Obituary of Allen Loewen Reimer

Allen Reimer March 25th,1938 – December 31st, 2022 Allen Reimer, loving husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend passed away December 31st, 2022 at the age of 84 years. He is survived by the love of his life Millie, son Gene (wife Roxanne), daughter Shelly (husband Earl), daughter Renee (husband Jerry), and daughter Gayle (partner Eddy), as well as 8 grandchildren: Taylor (husband Derek), Teagen, Brett (wife Riana), Danica, Ethan, Austin (wife Victoria), Raena, and Noah. He delighted in his 2 great grandsons, Everett and Max. Allen is also survived by siblings Minnie, Betty, Leo, Alma, Annie, Paulina, John, and Lorne. He was predeceased by his father Jacob P.D Reimer, and mother Elizabeth Reimer, along with siblings Menno, Mary, Pete and Jake. Allen was born and raised on the family farm in the Pleasant Valley area. One of 13 children, he enjoyed many an adventure with his siblings, often reminisced of at family gatherings. He attended the Pleasant Valley School from grades 1 – 6. He met his sweetheart Millie when he was 15, on the beet field. They were hoeing and their garden hoes got entwined (dad takes the blame for this) and the rest was history. Highlights of their courtship years were skating together and visiting every other weekend. They were married on June 18th, 1961. Their first years were mostly spent living on the farm near Pleasant Valley. They were blessed richly with 4 children – Gene, Shelly, Renee and Gayle. Some notable occupations over the years were Farmer, Truck Driver, Bus Driver and Driver’s Education Instructor. In 1982, Dad saw an ad in the paper to take a 3-week course at the U of M to become a driving instructor. His first thought was, “that I want to do!” That was the beginning of Al’s Driver Training - a 38-year career, teaching over 4000 students. Dad loved to interact with his students, both then and now. Even in his final weeks, he enjoyed bumping into former students and asking about their driving record, or doodling out a driving tip on a napkin or scrap paper for family and friends. Dad LOVED his job! He often got calls to see if he was still instructing – even one last month. If he could have, he would have! In 1997 they relocated to Morris where they lived for 20 years. They loved their small, beautiful yard and spending time with family when they came home to visit, as well as making many new friendships to last a lifetime. In 2017 it was time to downsize further and move to the Rosenort Apartments where they resided together until his passing. They reconnected with old friends and Dad enjoyed the community fellowship with those who lived there greatly. Some of Dad’s hobbies included collecting toy tractors as well as owning a re-stored Oliver 88 - a close replica of his first tractor. He was a past president of the Scratching River Tractor Club and enjoyed club events such as driving his tractor in the Morris parade, and organizing the Tractor Club picnic. Dad loved music. We often heard him coming in his vehicle, before we saw him. If we ever asked “is it too loud?” His reply would be, “it doesn’t give such.” In good and bad times, music was his constant companion. Another love was sports. Together with Mom, he loved to watch his grandkids play sports - dirt bike racing, volleyball, hockey, and baseball. He was so proud of them all, recounting their accomplishments to all who would listen. Dad was a passionate Jets fan through the years and enjoyed watching their games with family whenever possible. We will greatly miss his excited “hey, hey’s!” when the Jets scored. Dad was known for his unique sense of humor, the twinkle in his blue eyes, his ability to predict the weather just by looking at the sky, and meeting someone he knew wherever he went. Of utmost importance was his faith. Dad became a Christian at the age of 19 and when describing his conversion experience he said he felt such a light-heartedness, making him feel like a new person. He was active in the Pleasant Valley church in many capacities – Sunday School teacher, Usher, Christian Fellowship Committee, Octet and a faithful attender. It was incredibly important to Dad that his family and those around him would love Jesus. He took the pastor’s message to heart, and spent time pondering and reflecting on what he’d heard. His Sunday mornings were filled with a variety of services – Tribal Trails, Faith to Live By, Food For Life, the heritage service, and Pleasant Valley in person or online. He loved to learn and hear about God. He relied on God to help him through the many health struggles he dealt with in his life. This was evident when he was wheeled off for surgeries and procedures and would reassure us that he never went through them alone – Jesus was always by his side. The bravery demonstrated when facing each of these health challenges always left us amazed. Dad, we as your family want to thank you for your love, the lighthearted way you faced life, and the way you led our family with your faith in Jesus. The funeral service for Allen Reimer will be held Friday, January 6th, 2023 at 2pm in the Rosenort Evangelical Mennonite Church, Rosenort, MB with viewing prior to the service. The family wishes to thank Dr. Rowland Hayward for his years of compassionate care through the majority of Dad’s health struggles as well as the kind and caring staff at Morris General Hospital in his final days. Donations in memory of Allen Reimer can be made to the university campus ministry Power to Change or to the Improvement Fund of the Roselane Apartments in Rosenort.