Peter Barg

Peter Barg entered into Eternal Rest early Sunday morning, September 17, 2017.  He lived 94 years on this earth.

Our father was born on Friday, March 30, 1923 to Peter and Etkaterina Barg in Orenburg, a German Mennonite daughter colony founded at the south-east flank of the Ural Mountains more than 2000 kilometers to the east of the main Mennonite colonies in the Russian Ukraine. It was a tradition for a father’s first name to be his son’s middle name. What possessed dad’s parents to also choose Peter for his first name is a mystery. But Peter Peter it was. Dad seemed embarrassed. If a middle name was needed, all he ever wrote was the initial ‘P’. But we do find it something to chuckle about.

From this side of time passed, it’s hard to comprehend the post revolution turmoil going on in Russia in general and in the Mennonite colonies in particular just prior to dad’s birth. The terrors experienced by the main colonies were not as severe in far off Orenburg but that’s not saying much. As a newly married couple, our grandparents must have wondered if they and their new born son would survive and if they did, to what kind of future. By 1923, collectivization of farms began in earnest and then in 1926 it became known that the State would take over all colony schools for the indoctrination of atheistic communism. It was time to leave. Under sponsorship by the Mennonite Central Committee, our grandparents, dad, his infant brother Johann and Uncle Bernhard Barg were among approximately 1000 Orenburg colonists allowed to leave. In early July, a group of about 30 families climbed into box cars for the first leg of the trip to Moscow and from there to the Baltic port of Riga. As something to eat along the way, Gramma Barg would have roasted zweibach to prevent spoiling. At every stop, they would have been searched for hidden rubles and poked and prodded. Any finding of disease would have ended their journey. By July 30th they were on a CPR steamer, the SS Metagama, having left Liverpool for the 10 day voyage to Quebec City. From there, with CPR credit to pay for train passage, the young family traveled to Swift Current, then north to the town of Beechy where a quarter section of raw land awaited, courtesy of the Canadian Government.

We know few details of the following years. An early home might have been a sod hut. We do know that a pattern of having children every 2 years continued for Gramma as Katie, then Agnes, Annie, and finally Jacob arrived. The family went to a house church, where Peter’s father sometimes led the service. Dad accepted the Lord as his Savior at an early age and was baptized in the South Saskatchewan River.

Dad grew up in the Great Depression. The frugal practices necessary to survive during the 30’s became part of his personality for the rest of his life. Dad completed Grade 8, the highest offered in rural Saskatchewan at the time. He must have been good at math. Years later dad could handily solve Grade 11 math problems without knowing a wit about algebra.

By 1939, dad was old enough for the draft. A farm worker as well as conscientious objector, dad’s alternative war service was the job of shepherd. He sometimes spoke about riding horses and minding sheep on the Matador Provincial Community Pasture. One summer, dad hunkered down with his horse in a dilapidated barn when a funnel cloud touched down. When it was over, dad and the horse were OK, but there was no barn. In response to high kill rates of sheep by coyotes, dad suggested to the owner that he invest in a border collie. The collie was particularly helpful as a coyote alert. A 22 bullet took care of the rest!

In the winter of 1941/42, Peter and his brother John were somehow able to leave war service behind to attend Herbert Bible School. Another lady called Margaret Enns was also there. Hmmm! Dad finished his war service in Ontario’s Aylmer tomato cannery. It was, as is said, a harbinger of things to come.

Fed up with with more than a decade of farming setbacks and, in a rather convenient coincidence for Peter, both the Bargs and the Enns’ moved to within a mile of each other on Blue Jay Road not far from Clearbrook. The Enns’ lived “up the hill”, and the Bargs’ lived “down the hill”. Dad bought a 10 acre parcel from his father, built a house and married Margaret on July 21, 1946. For cash flow, Dad worked the logbooms on the Fraser River for a Port Kells sawmill until 1959, when it burned down. The farm was a labor of love, but we imagine he liked using dynamite to blow out the stumps left over from logging the ancient Douglas firs.

During the 1950’s our family would travel to Summerland to visit Uncle John and Aunt Irma. Even as children, we liked that place! With dad out of work, John, who was a school principle at the time, offered his brother a job driving his Royal Mail truck route from Penticton to Vernon. On Marvin’s birthday, July 9, 1960, we moved to the promised land, Summerland! Dad’s first order of business was to build a house for his family on Jones Flat Road. During the day, he cut lumber by handsaw and framed. In the early morning and evening he hauled mail.

With the house finished, mom and dad took in a newborn foster child. His name was Melvin but we called him Melli. There was talk of adoption but in 1963 he was abruptly taken to be adopted by another family. Mom and dad were beside themselves in grief. In another of those hmmm moments, Joyce was born in 1964. Later in the decade, life circumstances brought us Kevin whom our parents raised as a son.

Our next door neighbor introduced dad to fishing as he had never experienced it before. One July 1st weekend, Mr. Stoll took Peter to Pennask Lake. Ill equipped, dad nearly froze as 6 inches of snow fell overnight. When he thawed out, dad told us of the fishing-line-zing sound when trout hit his weeny rod and reel set-up, of fish actually jumping into the boat. As a family, we spent many summer Saturdays there. Unfortunately for mom, her time in the boat was spent cleaning a never ending catch of fish.

By the mid 60’s mail hauling contracts petered out (pun intended). Dad had already been working casually at the DL Milne Cannery in Summerland. Since he was a skilled and conscientious employee, a move to full time was welcomed by the company. He would be the shipper and receiver and the main truck driver for the rest of his career. His boss, Lorne, would become one of his dearest friends.

The age of canneries in the Okanagan came to an end when dad was about 62. For a man that defined himself by work and providing for his family, the next few years were a time of soul-searching and trying to find self-worth. He never fully recovered.

Throughout the years, dad took his family on trips to Saskatchewan to visit cousins, aunts and uncles, and liked to travel throughout the States to Arizona. Do some of us remember hurriedly setting up the canvas tent, in the dark, in a rainstorm, only to be woken up by the roar of a train and its bright headlamp coming right for us? Yes, dad unknowingly pitched the tent mere yards from a train track! In later years, Peter would take Margaret across-the-line to Spokane, mainly. They would shop for good deals, better quality merchandise in their opinion and watch old TV shows and movies only available on cable in the US.

Before breakfast dad consistently led devotions with the family. As his children learned to read, he would ask them to read the scripture leading to some memorable instances of mispronunciation! Initially, Peter took his family to church in Penticton, but finally the desire to attend the nearest Mennonite Brethren Church in Kelowna resulted in a 30 mile round trip on Sunday mornings and evenings! and several more trips during the week. For at least one family member, attending church in Kelowna was providential!

As mentioned earlier, dad was somewhat of a lost soul in his 60’s but that doesn’t mean he sat around. Peter established a business cutting lawns for “old people” as he would say, but usually he was older than his customers! He also helped his brother John who had a small farm and cattle operation. Then, there was always wood to be bucked and split. Well into his 80’s, Peter would cut and buck trees that blocked the view at the “girls” place, meaning his sisters Agnes and Annie’s place on Majuba Hill, near Abbotsford. He took trips to the coast in his small Mazda. The time came when Peter needed to leave the driving to others. Like the loss of employment decades earlier, it was devastating for Pete, once the professional truck driver, to lose his licence. Norman became dad’s chauffeur. Father and son made trips to Nanaimo to visit Kevin and Kim. Almost every Christmas, they visited Carol and Dave in Quesnel with a jaunt to Prince George to Marvin and Shirley’s. Once they made it back to Shaunavon, Saskatchewan to visit Joyce and Glen.

Our father’s story would not be complete without commenting on his faithfulness and dedication to Margaret. She was a wife who had medical problems as she aged and dad was by her side every step of the way, caring for her in the best way he knew how. They celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in 2006. When mom finally needed full time care, Peter visited her every day from morning to night at Parkdale Nursing Home. When Margaret passed away June 9, 2007, in reality, much of Peter died with her.

Soon dad stopped looking after himself but with Norman’s vigilance, Peter remained at home until 2013 when assisted living became necessary. In the past year, failing stability and cognition meant dad’s final stop was the Dr. Andrews Pavilion in Summerland. We know Peter was given excellent care for the few months he was there. We are so thankful. Joyce and Norman were able to be a family presence. As far as we know, our father didn’t die of any disease process. His body just wore out. It was his time to leave and he did in the early hours of September 17th, 2017. It was on a Sunday.

Besides being predeceased by his wife, Margaret Enns, Peter’s brother John (Irma) passed away in 2006. Dad is survived by all his children although several locations have changed－Joyce and Glen moved to Summerland; Marvin and Shirley now live in Salmon Arm. He had 15 grandchildren (1 deceased), and 13 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by sisters Katie (Pete), Agnes, Annie and brother Jake (Arlene).

Even if a parent dies in old age, some sadness is unavoidable because a part of our lives is gone too. Yes, our father’s long life journey is over. But we know this is not the end. Dad’s story has always been within another one written by God. For dad, mom and all the others of our family, uncles and aunts we still miss, we quote CS Lewis.

For them it is only the beginning of the real story.
All this life has only been the cover and title page. Now at last, they begin chapter one of the Great Story, which no one on earth has read; which goes on for ever; in which every chapter is better than the one before.

The Barg Family
September 22, 2017

A memorial service for Peter will take place Friday, September 22 @ 1:30 p.m. at the Summerland Baptist Church, 10318 Elliott Street, Summerland, BC with the interment preceding at 11:00 a.m. at Canyon View Cemetery, 10316 Canyonview Road, Summerland, BC.

Condolences may be directed to the family through providencefuneralhomes.com 250-494-7752.

 Service Information