Daniel (Dan) Rempel passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2007, at 84 years of age. Dan was born to a Mennonite family in Main Centre, Saskatchewan, a small farming town. He was the oldest of 3 sisters and 1 brother; predeceased by his parents and sister, MaryAnn. He will be sadly missed by his wife, Mary, and their children, Barbara (Yiannis) and Rob (Jeannie); 5 grandchildren, Steve, Giorgos, Katrina, Danny, and Jessica; brother Roland (Margaret); sisters, Viola (Paul) and Louise (Ed), nieces and nephews. Dan had a long career with the Federal government, beginning with the Canadian air force, where he worked as a carpenter and draftsman. After leaving the air force, Dan joined the Canadian Postal Service in 1958, and worked for over 30 years until his retirement in 1989. Following his “retirement”, Dan joined the Commissionaires, and was especially active at the RCMP head quarters in Vancouver, and at the Vancouver International Airport. Dan gave back to the community in many ways. In his spare time, Dan drove cancer patients from Abbotsford to their treatment in Surrey for the Cancer Clinic, and he was an active member of the Sevenoaks Alliance Church. With his brother Roland, he worked at Garden Park Towers doing picture framing in support of the Golden Age Society. Dan was an avid lover of nature and, together with his wife Mary, were members of both Langley Field Naturalists and Central Valley Field Naturalists for many years. He was a long-time participant in the Christmas Bird Count, and helped organize the roadside raptor survey which was a yearly survey of migrating owls, hawks, and eagles in the Lower Mainland of BC. This was one of the first studies in North America to document the remarkable recovery of the Bald Eagle following the slow depletion of DDT deposits in lakes and rivers. He was also a strong advocate of protecting and reserving areas for nature, and loved the many excursions organized by the Field Naturalists. We will all miss him.
Funeral Service at Sevenoaks Alliance Church, 1:00 pm Tuesday, Nov. 6. Burial was held at Hazelwood Cemetery. Donations to Food for Hungry c/o the church.
Woodlawn Funeral Home
604-853-2643