Obituary of John Unruh

Obituary John A Unruh was the sixth child born to Aron and Anna Unruh on July 27, 1931, near Hague, Saskatchewan. In the spring of 1940, when he was 9 years old, his parents took the family (along with a number of other families from the Saskatoon and Swift Current area) and made a big move out to Burns Lake, BC. It was a hard struggle to get settled, especially when you only have a tent to live in with a family of 8 children! For all the kids, it was an adventure and hard work, but they learned many things. Dad’s mother was not a very healthy person, and one morning, she told the kids what chores to do. She was sitting in her room, when suddenly, she got up quickly and went to her bed. There, she prayed out loud, asking God to receive her, and then she went to be with the Lord. This was a huge shock to all of them. She passed away just two days before Dad’s 14th birthday. In 1946, Grandpa Aron built a sawmill and Dad and his brothers worked with him for a few years. In 1949, Grandpa moved the family to Mexico, staying for about 6 months. Early in 1950, they returned to Hague, SK and worked on sugar beet farms for the summer. In late 1950, the family moved to LaCrete and found work on various farms. Dad worked on the John Harms farm, and they became like a second family to him and he to them. In approximately 1953, Dad moved to Cheslatta on the south side of Francis Lake. When he looked back, Dad saw how good God is, providing all his needs. After many years of working the little family farm, working in bush and in sawmills, he finally got into driving a lumber truck. During all this time, he felt the need to be baptized, which he thought would fill the need in his heart. He was baptized in the Old Colony Church in Cheslatta in 1954. Then, he met his sweetheart, Susan Unrau, and not quite 2 years later they decided to get married. Mom was baptized in the Sommerfelder Church in Burns Lake, so he transferred over there and they got married on September 16, 1956. What a wonderful life they had as they started their new home as John and Susan Unruh!! They lived in the Endako and Cheslatta areas early in their married life, and then in Palling and on Gerow Island in Burns Lake. They fellowshipped in the Sommerfelder Church until 1959, when they accepted Jesus as their Saviour after listening to a missionary explain one evening that they needed Jesus as their personal Saviour. They then joined the Evangelical Mennonite Church where they fellowshipped until 1995. Dad wrote in his memoirs, “In February of 1963, we received a beautiful gift, a baby boy! Oh, he was beautiful, and we named him Richard John. He brought so much joy into our home.” In 1966, they went to Steinbach Bible Institute to work. Dad did maintenance work and Mom was the cook. They worked there for 1 year and then moved back to Burns Lake. Again, directly from Dad’s memoirs, “In 1968, we received another beautiful gift, another baby boy! He was just as beautiful as the first, and we named him Roger Darrel. Then in 1970, we received our third beautiful gift, a baby girl whom we named Karen Annette. We loved these 3 children dearly; each one is an answer to our prayers.” Around 1975, Dad bought his own skidder, which he had for nearly 6 years. He always said those were the best years of his working career and that it was a very good job. He really enjoyed skidding logs out of the bush to the landing where they were prepared to be trucked to the local sawmill. The last 25 years before retirement, Dad worked at Decker Lake Forest Products, mainly in the maintenance department. In 1995, Dad retired, and they moved to Fort St. John where, over the years, they were able to catch up with family and many old friends, and also make many new friends. They enjoyed the fellowship at the North Peace Mennonite Brethren Church for the remainder of their years. Dad was so very grateful for the life God had given to him and Mom. “Such a wonderful life together!!” Early on March 22, 2023, Dad went to be with the Lord and his beloved wife. Such a wonderful life in the presence of their Saviour. Services Open Viewing Wednesday March 29, 2023 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM Hamre's Funeral Chapel 10315 102 Street Fort St. John, BC V1J4B9 Funeral Service Saturday April 1, 2023 2:00 PM North Peace MB Church 10816 106 Street Fort St John, BC V1J 5V2