Janzen, Victor (1944-2024)
Victor "Vic" Henry Janzen: artisan, teacher, and local church leader; born 24 June 1944 in Chilliwack, British Columbia (BC), Canada, to Henry Janzen (1 October 1919, Samara, Russia – 16 October 2001, Abbotsford, British Columbia) and Katharine (Neumann) Janzen (27 September 1919, Rosenwald, Barnaul, Asiatic Russia – 8 June 2013, Mission, British Columbia), the oldest of three children. On 12 March 1965, Vic married Claudia Mary Huesken. They had two children, Carl and Lisa. Vic died of cancer on 23 June 2024 in Chilliwack, BC.
Victor and his siblings moved to Yukon Territory with their parents when he was nine years old. In 1956, the family moved back to the southern coast of BC, eventually settling in North Delta. The Janzens became members of Strawberry Hill Mennonite Brethren (renamed Kennedy Heights Mennonite Brethren) Church in Surrey, where Vic was baptized in 1963. He graduated from North Delta Secondary School in 1962, and in 1971 he received his BA and Teaching Certificate from the University of British Columbia.
Janzen held teaching assignments in Delta and Surrey for the next 11 years and, following a brief interlude, he returned to teaching for another 20 years in various Chilliwack School District schools. He taught primarily at Chilliwack Senior Secondary, directing their Forestry Program that he helped to develop, and teaching English and drama. Through life experiences and formal training, Vic became an authority on log house construction. He gave up teaching for a season in his life and established himself as a professional log builder. He was one of the founding members of the International Log Builders’ Association, and in 1977, Janzen became the chief instructor at the B. Allan Mackie School of Log Building, which he referred to as one of the most interesting and adventurous years of his life. In 1978 Vic received an architectural scholarship from Canada Mortgage and Housing to write a how-to guide to building a log home.
His heart of service and adventure was given space to expand during his retirement. Beginning in the early 2000s, he volunteered with His Hands and Feet International, serving as crew leader on seven house-building projects in Mexico. In 2004, he began volunteering with Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS), serving in places such as Barriere, Louisiana, Rock Creek, and Williams Lake in British Columbia, and Fort McMurray, Alberta. In the latter years of his life, he sat on several MDS boards.
Vic also had the unique opportunity to travel to Siberia, first in 2009 to teach in a Pentecostal Bible school in the city of Gorno-Altaysk, and two years later to build a log church in a village near the Mongolian border.
In 1978, Vic and Claudia became members at Sardis Community Church where Vic was involved with many aspects of leadership throughout the years, serving as board moderator, home group leader, mentor, prayer warrior and most recently as chair of the pastoral care committee. Vic felt strongly that "the best leaders in the church are sitting in the pews," and both he and Claudia never hesitated to jump in and do what needed doing. His deep and resonant voice was often heard narrating at Christmas and Easter events, and his flair for the dramatic even once found him carrying a lamb across his shoulders to illustrate a point for a children’s message.
Vic’s ability to connect with people was at the core of his success as a teacher, as he could just as easily establish rapport with a rough-hewn youngster, a bookish intellect, or a single mom. Vic always had time for others. Known for taking in strangers in need, giving financial help, mentoring and befriending many, Vic was often unaware of the impact his life had on those he befriended.
| Author(s) | David F. Loewen |
|---|---|
| Date Published | March 2025 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Loewen, David F.. "Janzen, Victor (1944-2024)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. March 2025. Web. 18 Mar 2025. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Janzen,_Victor_(1944-2024)&oldid=180332.
APA style
Loewen, David F.. (March 2025). Janzen, Victor (1944-2024). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 18 March 2025, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Janzen,_Victor_(1944-2024)&oldid=180332.
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