Reverend William (Bill) Rempel

On Saturday November 20, 2021 our beloved father, grandfather, and great grandfather William Rempel left this earth to enter into the presence of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ whom he so faithfully served.

Left to cherish his memory are three sons and three daughters; Rhonda, Gerry (Kim), Lori (Larry), Ken (Lili), Andrea (Adolf) and Nathan (Tricia), 18 grandchildren and their spouses and 22 great grandchildren, daughter-in-law Rae-Lynn Rempel and son-in-law Bob Martens.

He is survived by two brothers (Art, Menno) three sisters (Mary, Anne, Linda) and the extended Rempel and Schultz families.

He was predeceased by his wife Helen in August of this year, parents Jacob and Katharina Rempel, brother Henry, sister Hannah, and three nephews.

Dad grew up in the village of Silberfeld and attended the Shakespeare School. Although times were tough, dad had many fond memories of his younger years, hanging out with his brothers and neighbors at his great grandparent’s farm, which was the local gathering place.

A Sunday afternoon drive to Niverville resulted in Dad meeting his future wife Helen, with whom he shared 66 years of married life.

Dad started out as a truckdriver for Blackwoods Beverages and Maccam Transport until founding F & R Truck Service in Niverville with his brother-in-law Ed Friesen. After his call to the ministry, dad continued to drive from time to time for Niverville Poultry and Hog Service and Penner International.

For many years dad was a minister in the Christian Mennonite Conference (CMC) and was also involved in Transport For Christ, a ministry to the trucking industry. He was a committed minister and pastor who enjoyed serving God in all aspects of ministry.

Our dad was a lifelong learner and prodigious reader with a large library. Theology and history were his main areas of interest, along with a few Louis Lamour and Zane Grey novels thrown in for some easy reading. The sometimes-spirited discussions around the Faspa table on Sunday afternoons gave the family a sense of spiritual, intellectual, and emotional support in navigating an increasingly complex world. Dad was not a believer in cancel culture. His love and concern for each family member was the same regardless if they held opposing views on a particular topic or issue that he felt strongly about.

Over the past number of years, dad experienced a significant decline in his health. He took comfort in the following scripture passage:

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

Dad looked forward to the day he could leave this earth and enjoy heaven, not because of anything he had done, but what God had done for him as outlined in Ephesians 2: 8 & 9:

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

Our family would like to thank the staff at the St Pierre Hospital and Niverville Heritage PCH for taking care of our dad on the last leg of his journey.

A public viewing will be held on Friday, November 26, 2021 from 7:00 – 8:30 pm at Crossings Funeral Care, following current Covid restrictions.

A family funeral service will be held at 1:00 pm on Saturday, November 27, 2021. The family would like to invite you to join them through livestream .  Burial will take place at 4:00 pm, at Hespeler Cemetery in Niverville.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Niverville Youth for Christ, PO Box 896, Niverville, Manitoba R0A 1E0.