Dec 6, 1916 – Nov 4, 2017
Susie Alice Derksen (nee Giesbrecht)

After almost 101 years of courageous living, Susie Alice Derksen died peacefully on November 4, 2017 at her residence in Chilliwack.

She was the 7th child born to Elisabeth (Wittenberg) and Peter P. Giesbrecht on December 6, 1916, in a Russian village east of the Black Sea, Susie experienced war, revolution, and homelessness early in life. Her family’s flight from Russia ended when they settled in the new Fraser Valley village of Yarrow in 1928.

Susie and Jacob (Jake) G. Derksen were married Carman United Church in 1938 and made Yarrow their life long home.

Since 2013, when Susie needed too much assistance to live on her own, she has been lovingly cared for by the staff at Cascade Lodge and regularly visited by many family members and friends.

Susie and Jake lived vibrant, compassionate lives, which came to include 2 sons, Jack (Jenny Froese), Edward (Dianna Moe); 2 daughters, Caroline (Juan Vila), Susan (Alan DeLong); 8 grandchildren; and 11 great grandchildren.

They also welcomed Laszlo Kocsis, a Hungarian refugee, into their home. The seeds of love they planted in their offspring continue to grow in the current generations of the Derksen/Vila/DeLong families.

We have a rich legacy of love, faith and cooperation. "To lend each other a hand when we’re fallin ...Perhaps that’s the only work that matters in the end" (F.Buechner).

Susie was predeceased by 9 of her siblings and continues to be loved by her 2 brothers, Cornie and Johnny (Beatrice) Giesbrecht, as well as the large Giesbrecht clan of nephews and nieces.

Her funeral service was held on Friday, November 17, 2017 at 1 p.m. at Yarrow Mennonite Brethren Church, Yarrow Central Rd. Reception immediately to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations to the MCC will be gratefully received.

She was buried in the Yarrow Cemetery, which she and others were inspired to renovate after Jake died in 1994.

Following the example of her parents, Susie wrote her memoirs as part of her 50th wedding anniversary celebration with Jake.

My mother was Elisabeth Wittenberg Giesbrecht and my father Peter P. Giesbrecht. I was born on December 6, 1916 by the Russian calendar in Woldemfuerst on the Kuban in Russia, the 7th of 12 children. My father was not at home at the time I was born as he was serving in the Red Cross as Russia was in World War I. Although we were experiencing very difficult and anxious years during the latter part of the war and revolution, I have happy memories of my almost 8 years of childhood in Russia. The thing I remember vividly is the summer I spent in Kindergarten and the one year I attended school. During the years between 1919 – 1924 when the Red and White Armies were fighting, life was anxious and tense. My father was often away from home and there was much sickness in the family. The army was stationed in the village with the yard full of soldiers. Mother had to cook for a great number of soldiers. She was allotted one room for her family while they had the rest of the house, but God protected us. We were not harmed. It was these experiences that made my parents very willing to leave Russia.

We traveled to Mexico by train and freighter in 1924. Although we were happy our sea voyage was over, we were shocked to hear Mexico had an uprising. We tried to settle in northern Mexico, but when that didn’t work out, our family, along with others, moved south to Irapuato. We children had no worries and thought it all a great adventure, but to my parents it wasn’t easy. Mother was pregnant, and we were strangers in a foreign country with a strange language and customs, no home and nine children. Once we settled in Irapuato in 1924-1925 my childhood was over. I had to help. Most of my days were spent riding a horse in front of a cultivator or herding stock. Once we had lived in Mexico for two years a religious rebellion broke out and we feared for our lives. My parents decided to emigrate. We had hoped to settle in California, but when the US would not grant us visas, we applied for Canada. Our time waiting at the border for 2 months for our papers to arrive was the only time in my life I went to bed hungry. On the picture that we took for our passport we look like people who had been in a concentration camp.

We arrived in Shafter, California in October 1926, and were helped by our Wittenberg relatives. We worked in the harvest fields for 4 months to earn money for our travel costs to Canada. It is here I turned 10 years old. My mother, wanting to give me a gift but not having the money to buy me one, parted with a wooden box that she received from her mother. This is the box I have given to Susan. Pass it on some day to one of your daughters and tell them the history of it.

Our family of 12 traveled north by train arriving at the small Waneta, BC border crossing in the dark on Feb. 10, 1927. We entered Canada with no trouble and continued to the snow filled town of Nelson. After living there for two months, we rented a farm in Meadow Spur with the help of a German speaking Lutheran pastor. There was no opportunity to earn money like we had done in California, so our life became a more relaxed and normal one. We worked hard on the farm, but we also enjoyed attending a small one room school and playing on Sundays after our family worship time.

One year later, our family moved again to the new village of Yarrow, which was to become my life long home. Our family bought property on Wilson Road thanks to a loan from Mr. Eckert. At first we lived communally with other refugees, but my father soon built a temporary two room house for us on our property. On our Wilson Road farm, I worked with my family, attended school and was part of the Yarrow M.B. congregation. I enjoyed school so much that after completing grade 8 I begged my parents for the opportunity to go to high school. They allowed me to board with the Robinson family in Chilliwack for grades 9 – 12. After graduation, I secured a permanent job as a clerk at Woolworths, where I worked until I married Jacob G. Derksen on June 19, 1938 at the Carman United Church in Sardis, as the Yarrow MB Church was under construction.

We started our married life in a new house on Yarrow Central Road, and it was here that we lived our early family life with our four children Jack, Ed, Caroline and Susan. Jake and I both had entrepreneurial personalities, so we made our living in a variety of ways. Before too long we became raspberry farmers and landlords as well as active community volunteers and leaders.

Jake and I also enjoyed traveling a great deal. Sadly in 1994, Jake died and I found myself both busy and lonely. I am thankful Jake provided me with a good home where the children and grandchildren could always be welcomed.

I am amazed at how long I have lived, long enough to see my 8 grandchildren grow up, and to enjoy my 11 great grandchildren.

Leaving my house in 2013 and moving to Cascade Lodge in Chilliwack was a difficult decision, but one that I made myself when I saw that I needed more care than I could get at home. I often wanted to go to sleep and not wake up during the four years I lived there, but I also asked God repeatedly to give me a thankful heart and to make my life a blessing to others. Together with family and friends I celebrated my 100th birthday there with singing and fellowship.

During 2017, while Susie’s strength slowly ebbed away, she continued to enjoy her visitors and the loving care given by the Cascade Lodge staff. She died quietly in her sleep on Nov. 4, 2017 with her son Jack at her side.

Susie Alice (Giesbrecht) Derksen In a Russian village, Susie experienced war, revolution, and homelessness early in life. Her family’s flight from Russia started in 1924 when they immigrated to Mexico, and ended in 1928 when they settled in Yarrow, B.C. Susie and husband Jake made Yarrow their lifelong home. They both had entrepreneurial personalities and made their living in a variety of ways. They became raspberry farmers and landlords, active community volunteers and leaders. Since 2013, when Susie needed too much assistance to live on her own, she was cared for by Cascade Lodge staff and regularly visited by many family and friends. Susie and Jake lived vibrant, compassionate lives, which came to include 4 children, a foster son, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. The seeds of love they planted in their offspring continue to grow in new generations. Theirs is a rich legacy of love, faith, and cooperation. "To lend each other a hand when we’re falling ... Perhaps that's the only work that matters in the end" (F. Buechner). Predeceased by 9 siblings, Susie was loved to the end by her 2 remaining brothers and many Giesbrecht nephews and nieces. Yarrow MB was Susie’s home church since 1928. After almost 101 years of courageous living, Susie died peacefully in Chilliwack, B.C. She was buried in Yarrow Cemetery, which she and others renovated after Jake died in 1994.




Birth: December 6, 1916

Birthplace: Wohldemfuerst, Kuban, Russia Death: November 4, 2017

Parents: Peter P. Giesbrecht & Elisabeth Wittenberg Giesbrecht

Husband: Jacob G. Derksen[d. 1994]

Family: children Jack (Jenny), Ed (Dianna), Caroline (Juan Vila), Susan (Alan DeLong); 8 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; 2 brothers

Baptism: Yarrow (B.C.) MB, 1935