Dyck, Albert I. (1912-1969)
Albert Dyck: businessman; born on 4 October 1912 in Waldheim, Saskatchewan, Canada, the son of Isaak L. Dyck (24 January 1887, Lehigh, Kansas, USA – 5 July 1966, Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada) and Maria (Sawatzky) Dyck (11 July 1892, Andreasfeld, Ekaterinoslav, South Russia - 14 February 1977, Abbotsford, British Columbia). Albert married Louise Toews (26 September, 1913, South Russia – 18 June 2011, Abbotsford, BC), daughter of Heinrich A. Toews (1882-1960) and Helena (Janzen) Toews (1885-1967) on 7 August 1938 in Virgil, Ontario, Canada. They had four children: Edward, Verna, Eileen, and James. Albert died on 25 September 1969 of acute leukemia in Abbotsford, BC, where he was buried.
Albert grew up on a farm in Borden, Saskatchewan. Here he was baptized and joined the Borden Mennonite Brethren Church. After his marriage to Louise in 1938, the young couple moved to his parents’ farm in Borden, where he served in the church as choir director.
Albert and Louise lived in Saskatchewan until 1947, when they moved to Abbotsford, BC. There they joined the South Abbotsford Mennonite Brethren Church. As he had done in Borden, Albert enjoyed sharing his musical gifts in his new church as both choir director and as a member in a singing octet. They later became members at Bakerview Mennonite Brethren Church.
For his livelihood, Albert was employed by Dueck Building Supply Limited and Dueck Ready Mix. In 1960 Albert established his own cement mixing company in Abbotsford, which eventually was named Valley Rite Mix. In 1964 Albert’s son Ed joined the business, soon after becoming president. Together with his business partner John Wiens, these two entrepreneurs developed the company into a large, modern fleet which operated out of four Fraser Valley locations. They sold the business in 1985.
Expansion on the company property had resulted in the excavation of a 36-acre lake, which was ceded to the District of Matsqui on 5 November 1979 as a community park. The facility was formally named Albert Dyck Water Ski Park, in honor of the company founder. It has become a well known venue for local and international water skiing events.
Bibliography
GRANDMA (The Genealogical Registry and Database of Mennonite Ancestry) Database, 7.05 ed. Fresno, CA: " California Mennonite Historical Society, 2013: #431475.
Mennonite Brethren Herald (31 October 1969): 27.
Wiens, John. Interview by author. Abbotsford, BC (6 June 2006).
| Author(s) | David Giesbrecht |
|---|---|
| Richard D. Thiessen | |
| Date Published | November 2009 |
Cite This Article
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Giesbrecht, David and Richard D. Thiessen. "Dyck, Albert I. (1912-1969)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. November 2009. Web. 19 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Dyck,_Albert_I._(1912-1969)&oldid=115276.
APA style
Giesbrecht, David and Richard D. Thiessen. (November 2009). Dyck, Albert I. (1912-1969). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 19 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Dyck,_Albert_I._(1912-1969)&oldid=115276.
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