mountains after being purchased in Chihuahua, so he taught himself to do business in Spanish. Dad was always interested in genealogy, having authored two books on the subject.

In 1958, he bought his brother’s farm when many of his friends and neighbors, as well as all his siblings there, moved on to Belize. He even drove one of the first truckloads of furnishings to Belize. He continued to farm and teach grades 1-7 in a one-room school. He invented machinery for the farm and set up electricity with a generator.

During these years his family grew. Eight children were born in Mexico. Sadly, one is buried out there. He also faced many other hardships and grief. The saddest day was the one where he closed Mom’s eyes, thinking she had passed away after giving birth to their fourth child. But God proved his faithfulness again and again. Dad went through many struggles, but he did have the courage to make the hard decisions. In 1962, he took the initiative to move their family back to Canada.

In Canada he farmed for many years until he worked for A.K. Penners, which he did until retirement. He and Mom travelled extensively. We have tried to count how many times Dad built a house for his family. He enjoyed the house in Blumenort, but was willing to give it up when Mom broke her hip and couldn’t handle stairs. They ended up moving to Steinbach, but longed to be back in Blumenort where he spent five more enjoyable years before, due to health issues, he was forced to move to other facilities. With humility and grace he accepted more and more limitations. Recently, a child asked him what he would do if he could choose anything. He said, “Read my Bible.” Ever since his retirement, he had read all the way through the Bible every single year. He enjoyed teaching Sunday School for many years. He loved to sing. He sang with a group of men who faithfully went to the Vita Personal Care Home, where they were dubbed “The Singing Grandpas”.

Even though he longed to go to his eternal home, we thank God for the final years He gave our dad. We got to see the gentle and affectionate side of him. The smile that always welcomed us, the appreciation he showed us and continued to show to the staff at Bethesda Place. His meticulous attention to detail often made us and the staff smile. His sharp wit often made us laugh. We will miss you incredibly much and we promise to be there for Mom as you have been.

Thanks for the legacy you left us.

-The family

The viewing will be held on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. at Birchwood Funeral Chapel, Steinbach, MB.

The memorial service for Abram will be held on Sunday, Nov. 12 at 3 p.m. at Birchwood Funeral Chapel, Steinbach, MB.

The burial will take place at the Blumenort EMC Cemetery at 1pm.

Arrangements by
Birchwood Funeral Chapel
1-204-346-1030 or 1-888-454-1030.

As published in The Carillon on Nov 08, 2017