Peter H. Driedger was born in Winkler, MB during the summer of 1949, the youngest son to Peter and Helena Driedger. He passed away on March 19, 2023, at Boundary Trails Health Centre.
Peter grew up on the farm in the Kronsgart School District near Winkler with his parents, three sisters and two brothers. Other than his first year of marriage, the family farm was Peter’s home his entire life. Peter was a playful, fun-loving boy with penchant for mischief. Doing handstands on the couch, sipping through an onion green ‘straw’ on summer picnics, riding horses and managing an eclectic pet collection (including a murder of crows!) were some of Peter’s adventures. On one occasion, a swimming outing at the dugout nearly came to a tragic end but Peter’s watchful, older brother came to his quick rescue. Peter attended the one room schoolhouse in Kronsgart. Some stories of his schooldays include riding the horse-drawn sleigh to school, having a gopher as a class pet, and eating lunch at the teacherage when he forgot to bring his lunch pail. Following the completion of grade 8, Peter continued his education by correspondence, where he excelled in his studies, earning the highest marks in the province that year! Peter’s studies continued at MCI in Gretna, which he described as ‘an eye opener to the real world.’ He continued his secondary education at Winkler Collegiate, completing eleventh grade, and a grade 12 German class. Leading by example, Peter’s parents taught him a strong work ethic; chores and farmwork were part of his daily routine, even as a boy.
Sunday School and church were also a regular part of Peter’s childhood. The Driedger family could be found at Bible studies, choir practice, young people’s, missionary conferences and church services, whether they were held in the morning or evening. Peter made his faith decision at a local crusade in 1957 at the age of 8 years. The copy of The Gospel of John that was presented to him by a counselor that evening was an important memento that Peter kept in his possession, even to the present day. Peter was baptized on the confession of his faith twelve years later. Peter first noticed Eva at a wedding anniversary celebration, and they officially met at the Austin Threshermen’s Reunion, a rodeo event that they continued to attend throughout their married years! Peter’s love of horses, farming, and the nostalgia of meeting the love of his life in Austin, made this a very special place. Peter and Eva married in June 1971, and lived near Macgregor for the first year of their married life. In 1972, shortly before the birth of their first child, Peter and Eva moved back to the family farm in Kronsgart. Here, Peter resumed farming with his dad, in addition to adding dairy cows and a milk quota to the farming operation. Over the years, Peter and Eva added to their family; joining Carolyn were Dennis, Laura and Sandra. Peter continued to work with cattle, although a transition to a beef cow-calf operation was made. His children grew up very much the same way Peter had, doing chores and helping with farmwork. When there was reluctance to help out with chores or farm tasks, his children would often hear Peter say: If you want to, then you don’t have to. Horses were a big part of Peter’s life on the farm, and he was a strong supporter of his children and their 4-H projects, often taking days away from the farm during the summertime to watch them compete at horse shows in local fairs and festivals. Peter also enjoyed attending agricultural events like Agribition, Ag Ex, Morris Stampede and the Brandon Winter Fair; hot, Sunday afternoons were often spent at the beach. Board games such as Clue, Dutch Blitz and crokinole shortened long winter evenings and brought out Peter’s competitive nature. Later in life, Peter and Eva began camping, with Spruce Woods and Bird’s Hill Park among their favorite places to rest, relax and enjoy nature. Kayaking was another pursuit Peter began later in life; the quiet solitude of river explorations often brought a sense of awe for the beauty and wonder of nature and Peter could often be heard humming or singing a tune in appreciation. A season ticket holder for 20 years, Peter enjoyed watching Blue Bomber football and rarely missed a game; fast friendships were formed with the other seat holders nearby. Curling was another sport that Peter enjoyed, playing in a farmer’s league for many years; watching the Scotties’ Tournament of Hearts and the Brier were also favorite pastimes.
Peter was a ‘people person’ and always enjoyed meeting new people and talking to whomever he met. There was no such thing as a stranger to Peter; people he didn’t know were simply friends he hadn’t met yet! Farming was Peter’s life passion! He enjoyed the outdoors and drew great satisfaction from working the land. Peter continued to help with farming as he was able, although the next two generations of farmers began to take on more of the farming operation in fall of 2020. That September, Peter received a devastating diagnosis that would mark the beginning of a fierce and intense battle. While this last season of his life brought many challenges, Peter’s fierce determination, courage, positive attitude, thankful spirit and bold faith made an incredible impact on those around him. Overcoming what often seemed to be impossible odds, Peter lived his life to the very fullest, making the most of each and every moment.
As a family, we would like to extend a huge thank you to the dedicated team of medical staff who provided Peter with extremely competent, exemplary and compassionate care. They left no stone unturned in helping Peter wage his battle with cancer, and he especially appreciated that they never gave up on him. Drs. Harlos, Chowdhury and Liu; Drs. Woelk, Abbu and Basson; and the phenomenal team of nurses from the chemo unit: Allison, Sherri-lyn, Maureen, Candace, Lindsay and Sherry. Care received from Peter’s ER visits and hospital stays was also exceptional; he always spoke very highly of the superb quality of care he received at Boundary Trails Health Centre. Thank you all for providing Peter with such excellent care!
Peter is survived by his loving wife, Eva; daughter, Carolyn (Jake), Ryan (Ali), Marcail (special friend Greg), Trenton (special friend Bethany); son, Dennis (Colleen), Matthias (fiancée Jenna), Lucas (fiancée Alex), Rayelle, Sariah; daughter, Laura (Abe), Wade, Wyatt; daughter, Sandra (special friend Evan).
Peter grew up on the farm in the Kronsgart School District near Winkler with his parents, three sisters and two brothers. Other than his first year of marriage, the family farm was Peter’s home his entire life. Peter was a playful, fun-loving boy with penchant for mischief. Doing handstands on the couch, sipping through an onion green ‘straw’ on summer picnics, riding horses and managing an eclectic pet collection (including a murder of crows!) were some of Peter’s adventures. On one occasion, a swimming outing at the dugout nearly came to a tragic end but Peter’s watchful, older brother came to his quick rescue. Peter attended the one room schoolhouse in Kronsgart. Some stories of his schooldays include riding the horse-drawn sleigh to school, having a gopher as a class pet, and eating lunch at the teacherage when he forgot to bring his lunch pail. Following the completion of grade 8, Peter continued his education by correspondence, where he excelled in his studies, earning the highest marks in the province that year! Peter’s studies continued at MCI in Gretna, which he described as ‘an eye opener to the real world.’ He continued his secondary education at Winkler Collegiate, completing eleventh grade, and a grade 12 German class. Leading by example, Peter’s parents taught him a strong work ethic; chores and farmwork were part of his daily routine, even as a boy.
Sunday School and church were also a regular part of Peter’s childhood. The Driedger family could be found at Bible studies, choir practice, young people’s, missionary conferences and church services, whether they were held in the morning or evening. Peter made his faith decision at a local crusade in 1957 at the age of 8 years. The copy of The Gospel of John that was presented to him by a counselor that evening was an important memento that Peter kept in his possession, even to the present day. Peter was baptized on the confession of his faith twelve years later. Peter first noticed Eva at a wedding anniversary celebration, and they officially met at the Austin Threshermen’s Reunion, a rodeo event that they continued to attend throughout their married years! Peter’s love of horses, farming, and the nostalgia of meeting the love of his life in Austin, made this a very special place. Peter and Eva married in June 1971, and lived near Macgregor for the first year of their married life. In 1972, shortly before the birth of their first child, Peter and Eva moved back to the family farm in Kronsgart. Here, Peter resumed farming with his dad, in addition to adding dairy cows and a milk quota to the farming operation. Over the years, Peter and Eva added to their family; joining Carolyn were Dennis, Laura and Sandra. Peter continued to work with cattle, although a transition to a beef cow-calf operation was made. His children grew up very much the same way Peter had, doing chores and helping with farmwork. When there was reluctance to help out with chores or farm tasks, his children would often hear Peter say: If you want to, then you don’t have to. Horses were a big part of Peter’s life on the farm, and he was a strong supporter of his children and their 4-H projects, often taking days away from the farm during the summertime to watch them compete at horse shows in local fairs and festivals. Peter also enjoyed attending agricultural events like Agribition, Ag Ex, Morris Stampede and the Brandon Winter Fair; hot, Sunday afternoons were often spent at the beach. Board games such as Clue, Dutch Blitz and crokinole shortened long winter evenings and brought out Peter’s competitive nature. Later in life, Peter and Eva began camping, with Spruce Woods and Bird’s Hill Park among their favorite places to rest, relax and enjoy nature. Kayaking was another pursuit Peter began later in life; the quiet solitude of river explorations often brought a sense of awe for the beauty and wonder of nature and Peter could often be heard humming or singing a tune in appreciation. A season ticket holder for 20 years, Peter enjoyed watching Blue Bomber football and rarely missed a game; fast friendships were formed with the other seat holders nearby. Curling was another sport that Peter enjoyed, playing in a farmer’s league for many years; watching the Scotties’ Tournament of Hearts and the Brier were also favorite pastimes.
Peter was a ‘people person’ and always enjoyed meeting new people and talking to whomever he met. There was no such thing as a stranger to Peter; people he didn’t know were simply friends he hadn’t met yet! Farming was Peter’s life passion! He enjoyed the outdoors and drew great satisfaction from working the land. Peter continued to help with farming as he was able, although the next two generations of farmers began to take on more of the farming operation in fall of 2020. That September, Peter received a devastating diagnosis that would mark the beginning of a fierce and intense battle. While this last season of his life brought many challenges, Peter’s fierce determination, courage, positive attitude, thankful spirit and bold faith made an incredible impact on those around him. Overcoming what often seemed to be impossible odds, Peter lived his life to the very fullest, making the most of each and every moment.
As a family, we would like to extend a huge thank you to the dedicated team of medical staff who provided Peter with extremely competent, exemplary and compassionate care. They left no stone unturned in helping Peter wage his battle with cancer, and he especially appreciated that they never gave up on him. Drs. Harlos, Chowdhury and Liu; Drs. Woelk, Abbu and Basson; and the phenomenal team of nurses from the chemo unit: Allison, Sherri-lyn, Maureen, Candace, Lindsay and Sherry. Care received from Peter’s ER visits and hospital stays was also exceptional; he always spoke very highly of the superb quality of care he received at Boundary Trails Health Centre. Thank you all for providing Peter with such excellent care!
Peter is survived by his loving wife, Eva; daughter, Carolyn (Jake), Ryan (Ali), Marcail (special friend Greg), Trenton (special friend Bethany); son, Dennis (Colleen), Matthias (fiancée Jenna), Lucas (fiancée Alex), Rayelle, Sariah; daughter, Laura (Abe), Wade, Wyatt; daughter, Sandra (special friend Evan).