James Arthur Dyck

Obituary

It is with sadness for ourselves, but with joy for Jim, that we announce his passing on Monday, October 30, 2023, at the Bethesda Regional Health Centre.

Jim was born on April 24, 1948, in Brampton, Ontario to Jake and Helen Dyck. He was predeceased by his parents, his brother Jerry Dyck, and his first wife Josie Comeau.

He is survived by his wife Irma, his children Beverly, Jerry (Denise), Cory (Joanne), and Carl; Khrista, Justen (April), and Tyler (Doris). He will be lovingly remembered by his grandchildren Shawn, Leanne, Bryan, Bronwyn, Ezra (Timaya), Jonah, Cambree and great grandson, Kurtis; Cole, Azariah, Kerean, Lucia, and Autumn.

Jim will be missed by his siblings: Jack (Vi), Judith (Herb), Jeff (Karen), Joyce, Joanne (Gord), Janet (Gord), Mary (Guy), Karen (Clarence) and sister-in-law Joeanne.

As Jim would often say, “It’s my story!”

Jim spent his childhood growing up in Stuartburn and Randolph before the family moved to Steinbach. The family loved spending time at their cabin and on the lake. As an adult Jim owned his own cabin at Moose Lake and loved to host people there. He got so much joy from taking people out on his boat (when it wasn’t being repaired…). Pulling kids behind on the tube was one of his favourite things.

He excelled at school until his grade 6 graduation! After school one of his first jobs was as a garbage collector. Due to the heat of the day, he stretched out on a lawn and fell asleep. This was his first and last day in the sanitation field.

One of Jim’s passions was raising and training Arabian horses. As a young man he loved riding and spending time with horses. He also developed a love of spending time fishing. Catching fish was also fun, when it happened. A big highlight for Jim were fly-in fishing trips with his friends made through his business connections.

Jim tried his hand in several different businesses. He owned a book binding company in Winnipeg, he was part owner of a pizza restaurant, then went on to open another restaurant in Altona called The Two Gun Inn. Jim spent most of his working life in a career at Friesens supervising and growing the bindery department. He always spoke of the importance of making work productive and rewarding for the people in his department. He wanted to improve the safety and working conditions of the people he had the privilege of working alongside.

After retirement Jim was sought after to do consulting work in both Tennessee and Ottawa to increase the efficiency of their book binderies. He spent two years in Calgary working with his brother Jeff at his window and door manufacturing plant. He then went back to school to study bookkeeping and used that skill to work for his friends’ businesses up until his stroke in 2016.

One of the greatest joys of Jim’s life were his grandchildren. He showered them with love, and they loved him deeply in return.

In 2003 Jim married Irma and his family grew. He was adored by his new grandson, Cole, and enjoyed the addition of each little one.

In January 2016, Jim was treated for a heart attack and then, due to medication he was given, he suffered a serious stroke. His healing came slowly but it was a miracle for those of us who watched him relearn to eat, walk and take care of himself. His speech was most affected, and it was a huge loss for Jim not to be able to communicate well with those around him. He mourned the loss of his independence and ability to help others. Many people will miss seeing him around town on his scooter (he called it his “truck”) which was the one thing that gave him a bit of freedom to move about on his own. He would stop to talk to anyone he met as his love for people was something he never lost.

Jim loved the Lord. Something special is that after his stroke his speech was most clear when he was praying. His faith never wavered, and we know that he is now fully healed.

A livestreamed memorial service will be held to honour Jim at 3:00 pm on Saturday, November 4, 2023, at Calvary Church, 305 Main Street, Steinbach, MB followed by a time of fellowship after the service. A private interment will take place at the Heritage Cemetery prior to the service.

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