Peter P. Nikkel of Clearbrook, B.C. passed away February 19, 1989. He was born June 20, 1906 in Samara, Russia to Peter A. & Anna (Thiessen) Nikkel. Two and a half years later, the family moved to the Orenburg Settlement and by 1926, his parents decided to immigrate to Canada. After a brief stay in southern Manitoba, the Nikkels came to Coaldale, Alberta in 1928.

On December 31, 1931 Peter accepted Christ. He attended Bible School and was baptized in the summer of 1932. On November 5, 1932, he married Neta Brucks and they settled on a farm near Coaldale, Alberta.

In the spring of 1940, the family moved to Yarrow B.C. where they operated dairy and berry farms. In 1947 the home he had just built burned down. A few months later their farm was destroyed by severe flooding ... their farm was very close to the Vedder River.

Peter was not daunted, and his faith in God remained strong. He and his wife Neta worked hard to provide the physical, educational and spiritual needs of their children.

In 1956, they moved to Vancouver. In 1985 they moved to a condominium in Clearbrook.
He is survived by his wife Neta; daughters Hanna Sims, Ruth Pankratz, Bettyann Toews, Rose Watson and Sue; sons Henry and Ben and 12 grandchildren.

The funeral for Peter Nikkel was at the Clearbrook M.B. Church with pastors Jacob Pauls and J.E. Klassen ministering. Burial was a MacLure Road, Mennonite Cemetery, Abbotsford, B.C.

NIKKEL, Neta Brucks

Neta Brucks Nikkel passed away April 13, 1995. She was born May 22, 1912 to Henry & Aganetha Brucks at Samara Oblust, Orenburg, Russia. After the Russian Revolution, the Brucks family immigrated to Coaldale, Alberta where she was baptized and joined the M.B. Church. She enjoyed singing in the choir.

She married Peter Nikkel on November 5, 1932. They farmed near Coaldale.

Neta & Peter Nikkel moved to B.C. in 1940 where they cleared some land near the Vedder River in the Fraser Valley, just east of Yarrow, B.C. They planted fruit trees and raspberries. Their newly built home was destroyed by fire in 1947; they moved into a converted Chicken coop on their property. In 1948, their land was flooded and eroded into the Vedder River. They bought a small raspberry farm in Yarrow, B.C. Neta and the older girls picked berries and worked in canneries to supplement their farm income.

The Nikkel family moved to Vancouver in the mid 1950’s. Neta suffered a stroke at age 60 from which she mostly recovered.

In the following years, she suffered many other health problems, but refused to be depressed. She was a talented cook and enjoyed knitting and sewing. She was faithful in her prayers for her family. She met challenges by reaffirming her faith in God.

Neta passed away April 13, 1996. She was predeceased by Peter in 1989. She is mourned by her children: Hanna, Ruth, BettyAnne, Henry, Sue, Ben and Rose; 9 grandchildren, 7 great-grandchildren and 4 sisters. The funeral was at the Clearbrook M.B. Church with Jacob Pauls, Jay Neufeld and George Baier ministering. Burial was at MacLure Rd. Mennonite Cemetery, Abbotsford B.C.

Peter Peter Nikkel

A Wedding Anniversary Celebration

First of all I want to thank you all for coming.

It was the year before our wedding, in October 1931 when three of my friends and myself went by car to Manitoba and stayed in Winnipeg for two or three days. John Kroeker went to Steinbach and the other two went to Ontario. From Winnipeg I went to Burwalde where my Uncles lived. I helped them cutting trees down for firewood and also was hired for almost one month doing chores for Pastor Peter Riesen. Then came December 31st, New Year's Eve. They had a church meeting in a house and I went too and met a friend of mine whom I knew from 3 years ago. He was so happy, so I said what happened with him. He said, I am a Christian now and he said, let us go to a different place where we can talk. He explained to me that everything the Lord Jesus had done for us and we prayed and I found peace in my heart and was born again.

A week after New Year's I went to Bible School in Steinbeck, for five weeks because I was hungry for the Word of God. After that Uncle David and I earned a few dollars hauling wood for a farmer. When spring came I went back home to Coaldale, Alberta. That summer I took over five acres of sugar beets by contract and other work. In June, that summer, there was a baptism and about seven of us were baptized that day. In the beginning of October, I was thinking of getting married and I was prayed to God that He should show me if this was the right girl for me. The Lord gave me the assurance. We were engaged and in two weeks we had a double wedding with Jacob and Anna (Kopp) (November 5, 1932). B. B. Janz text was Psalm 118, 23-24. "This is the day that the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it." In the evening after the wedding we went to the Bible School Opening in the church - it was a long, blessed day.

We had bought a house (14' by 16') and it had to be moved to the churchyard as we had to look after the church every weekend. I also went to Bible School that winter which was in the church. It was a very hard winter for my dear wife, Neta, because I was in School all day and she did not have much to do in close four walls.

In spring of 1933 we moved with our little house to my parent's place where we rented 40 acres of land of my parent's farm. They helped us with many things. The Lord blessed us and we were happy.

September 21, 1934 Hanna was born, then Ruth in November 23, 1935. Bettyann was born on my birthday June 20, 1937. Then we were hoping for a son, but instead Susie arrived and how happy we were, even working out and doing the farming on top and we barely made our living because it was the Depression years. But God be the Praise, he helped us gracefully.

We went to Coaldale one day and in the car mirror I saw Ruth was running behind the car but she wasn't hurt. We picked her up and went on and did some shopping.

In 1939, in September or October, Neta's parents and the rest of the family moved to BC. Peter and Tina (Reimer) moved in January.

When spring came we rented out our farm and made an auction sale and moved to British Columbia. It took us two and a half days to get there. Neta's parents and family were already there for about six months, so we had a place to stay. The next day we rented a five-acre farm with a small house and we moved in and bought the things we needed most. We also bought three cows and started to ship milk. So we had income and I started working for farmers for $.25 an hour.

In August 3 Henry was born, praise the Lord.

After a year we bought a sixteen-acre farm close to the Vedder River, two miles north east of Yarrow. There was an old house and somewhat of a shed for a barn. We moved in May 1st. We planted half-acre of raspberries. It was $.25 an hour for working in the hay or other work. We bought cows, shipped milk and planted three quarter acre raspberries. I also worked out as much as possible. We picked hops as a family and we made about $45.00 to $30.00 a day, which was pretty good for those years.

In 1945 - 1946 we built a new house, but it was not meant for long. December 30th, 1949 Ruth had an appointment with Dr. Epp. So we had to go to Chilliwack. The other children stayed home. We came back for 12 noon and as we came close to our farm, the house was on fire. But praise the Lord the children were all at the neighbours. One bay chair the neighbours got out. That's all he could save.