In Loving Memory
David K. Thiessen was born
April 15, 1923 to David and Helena
Thiessen, near Warman, Saskatchewan,
the fourth of nine children. In
1940. when David was a young man
of 17, the family moved to Cheslatta,
B.C.
In 1947, David married Katherina
Wall, and they were blessed with 5
children. During most of those years
David operated his own sawmill,
cutting and selling lumber, as well
as railroad ties. He did his own saw
sharpening and did custom work for
others from time to time. He used
work horses for logging and for
farming.
David and his family did market
gardening, selling vegetables; and
they also sold milk, cream, and eggs.
In 1970, David moved the family
to Vanderhoof, where he was
employed at plateau Mills for 20
years. After his retirement, much of
his time was spent doing what he
loved to do, which was gardening.
Besides a variety of vegetables, he
had a small orchard of northern fruit
trees. One year he produced over 200
lbs of tomatoes, and in his last year
of gardening, in 2002, among other
things, a turnip that weighed 10 lbs.
David’s devotion to his wife Katherina
was evident in the many ways
he helped her every day, around the
house and also in the ways that he
tried to fi nd a remedy for the rheumatoid
arthritis that she suffered
from most of her life.
David and Katherina enjoyed travelling,
and although his wife was in
a wheel-chair for 30 years, that did
not stop David from taking trips to
visit relatives in B.C., Alberta and
Saskatchewan. They also enjoyed
visiting people locally and especially
enjoyed church services and Bible
studies. And each time they went
anywhere, David would faithfully
lift his wife in and out of the car...
quite an accomplishment, considering
that he was not a big man. (5’4”
tall and weighed only 125 lbs.!)
It was only on recent years that they
owned a van with a lift.
Music was one of David’s greatest
joys in life. He often played
his auto-harp or guitar for family
sing-a-longs or for his personal
enjoyment. He was always quick to
give thanks to his heavenly Father
who gave him life and strength,
and whom he loved above all. He
believed that the Bible is truly the
Word of God, and it was his most
precious possession. It was his
greatest desire to pass the blessing
of this truth on to his children and
his grandchildren, and all those
around him.
David went home to be with the
Lord on November 25, 2006.
David is survived by his 5 children:
Anne (Vern) Zeiler, Helen (Ed)
Utz, Isaac (Luan) Thiessen, Henry
(Linda) Thiessen, Margaret Reimer.
He has 15 grandchildren and stepgrandchildren,
and 20 great-grandchildren.
David was predeceased by
his wife Katherina, 1 brother, and 2
sisters.
Many thanks to Stuart Nechako
Manor for their loving care of David
during the last four years of his life;
to Nechako Christian Fellowship
and Grace Memorial Funeral Chapel
for their caring support and help.