It is with heavy hearts and so much love that the family announces the passing of Manferd John Nickel on June 24, 2024 at Boundary Trails Health Centre.
He is survived by his wife of 52 years Janet, daughters Dayna (Michael Robinson), grandchildren Evan and Emily, and Christina (Kevin Wall), grandchildren Katelyn and Breana. He is also survived by numerous siblings, in-laws, nieces and nephews.
Manferd was born August 15, 1950 to John and Tina Nickel, the second of seven children, and grew up on the family farm near Gnadenthal.
Mom caught Dad’s eye in the spring of 1968, and they married on a beautiful March day in 1972. Together, they bought a farm south of Plum Coulee which would become the place they would call home for the next 44 years. Dad and mom worked hard to create a thriving farm and beautiful yard. As the girls came along, we were part of helping out on the farm. In later years as the grandchildren joined the family, the farm became a favorite place for them to spend time with grandpa.
Dad talked about retiring from farming longer than he was actually retired! As he got older and his health conditions made it harder to continue, he finally made the difficult decision to retire. This lasted less than one farming season and eventually he became a farmer for hire. This was a good arrangement, except he had to go from driving red tractors to green ones. This was a day that those who knew him well thought they would never see! He was able to overlook this because of his love of being on the land.
Dad worked hard and his reward for his hard work was travel. That could mean anything from an afternoon drive to check the crops to a road trip to almost anywhere. He and mom would pack up, pick a direction and be off. The only limitation would be an appointment they needed to be back for or curious calls from their daughters, wondering where they ended up.
Dad loved his family unconditionally. He valued education and made it clear to his daughters and grandchildren that an education was a priority. He loved any time spent with his grandchildren, listening to stories about their lives. Each grandchild believed they were the favorite. As his health worsened, his main concern was always taking care of mom. They had a special way of taking care of each other and did everything together. His presence will be missed by us all.
The family expresses their gratitude to the staff at BTHC and to doctors Martin, Miller, and Goldenberg. A special thank you to Shannon for making sure dad was comfortable and for walking with us during this time. Thank you also to Pastor James Peters for his support.
Donations can be made to the Canadian Food Grains Bank.
He is survived by his wife of 52 years Janet, daughters Dayna (Michael Robinson), grandchildren Evan and Emily, and Christina (Kevin Wall), grandchildren Katelyn and Breana. He is also survived by numerous siblings, in-laws, nieces and nephews.
Manferd was born August 15, 1950 to John and Tina Nickel, the second of seven children, and grew up on the family farm near Gnadenthal.
Mom caught Dad’s eye in the spring of 1968, and they married on a beautiful March day in 1972. Together, they bought a farm south of Plum Coulee which would become the place they would call home for the next 44 years. Dad and mom worked hard to create a thriving farm and beautiful yard. As the girls came along, we were part of helping out on the farm. In later years as the grandchildren joined the family, the farm became a favorite place for them to spend time with grandpa.
Dad talked about retiring from farming longer than he was actually retired! As he got older and his health conditions made it harder to continue, he finally made the difficult decision to retire. This lasted less than one farming season and eventually he became a farmer for hire. This was a good arrangement, except he had to go from driving red tractors to green ones. This was a day that those who knew him well thought they would never see! He was able to overlook this because of his love of being on the land.
Dad worked hard and his reward for his hard work was travel. That could mean anything from an afternoon drive to check the crops to a road trip to almost anywhere. He and mom would pack up, pick a direction and be off. The only limitation would be an appointment they needed to be back for or curious calls from their daughters, wondering where they ended up.
Dad loved his family unconditionally. He valued education and made it clear to his daughters and grandchildren that an education was a priority. He loved any time spent with his grandchildren, listening to stories about their lives. Each grandchild believed they were the favorite. As his health worsened, his main concern was always taking care of mom. They had a special way of taking care of each other and did everything together. His presence will be missed by us all.
The family expresses their gratitude to the staff at BTHC and to doctors Martin, Miller, and Goldenberg. A special thank you to Shannon for making sure dad was comfortable and for walking with us during this time. Thank you also to Pastor James Peters for his support.
Donations can be made to the Canadian Food Grains Bank.