Obituary of Frank Dyck

Frank Dyck 1938 - 2016 We would like to thank all of you who have come to celebrate the life of Frank Dyck. He arrived on May 5, 1938. The ninth child of John and Aganetha Dyck and was named after his mother's father. When he was 7 years old they moved from his birth place of Carrot River, Saskatchewan to southern Alberta; all 12 of them in the back of a 3 ton truck. Frank and John wanted to see who could eat the most pinto beans and did they get sick. Frank's interest in cars was established early with his first driving lesson at the age of 7. You often hear stories of how the Dyck boys would drive vehicles together one controlling the pedals and one working the steering wheel. At the age of 14 he pieced together a Model-A which could be found in the swirling dust of the irrigation ditches. There were no doors on that Model-A so he loaded up the dog in the passenger seat and went rabbit hunting. Whenever there was a jack rabbit in sight he pushed the dog out, by the time the dust had settled, the rabbit was gone. At 16, he paid five dollars for a driver's license and bought his first vehicle, a 3-ton grain truck. For the next 10 years they lived in Southern Alberta working as labourers, in the beet, corn, potato and other vegetable fields. This knowledge came in handy; we all know how to buy corn without having to remove the husk, have been taught many ways to use a hoe and to store a rake without inflicting self-harm. The first time that Frank saw an orange peel, he jumped out of the wagon and picked them up to share with his siblings. That Christmas he learned what had been wrapped in the orange peelings, for he found an orange on his plate. The first time he saw apples he said, "What nice potatoes!" After grade eight Frank decided that there was more to life than school. His first job was working for a rancher from dawn till dusk. He worked for one beer a day, supper, room and board, and one dollar. The beer was his and the dollar he sent home. While at Tommy Dyck's father's house in Lethbridge, they read in the Herald Tribune an ad encouraging people to come to the "Land of Milk and Honey". Silver Valley was the Promised Land for there was lots of land and it was $10.00 a half section. Since there was enough land for his dad and all of his brothers to be able to get their own parcel of land, they packed up and moved. Homesteading was hard work but it was not all work and no play. They would get together with neighbors to share the work and then enjoy a picnic or play a game of ball or frequent Peace River. Everything came at a price so Frank went to work learning how to operate a D9 Cat, amongst other jobs. Frank was able to clear a straight cut line, even over hills and at the end of the section of land he was only out about three to four inches. Frank gained the reputation of a competent jack of all trades. In 1959 Frank was able to purchase his homestead W1/2 19-82-10-W6. He cleared land in the Valley for many Ukrainian's earning the nickname Shindouski. Frank was a great problem solver. While driving during a blizzard his Volkswagen bug ended up in a small frozen lake. After he got it out he thawed it out by burning the hubcaps filled with gas, looking like a black cube of charcoal driving down the road. While operating D9 Cat one night he was unable to leave the job site. With it being high bear season he dug a hole in the ground and then drove the cat over the hole and slept in the hole. He taught many people how to operate D9 Cat as well as mechanic skills. Peter bought a Harley Davidson for $25.00 and Frank was able to help him to get it running. Because of his versatility (equipment operator, mechanic, welder) he was the last mechanic to leave a job site once the work was completed. Frank's mechanic training was by ear. When operating a machine, he could hear what the problem was and then get off and fix it. When he was about 45 years old it was required that mechanics be ticketed. He went to Grande Prairie and completed the exams becoming an interprovincial journeyman heavy duty mechanic without any classroom training. Many have tried but Frank was one of the successful few to put a tractor engine in a pick-up truck. Ear plugs were a requirement but that pick-up went to the Yukon and back. Frank felt that it was time for him to settle down. After a short courtship, him and the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, Frances Spurgeon were married in Spirit River, Alberta. After he was married he and Frances lived in a small log cabin on his parents homestead. Working as a firefighter, a helicopter landed in the pasture taking Frank off to fight a fire. He needed to have another guy ride with him on the D10 Cat so they got a hippie to ride with him. The hippie, decided that he needed to have a nap so he leaned up against a tree. Lightening hit the tree and boy did that hippie take off. 1968 Frank moved his family to the Yukon. He was employed to build sections of the Dempster highway and streets in Whitehorse. While in the Yukon he enjoyed hunting, fishing and canoeing. The family continued to grow, totaling six and it became time for Dee-Ann to start school. They moved back to the farm, Frank continued to farm and work at camp jobs in order to support his family. Farming was his passion. After raising many different animals his favorite was Buffalo. Frank was known for his: Strong Mennonite heritage: The men worked outside and the women took care of the house. Farming is hard when you have a large family to feed and no boys to help. His brothers would farm together sharing the farming on each other's land starting with whose land was dry enough first. Eventually he came around and felt that if his daughters were going to work for other farmers perhaps he should teach them some skills. Unfortunately, Frances was not as good of a cook as his mother and sisters. Frank would often be found in the kitchen when he was home. His favorite thing to cook was steak and breakfast. When at camp, if the cook quit, he would make breakfast for the whole crew. Once he cooked a steak & potatoes supper for the crew because he didn't like the cook's food and the next day the cook quit. He was gentle at heart, but you knew when he meant business. Every Sunday would be spent at his parent's house with many other family members. He passed onto his children his love for family. There was no greater joy than when his children or grandchildren were around. He loved the lord and would read his bible regularly. After his mother passed away, all that he wanted of hers was her bible. He especially loved to hear people sing and would often sing along. The night before he died his family was singing for him and he was singing along. Generosity: If there was someone in need Frank would always lend a helping hand or he would provide them with some financial support. One neighbor with several children needed to dig a root cellar and Frank paid to have this done. If he went to visit a friend and they needed help with a mechanical problem he would always dig right in. His cuffs were always black. Fun loving and a trickster: When his family would get together all you would hear was the laughter of them telling stories of the days of old. He loved to tease his nieces and nephews when they came over or were at his parent's house. Frank was youthful at heart, he bought his girls a Suzuki dirt bike. Who could be found at the bottom of the coulee doing jumps with the neighbor boy? It wasn't his daughters! His love for quading found him traveling all over the back country with Joe Toews. Friend: He was quietly reserved at first but once he was your friend, he was a faithful friend. To this day, he has friends all over that he has been in contact with throughout his life no matter where he was. He loved to spend time with people and to travel. During his last years in Spirit River, Frank continued to make many new friends as people came into his life. Compassionate: He always had his family's best interest at heart. He was a good provider and never once did his children feel that they were not loved or cared for. Even though there were many financial hardships when he was growing up, his mother always made time for her children and they knew that they were loved. Even to his last breath, he was reassuring his children that he was okay. He had a way of calming people down when others were not able to. There was a large straw stack that the kids had made tunnels in and his girls used his good lumber to support the tunnels. Because he was concerned that it would collapse, during the night when the kids were sleeping, forgetting about his wood he burnt it to the ground. Each of his girls drove off the yard after they graduated with a car that he had resurrected. He was a devoted husband and was crushed when his wife passed away in 2004. As mentioned, Frank was a family man and his family was always growing. He and Frances, after having four daughters of their own, chose to expand their family once more with two foster daughters. He leaves behind his legacy of six daughters, thirteen grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. His last parting words to his family are that he loves them all. Grandpa, When I heard you were sick I cried. I didn't want you to suffer and ever since I heard you were sick I have been praying that I could see you happy and healthy one last time. I realized that you are happy and healthy in heaven and one day when I die I'll be able to see you and grandma in heaven too. Every time I think of the time mommy told me on your last night you sang, prayed and read the Bible I cried. I love you so much and I miss you. Love, Isabelle Service 2:00 pm Tuesday, April 19, 2016 Savanna Recreational Complex Hwy 681 Savanna, Alberta, Canada Interment Alexview Cemetery Silver Valley SILVER VALLEY, Alberta, Canada