Nikkel, Tina Leona

2/1/2022

Passed away peacefully on January 24, 2022 in Aldergrove, BC at the age of 88. She was born July 18, 1933 in Lost River, Saskatchewan. The eldest, and only girl, of 7 children.
In 1955 her family moved to Mission, BC and in 1964 she married Jim and settled in Aldergrove for the remainder of her life. She was predeceased by her husband Jim of 44 years, and brothers John, George, and Abe. She is survived by her children Mark (Waltraud), Dawson (Mary) and Charmaine (Daniel), brothers Jake, Gary and Wes, 7 grandchildren and numerous nieces, nephews and extended family.
Prior to raising her family she was a practical nurse at Abbotsford’s Cottage and MSA Hospitals. She was an active member, including president, of the Aldergrove Fall Fair for many years as well as an active volunteer of various community, church and school organizations. Her pastimes included knitting, gardening, cooking and baking, especially traditional dishes, and caring for others. She loved visiting and would stop to chat with friends whenever and wherever they crossed paths. Her grandchildren were the joy of her life.
Funeral service held Saturday February 5, 2022 at St James Catholic Church, 2777 Townline Road, Abbotsford, BC with interment to follow at Maclure Road Mennonite Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Union Gospel Mission or the 5 and 2 Ministries.

9 Comments

Ann Nikkel

2/2/2022 02:38:59 pm

The Journey Home; There's a path that leads to a turn in the road,
and we each must travel there, Where the Father waits to take us home
to the shelter of His care... Where happiness and peace and joy replace the tears and pain, And our loved ones rest in the arms of God
to sweetly live again. I know Tena would say to all her children be happy. God's Blessing to you all. from Ann Nikkel

Mark Nikkel

2/9/2022 02:48:10 pm

For anyone interested I will be adding a transcript of some missing information in the coming days. Please check back. Mark Nikkel.

mark nikkel

2/9/2022 08:51:17 pm

Eulogy transcript

Welcome and Thank You for coming to celebrate the life of Tina Nikkel

This is the story of my mom Tina Nikkel. She had an uncanny knack of keeping track of obscure information. Some of it I will try to incorporate here but, regrettably, my record keeping was not 100% but I’ll do my best. While I was wracking my brain preparing for this, my lovely wife located some notes of a conversation that I had had with mom, a few years ago, regarding her final wishes. Reading them I noticed a few blanks that we were going to fill in later but, alas, they were still blank.

I’ll start way back in 1908 in Orenburg, Russia where a girl named Catherine (Tena) Kaetler was born. In 1926 her parents emigrated to Saskatchewan with her and one of her brothers (Henry). Meanwhile, in 1909 a boy named Johan Schroeder was born in Aberdeen, Saskatchewan. On July 17, 1932 these two were married in Lost River, Saskatchewan by Reverend Peter Voght. One day after their first anniversary, on July 18, 1933, they were blessed with their first child, a girl that that they named Tina. During the delivery they were assisted by a Mrs. Nickel. At first her parents were a little disappointed that she was girl because of the demands of physical farm labour of the time and the need for farm hands but, as the next children became six boys in succession, they grew to become extremely grateful for having a girl to help with the household duties.

This was the very impoverished “Dirty Thirties” and over the next years they moved around to various locations while they eked out a living farming grain and working for other farmers. In those days grain farming was a different than it is now. It required large amounts of hand and horse labour for planting and harvesting and you needed to be lucky enough to get rain which was scarce in the 30’s. Horse drawn binders and tractor powered threshing machine could be used when available but it was just as common to harvest with a scythe. There were no big air-conditioned combines. At times food was very scarce and Mom has related stories to me about some of their sources that would make modern reality tv cringe but at the time pretty much everyone was poor and they persevered because they didn’t know any different.

In 1935 her first brother John was born followed in 1937 by George and 1939 by Abe. During this time the family moved around living in Petagen, Ravendale and eventually in the town of Carrot River which was big enough to have a telephone, and where brothers Jake in 1948 and Gary in 1949 were born.
Now anyone who knows the family knows that Uncle Abe was good story teller but Uncle George was pretty good at it too. Many years later he related a story to me from this era where he, John and Abe were doing something around the barn and ended up with one of them getting knocked out and I think Abe running off to mom crying “George killed John” or something like that, but they all survived. Mom’s stories of this time are not quite as dramatic but just as impressive such as being responsible for walking her two oldest brothers several miles to school through forest trails were wild animals including bears could be encountered. It wasn’t uphill both ways, it was flat Saskatchewan after all, but they were barefoot most of the time, as they could only afford the privilege of shoes in wintertime. As was common at the time the children helped work to support the family. At one point mom had a job away from home, working for another family, but they treated her very poorly and refused to pay her so one day she left and walked all the way home alone. It was quite some distance and of course she had no shoes so her feet became quite injured.

In May of 1955 the family packed up and moved to Mission BC. They loaded their meager possessions into a railway boxcar and themselves into truck that they had prepared for the trip. It was still winter conditions in Saskatchewan when they started their journey so they had equipped the back of the truck with a wood stove which they, and several extra passengers that traveled with them, huddled around. Due to the limited roads of the day, the route they took brought them through the USA. Apparently, George shared a significant portion of the driving duties and when they arrived in Mission it was to a very welcoming spring weather.

They bought a farm on Stave Lake Street on the site that eventually became Mission Institution and the following year, in 1956, her youngest brother Wes was born. One of the jobs mom had during this time was working in the jam plant and on one occasion she was assigned the task of scraping labels off of a batch of jam that had been mislabeled. Later she took up nursing and worked at Abbotsford’s old Cottage and MSA hospitals.

She bought her first car, a Simca, which I’ve since learnt was part of the Citroen family, a lemon just like mom said that Simca was!

2/9/2022 08:57:54 pm

Eulogy part 2

Eventually, with the help of the local Chrysler dealership mom upgraded to Valiant which, except for rusting out eventually, lived up its reputation of being a very dependable car which she still drove into the 80’s.

Also about this time, mom bought a piano which she aspired to learn how to play. She never fulfilled that dream and even though she enjoyed her children playing their lessons none of us really mastered it either. Eventually, though, her fourth grandchild, Rebecca, did finally bring that 100 plus year old piano to life!

When mom met my dad, Jim, I understand that she played “hard to get” but we all know the reward is best if it is earned with some hard work. I’ve heard that there was some excitement the first time that uncle Jim’s girlfriend was introduced to his nieces at a family gathering. They eloped Jun 16, 1964 and were married by a Baptist Minister, Stuart Benson, in Bellingham Wash. They didn’t take a honeymoon immediately but in 1965 they did a trip through the western USA including Yellowstone, Salt Lake City, Grand Canyon, New Mexico and even Tijauna.

In 1965 they bought the farm in Aldergrove where they lived for over 40 years and where I have so many memories from. My birth in 1967 was the source of some anxiety as we needed an emergency ambulance ride to St Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver. Mom even recorded the name of the ambulance attendant and the St Paul’s doctor’s name, Dr. Chow, who was even shorter than mom but reassured them that everything as going to be fine. Mom has many times told and retold me how proud they were (especially dad) when they brought me home wrapped in a blanket and held in her arms. This was before car seats and seatbelts. In 1968 my brother Dawson was born and 1978 my sister Charmaine, both at MSA.

Mom was always involved in our schools and I remember her walking us to school about ½ mile when there was too much snow to drive. I don’t recall how the teacher got there tough. Looking back, I can see that they were always resourceful and often sacrificed both time and resources for our well being, even though we sometimes didn’t make it easy. One time when I was learning to ride a bike mom was helping. I could ride straight but hadn’t quite mastered turning. Our driveway had a wide area at one end. Mom had stationed herself that the other (narrow) end and I was to do loops where I could turn by myself at the wide end and she would help me at the narrow end. This went well until on one loop I decided to make an unplanned turn around a tree about halfway down the driveway. Of course, I crashed and mom had to come running to rescue me.

Mom never shied away from hard work either. On one occasion we had a batch of chickens to butcher. Dad killed them before work one morning and loaded them in mom’s car. We took them to Granny Schroeder’s and the two of them with help from a few neighbors plucked and cleaned them. I’m sure at the time Dawson and I were more hinderance than help.

Mom and dad took time and made the effort to do things with us. We never did exotic trips anywhere that we had to fly to but we did a lot of outdoor activities like hiking, camping and fishing. Dad would plan some summer camping trip and they would arrange a neighbour or friend to feed the dogs, cats and chickens and, in the early years, cows, then Friday morning dad would back the truck and camper up to the house door and take mom’s car to work. Mom would pack the camper and when dad came home at 5 we would have already eaten supper, dad would grab a bite or a sandwich, lock the door and we would be off.

Mom loved sports especially hockey and football but she was bit of homer. She routed for the Lions, Canucks, Blue Jays, and Vancouver Canadians even when, sometimes, they didn’t deserve it. She enjoyed watching the Olympics and curling on TV as well.

She was very social and loved to chat with friends wherever she met them. I know Charmaine can and I don’t doubt that Dawson can also relate to being disgusted with how long a simple grocery shopping trip to Super-Valu could take, but mom would stop and talk to every friend she met and she had lots of friends and knew many people.

Her grandkids were her joy. She and dad were so excited when they became grandparents. In many ways this was their glory years. They had time and were healthy and active and able to really enjoy them. There are pictures of her crawling around the floor giving Daniel horse back rides. She enjoyed all the time she spent babysitting them, playing with them and reading to them in a rocking chair. We all cherish the time we had with her.

She will be deeply missed but never forgotten.

2/9/2022 09:03:38 pm

Letter from Jake Schroeder

Being the oldest surviving sibling in our family, I would like to share a few thoughts and recollections of our one and only sister.
She was the oldest child in the Schroeder clan of 7, and so my memory of her is from a time when she was an adult and I was a young boy. We lived on a farm while she already was working, so we only saw her on weekends, but even then she would treat us as a mother might (elbows off the table, use please and thank you)
After growing up and moving away we did not see each other a lot. The times we had each year meeting in Merritt for several years were very special to her as well as to Bev and I.
Our family has never been a very close group but I do know that we loved each other. For many years Tina would call us around Christmas each year to say how she loved her brothers.
She was very proud of her family, because during those calls she would talk non-stop about her kids and grandkids (hard to get a word in edgewise) so it was evident how much she loved you.
We saw her in September of last year and had a really good visit at her home. As we left she said we may not see her again, to which I said, “if not here, then in heaven”. I know she had a strong faith and trust knowing her future is with her Saviour for all eternity.
Although Tina was the oldest in our family, it should also be noted that she was the shortest, but also remember she
was strong in character and faith. I believe that the best gift to Tina would be to know that family and friends would
be sure of their eternal destiny.
Thanks, Tina for being my sister and we will meet again.
Your loving brother, Jake.

Charmaine Deyette

2/9/2022 09:15:59 pm

My brothers both went away to college when I was still in elementary school, so I know a bit of mom's life that they don't. I remember mom helping at the school, teaching kids how to bake and telling me that I couldn't help crack the eggs because I already knew how to do that and they didn't! I was miffed at the time, but now realize how blessed I was that she taught me baking and cooking skills. When she was making meatballs or dough of some kind, I was tasked with turning on the water and helping to wash her hands (and sometimes her rings if she forgot to take them off!). We "played school" when I was young and she taught me to read at an early age. We spent hours doing crafts, and knitting, and gardening together. Mom and I were best friends after my brothers moved out. As my Dad was not a fan of shopping, he would drop us off at the store or mall and we would have a girls day out. Often her and I would walk from the farm to downtown Aldergrove to go shopping. I even recall one time when we walked all the way to the Aldergrove McDonalds, where we likely shared a 2 cheeseburger meal with super-sized fries. It was our little hack for a cheap lunch meal.

Mom and I spent hours volunteering with the Aldergrove Fair and Abbotsford Agrifair, and we even attended the BC Fairs conventions in Vernon together. Dad would drop us off at the bus station and we would ride a Greyhound Bus there and back. I remember in 1999, I wanted to attend the Leonardo da Vinci exhibit in Victoria, so we booked a hotel room, took a bus from the ferry, and spent the weekend in Victoria. It was terribly stormy and I remember the windows of our hotel room rattling all night long. In 1997, her and I flew to Texas together to visit Dawson. It was our first time on a plane and on the return trip, on a layover in San Francisco due to a bad storm, she made a friend and chatted for a few hours!

When I finally got my license, I would drive mom anywhere she needed to go. To the Menno Home where she volunteered with the library cart, to visit friends, or for a thrift store adventure, where she loved finding neat treasures. Her and I had season tickets to the BC Lions for a number of years, and even attended a Lions game and a Canucks game on the same day! She even made friends on the skytrain ride. Her favourite hockey player was Trevor Linden and she once waited in line with me for hours to get his autograph. When I started selling toys at the Abbotsford Flea Market, mom would come with me to help at the table. She made so many friends there!

Now that I am a mom, one of my new favourite memories of my mom is the number of nights that she would lie in bed with me when I was scared, or sick, or worried about a school test. I know that she likely didn't get any sleep those nights, but she did it anyways to make me feel safe. She was my loudest cheerleader and my advocate. She always had an encouraging word, or piece of advice, or just a hug when I needed it. When Joshua was a baby, she would walk over most every day to hold him for his afternoon nap. We talked every day, sometimes two or three times, and there was always a long goodbye with three or four I love yous. I even remember some times that we would hang up and one would call back to say "I can't remember if I said I love you." I feel like I've lost my best friend, the person who always said to "drive safe" and "call me when you get home". I feel lost without her and miss her so much. I love you mom.

Dawson & Mary Nikkel

2/11/2022 08:17:31 am

Dawson and I sure wish we could be there with you all, however, the hernia prevents us from being there. I hope our words, will at least be a comfort to you all.

Mom Tina, a beautiful, young hearted woman who I met just 13 years ago. First and lasting impressions, she loved her family; she cherished her family.

Mom loved to tell stories when we visited with her. Her life as a small child growing up in rural Saskatchewan; the small granary she first lived in with the clay floors and pillows against the windows to prevent the glass from breaking during hail storms. Her father working outside in the cold wrapping his feet in cloths because he didn’t have proper boots. Her mother working tirelessly to clothe and feed her growing family. Riding a horse to school when she could. Playing baseball at school, only one of the two girls - and she was an excellent catcher at the plate. And the joy she had visiting her grannie as well; she was close enough that she could walk over and spend time with her (just as her grandchildren did in the present). Her job as “Cookie” at the Chinese food restaurant - and her love of ginger beef.

And then the big trek with the family to BC - trekking over the mountains with little else except her large family of brothers and her mom and dad.

And later on she met Jim, and started her own family, in her own little house with a big wood stove for heating - and describing all of her children: Mark, Dawson and Charmaine as her “little blessings”.

And two of Dawson’s favourite memories is going with her to the auction and bringing back two cows to the farm. A great bargain - as she nursed them to health and then they became like family. And her love for music - her favourite songs, that Dawson remembers listening to with her, that touched both of them deeply: Coat of Many Colours, Country Roads and Music Box Dancer.

And yes, she talked all about the goings on in the family. She recalled memories of her brothers and caught us up on their news, and how they all were doing. And
then, she talked about her grandchildren. How each one was so very special to her and this one was doing this and this one was doing that, and another had stayed over and visited, and they shared pizza and other special treats.

Mom was also a believer of healing. And for Dawson this was his greatest gift. On his own healing journey she would always listen to his ideas about diet, or movements that improved his health, and reduced his pain. She would give all of his ideas a try, and kept the ones that were effective for herself. She would be pleased to know, that now, yoga, especially for the neck, has changed both of us for the better - yoga for the neck especially, does a body good, real good.

Mom loved all of the treasures made and given especially to her. Her collection of items, from her kid’s school days, or the myriad of pictures and crafts given to her by her grandchildren were on display with love all over the house. They reminded her of them all; but more importantly they were there to remind all of them, that each and every one of them was special.

The most important thing, that I believe Mom, Tina, Omie loved was hugs. She always greeted each of us with the best hugs and a beaming smile. The kind of hug that was the best kind, the ones that were longer than usual, the ones that truly sent the message that you were special to her, that you mattered and that she was so very happy to see you. And when; you had to leave, although you didn’t want to, she sent you on your way with that special hug once again. Letting you know just how special each of us was.

And so Mom, I want to thank you so much. You showed me (us) just how important family is; that connecting with family, staying in touch, is the foundation of a very good life. And that the balance of memories from the past help us to keep grounded in the present.

So thank you for the gift of family. Thank you for showing us all, the best way to live life; give from the heart.

The best of hugs back to you, you will be missed…. a lot.

Love to everyone, Dawson and Mary

Leanne Lorimer

2/14/2022 02:47:58 pm

I worked at the Aldergrove Kinsmen Community Centre and would look forward to seeing Tina during the annual Fall Fair. She always had the biggest smile that would envelope whomever she was talking with. Tina could make friends with anyone and I greatly enjoyed all my chats and hugs with her. God bless her. Thank you to her family for sharing their stories, I will tuck them away in my mind to think of when I remember Tina.

Sherry Welch

5/20/2023 07:50:08 pm

It is with heavy heart that I am reading long after she passed. My son and I thought dearly of this women. She was kind and caring and very well loved by us. Rest in peace sweetheart. We will always ❤️ you.

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