A colourful century of living

St. Vital

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/01/2025 (619 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Dakota House resident John Dyck turned 100 on Nov. 17, 2024. His three children and their families convened relatives and friends in our party room to celebrate their dad’s longevity. We marvelled at his continuing physical stamina – he remained standing throughout the entire afternoon visiting with guests.

John was born in a teacherage near Winkler in southern Manitoba to his schoolteacher father, Jacob Dyck, and his homemaker mother, Helena. He was fourth out of five children. Judging by his present quiet demeanour, you’d never guess what a kaleidoscope of adventures awaited him.

John started school before turning six. His father was his teacher for grades 1 to 8, grades 9 and 10 were taken by correspondence, and he took grades 11 and 12 in Altona. The Second World War was on, and many schools would have had to close when their teachers joined the forces or worked in war materials factories. John enrolled in a six-week course for permit teachers, where the enrolment was 300 girls and just five boys.

Spencer School, near Grunthal, was his first assignment, with 50 kids in grades 1 to 8. He was hired because ‘being a man, he could handle the load,’ they said.

His father’s advice was invaluable in helping him organize his work. He mingled in community activities, such as choir director at church since he could read music, or taking the young on sleigh rides. But the war continued, and John eventually joined the navy where he became a telegraphist recording density of German U-boats in the Atlantic.

When the war ended, John eventually earned his bachelor of science and education degrees at the University of Manitoba. Summers provided adventures while working as surveyor on the Alaska Highway and in Banff, as well as studying climate at Chesterfield Inlet, in what is now Nunavut but was then the North West Territories.

He was teaching at Gimli High School when he met his wife-to-be, Betty Jackson, a commercial course instructor. One year later they were married and, in time, moved to Manson School, then on to Russell for three years.

But John was “itching for new things,” and moved to Dominion City, Morris and Sanford schools until, with a family of three, he settled into teaching mathematics and physics for 20 years at Vincent Massey Collegiate in Fort Garry. He found much satisfaction being soccer coach for an enthusiastic team. When John announced his retirement in 1985, the staff threw him a great retirement party.

He and Betty then had plenty of time for doing stellar volunteer work – at Meals on Wheels, a Mennonite thrift store, tax filing, etc. They played bridge and made many friends. In 2018 they moved to Dakota House. They were adapting nicely to their new lifestyle when fate dealt them a terrible blow in December, 2022 and Betty passed away.

John is still hurting. Together we residents extend a neighbourly hand, with Irene’s loving summation: “He is a good Mennonite boy.”

At age 100.