“Blessed assurance, Jesus Is Mine”
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine”
On Sunday, October 16, 2005, Wietse Terpstra, at the age of 73 years, passed into his eternal Sabbath. He was born near Stroobos, Groningen, the Netherlands on October 8, 1932 (the second youngest of fourteen children).
At the age of eighteen, he immigrated to Ontario, Canada where he worked on a farm and later crossed Canada, working in the Prairie provinces, eventually ending up in the Fraser Valley. He returned to Ontario where he met and married Betty, his loving wife of 45 years.
Always wanting to dairy farm in BC, his dream became reality in 1969 when they moved, with the love of their three oldest children and their faith in their Lord, to Prairie Central Road in Chilliwack to their first dairy farm. In 1972, the family moved with their four children to the Lickman Rd. dairy farm.
It was evident to all who knew him that his devotion and love for his family ran deep. Celebrating his passing into glory are:
His wife, Betty; son, Randy (Carla); their children, Bryan, Jolene, David and Nicole; daughter, Wendy (Lloyd) Taekema; their children, Rachel (Ed) Kuipers, Derek, Kevin, Marcel and Janelle; son, Richard; his children, Brianne, Dustin and Bradley; daughter, Debbie (Jim) Luteyn and their children, Samantha, Rebecca, Matthew, Joshua and Natasha.
He will be lovingly remembered for his steadfast faith in his Savior, Jesus Christ and his humble thankfulness in all situations. He was dedicated to Christian education and to his church, where he served as deacon and elder over the years. The Bibles for Missions Thrift Store of which he helped found and served as chairman of the board was also close to his heart.
Memorial Services will be held on Friday, October 21, 2005 at 1:00 pm at the First Christian Reformed Church, 9800 McNaught Rd. Chilliwack, Rev. Carel Geleynse officiating. Should family and friends so desire, donations in his memory may be made to Unity Christian School or to the Canadian Arthritis foundation.