STEELY REMPEL

1932 - 2012

Henry “Steely” Rempel, beloved husband of Betty Rempel (formerly Skelly) and the late Elizabeth Rempel, passed away in Taber on Saturday, May 12, 2012 at the age of 79 years.
Relatives and friends are invited to meet with the family at the Southland Funeral Chapel, 5006 - 48 Avenue, Taber on Thursday, May 17, 2012 between 7:00 P.M. and 8:00 P.M.
The Funeral Service will be held at the Vauxhall Mennonite Brethren Church, 320 - 9 Street North, Vauxhall on Friday, May 18, 2012 at 1:00 P.M. with Paster Elroy Senneker officiating. Burial to follow at the Vauxhall Mennonite Cemetery.
As well as his loving wife Betty, Steely is survived by his children Patty (Myles) Toews of Florence, South Carolina and their children Deanne (Jon), Justin, Rachael (Erik) and Lyndsay; Betty (George) Hiebert of Worsley and their children Nicole (Benjamin), Michelle, Brianne, Kaitlyn, Matthew, Melissa and Emily; Karen (Vic) Pankratz of Surrey, British Columbia and their children Jaline and Kyle; Tim (Jennifer) Rempel of Lethbridge. He is also survived by his siblings Bill (Marjorie) Rempel, Annie Hiebert, Jake (Rae) Rempel, Elsie Quiring and sister-in-law Lester Rempel.
He was predeceased by his loving wife of over fifty years, Elizabeth Rempel; parents Abram and Anna Rempel; brother Abe Rempel; brothers-in-law Dave Hiebert and Ted Quiring.
Steely was born in Bassano, Alberta on December 2, 1932. He grew up in the Gem/Rosemary area, and attended school in Clemenceau, Gem and Coaldale. After his school years he moved to Calgary where he met Liz Unruh. In 1957 they married and in 1958 they settled in Vauxhall where they raised their family.
While farming in Vauxhall, Steely was President of the Grazing Association, President of the Co-op and an Alberta Wheat Pool delegate for many years, as well as being heavily involved in the Mennonite Brethren Church. He enjoyed playing hockey and fastpitch. In his retirement years he acted as President of the Vauxhall Seniors’ Association, enjoyed playing crib and pool, as well as drinking coffee and visiting with his many friends.
Steely worked hard to provide for his family and showed much love, help and support over the years.
After the death of wife Liz in 2008, he found love again with Betty. They married in 2009 and their almost three happy years of marriage were full of travelling, visiting with family and spending time with friends at the Seniors’ Association.
Although he had heard the gospel as a child, Steely did not want to commit his life to the Lord; hockey was the most important thing to him. While he was at bible school in Coaldale, at age 18 he committed his life to the Lord Jesus Christ. It was a pivotal moment in his life and that decision showed itself in how he treated others and lived his life. Steely was known for his willingness to serve others, giving rides when needed, visiting people in hospital or Extendicare and helping friends and family whenever a need arose. He will be deeply missed by everyone whose lives he touched.
If friends so desire, memorial tributes in Steely’s name may be made in support of missions, c/o Vauxhall Mennonite Brethren Church, Box 75, Vauxhall, Alberta T0K 2K0 (please make cheques payable to the church and designate for missions).