Rempel, Aron Dietrich (1903-1981)
Aron Dietrich Rempel: minister, teacher and farmer; born 22 March 1903 to Dietrich and Katharina (Matthies) Rempel, in Mozdok, Caucasus, Russia. Aron was the fifth of seven children. He died 7 September 1981 in Richmond, BC.
After a near-drowning in 1922, he made his peace with God. In the same year he was baptized in the Kuma River, Russia. In 1925 he was forced to enlist in the Red Army, but he was able to serve his tour of duty in the medical corps in a hospital. On the completion of his military duty, he was allowed to immigrate to Canada in 1930, delighted that he was able to join his family again.
Aron was a devoted husband and father. On 13 November 1932 he married Olga Hepting (3 October 1907-31 October 1991), daughter of Heinrich Andreas and Anna (Lechner) Hepting, in the Yarrow Mennonite Brethren (MB) Church. Between 1933 and 1947 nine children were born to Aron and Olga. His family remembers the wise counsel that he often expressed proverbially, as for instance the encouragement to live like honey bees. “When life’s circumstances begin to squeeze, allow the honey to drip rather than the stinger to lash out,” he advised.
Aron and Olga were intimately involved in the Yarrow MB Church. In May 1939 the church ordained Aron to the ministry. In time he became part of the leadership team, serving as associate with several senior pastors. For a brief time after the death of Pastor Peter P. Neufeldt in 1961, Rempel served as interim senior pastor. He frequently led Bible studies and prayer meetings. For 35 years he taught a teenage boys Sunday school class. When during the 1950s most of the classes switched to English, the students in Rempel’s class clamored for him to continue in German rather than lose their beloved teacher.
Aron Rempel was also a fervent promoter of Christian education. He was one of the founders and long-serving board members of the Sharon Mennonite Collegiate, a secondary school established by the Yarrow MB Church, which operated from 1951 to 1969.
Aron Rempel introduced raspberries to Yarrow. During one his business trips to Everett, Washington, he purchased a few raspberry canes for his farm in Yarrow. Although his neighbors felt this was a foolish investment, Rempel persisted and soon was known as Raspberry King of Yarrow. It was by the cultivation of raspberries that the emerging Yarrow community was able to establish a solid economic foundation.
Bibliography
Mennonite Brethren Herald (20 November 1981): 30.
Mennonitsche Rundschau (18 November 1981): 24.
Shier, (Rempel) Charlotte. “A Life Remembered: The Life of Aron Rempel.”
| Author(s) | David Giesbrecht |
|---|---|
| Date Published | November 2004 |
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Giesbrecht, David. "Rempel, Aron Dietrich (1903-1981)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. November 2004. Web. 22 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Rempel,_Aron_Dietrich_(1903-1981)&oldid=143008.
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Giesbrecht, David. (November 2004). Rempel, Aron Dietrich (1903-1981). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 22 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Rempel,_Aron_Dietrich_(1903-1981)&oldid=143008.
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