Obituary of Ben Lievers

B I O G R A P H Y LIEVERS: Ben Lievers passed away in the Dr. Cooke Extended Care Centre, Lloydminster, Alberta on Monday, December 26, 2005 at the age of 82 years. The funeral service for Ben was conducted from the Paradise Valley Church of God, Paradise Valley, Alberta on Thursday, December 29, 2005 at 10:30 A.M. with Pastor Gregg Peterson officiating. A eulogy was given by Dale Sunderland. Hymns sung were “Beyond The Sunset,” and “In The Sweet By and By” accompanied on the organ by Sandra Babcock. Active pallbearers were: Kevin Brundage, Melvin Brundage, Michael Rahmoun, Justin MacGregor, Caleb Sunderland and Timothy Lievers. Interment followed in the Paradise Valley Cemetery. McCaw Funeral Service Ltd., of Lloydminster, administered the funeral arrangements. Eulogy for Ben Lievers Ben Lievers was born in Neerlandia, Alberta on March 17, 1923 to Ben and Alice Lievers. He was born into a large family having four older sisters: Johanna, Minnie, Reika and Alice.. Two older brothers, Bill and Henry and two younger brothers, John and Gerrit. He was predeceased by his Mother, Father, sister Johanna, her husband Ralph and sister Minnie, brother, Bill and his wife Gwen, brother John and by his sister-in-law Jean and dear wife Maude in November 2002. He is survived by six children, five girls, Karen and her husband Philip Brundage, Janet and her husband David Brundage, Vivian and her husband George Rahmoun, Rhoda MacGregor and Joe Verdon, Christine and her husband Dale Sunderland and one son Richard and his wife Laura Lievers, twenty-three grandchildren and thirteen great grandchildren. Dad remembers his mother as a wonderful gardener, he says that she won many prizes at the local fair with her vegetables. Dad learned his love of gardening from her. She believed that you should learn how to do everything, thus teaching her children to cook, clean, make their beds and just be able to independent. His father was a carpenter instilling in; him the love of building. Dad went to work brush cutting in the Neerlandia district. Then at fifteen, he went off to the big city and worked on a dairy farm by Sherwood Park for George and Edith Smyth. He was paid $25.00 a month plus room and board. Dad loved a practical joke. Uncle John told the story of how once while threshing it was raining and too wet to thresh so part of the crew went hunting prairie chickens and while hunting they found a cow bell, so what did he think of? He took the bell and tied it to one of the shakers on the threshing machine. The following day the crew went back to work and the tractor men started up the machine and the bell started to ring. The threshing machine man threw up his hands to stop the machine. He said, “there’s a cow in there!”. They looked but couldn’t find the cow, so they started the machine again, and the bell rang again, so they stopped it once more, but no success. So they tried it the third time and finally found the bell! He met Maude Flint at Bethel Bible camp in 1950. After two years of courtship through letters and visits to Paradise Valley, they were married on August 30, 1952. Dad built their first home on a quarter section of land just north of the homestead. There he went to work farming. This is where Karen arrived in November of 1953. Karen recalls the story of how Dad’s Mother-in-law came to see the new baby and while admiring Karen in her crib, Dad told her yes, she’s beautiful and I intend to keep the crib full! True to his word Janet was born in April of 1955! Later they moved to a farm just south of Cyril and Lillian Flints. This is when Vivian and Rhoda arrived. Farming was just not in Dad’s blood and they moved their home, which Dad had built, to Paradise Valley where Rick and Laura now live. Here is where Christine and Richard were born. We always recall Dad and Mom saying; “We don’t think that we should move any more as we seem to add two children each time!” They started the Beaver lumber hardware store in 1961 where we each have our own special memories. Dad sold out in 1971 and began doing carpentry work. This is what he truly loved. Inventing and building were where his heart was. We all have special keepsakes that Dad has built for us over the years. Rick recalls helping him tear down an old building, separating the nails into two different pails, one for the nails with heads and one for the nails without. Later he found out that the nails with heads all had to be straightened. The others thrown out! He wished he had ruined a few more nails! Family was very important to Dad. He faithfully visited his “Papa” driving 250 miles to Neerlandia with a van full of sleepy children still in their pyjamas. Rhonda remembers one of the trips during a heavy rain and not being able to make it up the road to the house, so Grandpa came and hauled the family up with a wagon and horses. As Dad gained more children through marriage, he welcomed them all and loved them as his own. David says he will never forget Dad’s words as he and Janet were leaving on their honeymoon: “Now that you are married, you need to prove that you’re a man!” Laura recalls calling Mom and Dad “Ben” and “Maude” until one day Dad called her aside and said “This just isn’t right, I want you to call us Mom and Dad.” and that is how he treated all us in-laws. I personally remember it was nearly thirty years ago when I first met Dad, or gentle Ben as he was kindly referred to by his co-workers. I was terrified by this gentle giant. It wasn’t because of what he said, the first time I came calling on Christine he never said a word. All I remember was him sitting at the table eating dinner and keeping his wooden baseball bat by the back door to warn off would be suitors, like me! I guess that is why he needed that bat, I think Dad should have been called Job because he truly had the fairest daughters in the land! Dad was a disciplinarian as well. One never sassed Mom and then walked anywhere close to Dad’s work boot. Janet remembers that if Dad said yet it meant yes and if he said no it meant no-no questions asked! Karen remembers being at the outdoor arena for hockey practice. If the yellow porch light came on that meant, it was time to go home, you had four minutes of grace and then “the Whistle!” which we all knew everyone in Paradise Valley could hear. Vivian recalls having to sit beside Dad at the dinner table just so she could be close enough to swat if she sassed - she always had to have the last word! One time in order to escape Dad’s wrath, she ran outside with Dad in hot pursuit, round and round the lilac bushes they went. Vivian was a little faster and Dad never did catch her. He finally had to admit defeat as he sat on the grass and laughed. Dad was the kind of husband that most women dream about. His main concern in life was looking after the wishes and needs of Mom, he would not want to do anything or be anywhere without her. His love and devotion to her were so great there were times that he did not agree with her but because of his love he would do what she wanted, putting his own desires on the back burner. At the end when Mom’s health was really failing I would take Dad out of the home in Provost for walks in the fresh air. Christine would stay with Mom inside. We would only be gone for a few minutes and Dad would say we better see how Mom is doing. His concern and devotion for her were second to none. When she passed away three years ago, it broke his heart. Dad never lost his sense of humor even as Parkinson’s robbed him of everything he had. I recall one time straining to hear what he was trying to tell me after I had asked him for the third time, “what was that you were saying Dad?” He finally motioned to me to lean closer to him and said “I think you need some of those things you wear in your ears!” with a twinkle in his eye, he would chuckle to himself when he knew he had a good one. Vivian remembers once picking him up to go to Sedgewick with her. Trying to button his shirt, he struggled for a long time, she said “here Dad let me help you with that,” no, he could do it himself. After some time he finally let her help then said “growing old sure isn’t any fun, but I guess I only have to do it once!”. Another time she recalls him saying: “they say these are the golden years, the doctors get the gold and I get the years!”. Dad’s strong faith has sustained him through many hard times as we his family have seen the quiet confidence he has in God. He accepted Christ as his savior at sixteen years of age. After every meal as his Father had before him, he read the Bible to his family. As the grandchildren came along they were encouraged to read a verse, even if it was painfully slow he patiently waited as they labored over each word. I recall in later years one night when Mom was in the hospital I had taken Dad home and was staying with him, barely able to walk he had made it to his chair and tried to kneel down but couldn’t. I remember him saying “I guess God will understand if I pray in my chair tonight.” His faithfulness in reading the Bible and praying for each of us is an incredible example and comfort to all of us. Every year that I knew Dad I grew to love and appreciate him more and more. It was a privilege as we sat with Dad while he took his last breaths here on earth and we watched him enter eternity. Now that he is gone to be with the Lord, all of us who have accepted Christ as Savior will see him again. Dad’s and my prayer is that each one here will make that commitment if we haven’t already so the circle will be unbroken. Card of Thanks The family of Ben Lievers wishes to thank the Dr. Cooke extended Care Facility for their excellent care for Dad during the three years he lived there. Your care and love for him were evident during that time and especially during his last few days. Thank you to the McCaw family for your professional and personal care during a busy time. To the ladies of the Church of God for the meal provided on short notice. To Sandra Babcock for playing the hymns sung even without music! To all the people who brought food, flowers and cards. To Pastor Gregg Peterson for the hours of visits with Dad, even allowing Dad to play practical jokes on him! We appreciate the love you showed to Dad and to all of us. Your words at the service could not have been more appropriate. To all the family who used their gifts and abilities to honor Dad, he would have been so proud! Karen & Philip Brundage Janet & David Brundage Vivian & George Rahmoun Rhoda MacGregor & Joe Verdon Christine & Dale Sunderland Richard & Laura Lievers Donations may be made to The Bethel Bible Camp.