Memorial Service for Ed Schellenberg
Ed was born to Jacob & Mary Schellenberg of Coaldale, Alberta on March 30, 1952.
He was the older of their two sons, and a brother to four sisters. The
Schellenberg family moved to Abbotsford, B.C. when Ed was about 3 years old.
A memorial service for Ed Schellenberg entitled
“The Celebration of Ed’s Life”
was held @ 11:00 AM on Saturday, October 27th at the
Immanuel Fellowship Baptist Church,
2950 Blue Jay Street, Abbotsford, B.C. V2T 5P5
www.immanuelfellowship.ca
If you have an Ed story or memory:
NBTC Facebook memories of Ed
Word Sudoku Puzzle in memory of Ed
Faith is a little night light that burns in a sick-room; as long as it is there,
the obscurity is not complete,
we turn towards it and await the daylight. [Abbe Henri Huvelin]
I know for certain that we never lose the people we love to death. They continue
to participate in every
act, thought and decision we make. Their love leaves an indelible imprint in our
memories. We find
comfort in knowing that our lives have been enriched by having shared their
lives. [Leo Buscaglia]
Celebration of Ed’s Life
Ed went to Simpson Elementary School, and graduated from Abbotsford Senior
Secondary School. Throughout all those years, he and his family attended West
Abbotsford Mennonite Church.
After graduating from high school Ed embarked on his journey to become the man
of God he was, particularly in service to others, and in this he excelled. He
joined the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) in 1972 and his first assignment
was in Ohio. But when he was presented with the opportunity to venture to Poland
with MCC he jumped at it. Characteristically, he put his whole heart into it and
enjoyed every minute of his life there. Those experiences were a highlight for
him in every way. He returned to Abbotsford in 1975 (specifically for his sister
Trudy & Joe’s wedding!).
He developed a keen interest in all things outdoors - it was his mother who
first opened his eyes to bird watching and observing nature. Ed owned and
enjoyed the full range of fun available with 4 x 4’s! Through the various jobs
he held and on the heels of his sojourn in Poland, he realized his potential for
“fixing things”.
So, with those assorted skills, one of the jobs he held and loved was working at
Camp Squeah as camp maintenance man. It was during this summer, he noticed
the tanned and lovely lifeguard on duty. Lois & Ed married on a beautiful summer
day, August 11, 1979. Following a camping honeymoon, they lived in Abbotsford
for 8 months, before the lure of the far north beckoned them!
Ed & Lois lived in Hay River, Northwest Territories, where a whole new world of
lifelong friends, memorable experiences and amazing possibilities opened up
before them. Their daughter, Rachel was born, followed by their son, Kevin.
During these years, the church community and community at large was being
introduced to Ed Schellenberg and his brand of Christianity, his type of
friendship, his style of integrity and his sense of humour!
The number of interests, passions, hobbies and loves Ed had makes a long and
impressive list. His number one love has always been his family, but following
closely behind and in no particular order are: music, anything outdoors,
including fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, stargazing; as well as coffee,
chocolate, peanut butter, farmer sausage and Lois’ pies, cinnamon buns and
baking, making him a perfectly balanced man!
How does one man manage to fit expressions of all these things into one life?
Well, Ed did. There are hundreds of people who can attest to the impact Ed had
in their life. And that’s because he lived out what he believed.
- He was the neighbour you could count on to give a hand;
- He played a vital role in the building of this Immanuel Fellowhsip Baptist
Church;
- He led Kid’s Clubs;
- He helped build and maintain trails at Camp Squeah;
- He was the man who would casually saunter over to an obviously novice camper
struggling to setup their campsite, and quietly solve whatever problem had
presented itself;
- He always had time for anyone who wanted to talk to him - always willing to
make new friends;
He didn’t discriminate against age - you could be 2 or 92 - and he’d be
interested in you, and you knew he was sincere about it;
- He was competitive in games and sports, whether it be fast pitch, floor hockey
or a game of Rook - he played every game with the intention of winning...
quietly... with a smirk;
- He coached Mighty Mite Softball for two seasons;
- In his hundreds of service calls, he made every effort to not only give full
value to his customers but to also make them smile or feel just that little bit
better after he had gone. The lettering on his van -
“Service Only” -
couldn’t have been a better expression for who he really was.
The impact of Ed’s life is enormous - bigger than we can fathom at this time. He
would be amazed and unbelieving at the outpouring of love and compassion that
has been heaped upon his family because of his story. We as his family are truly
humbled. Our lives have been made richer for the time we had him with us. There
is no insignificant life and if by being a good neighbour, a man of integrity,
patience and goodness has made this kind of difference to so many of us, let us
all honour our friend Ed, by doing for each other that for which he has set an
example.
Ed will be missed by his:
- loving wife of 28 years, Lois
- two children: Rachel and Kevin
- sisters: Trudy (& Joe) Defries, Judy (& Ed) Lakey, Rita (& Rod) Ewert, Wanda
(&Mark) Hildebrandt
- brother: Alfred (& Leah) Schellenberg
- in-laws: Bob (& Susan) Dyck, Rosemary (& Richard) Brucks, Norma Dyck, Linda (&
Neil) Wieler, Joanne (& Steve) Brown
- many nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews and numerous friends.
News Links
CTV News, Cold-blooded Surrey Six killers sentenced to life in prison, November 19, 2014
CTV News, Michael Lee Pleads Guilty, November 28, 2013
Justice Is Blind - Part 2 October 26, 2013
Justice Is Blind October 4, 2013
Surrey Six Trial - Word Search Puzzle September 30, 2013
It Has Been A Long Road - Trial Begins Abbotsford News September 27, 2013
Metro News October 28, 2007
Canada East Online October 27, 2007
Edmonton Sun October 27, 2007
The Globe And Mail, October 22, 2007
Facebook - NBTC October 26, 2007
Abbotsford News October 25, 2007
bclocalnews.com October 25, 2007
legacy.com October 24, 2007
CTV News, October 24, 2007
thestar.com, October 24, 2007
Ashton College News Blog, October 23, 2007
CitNews24, October 23, 2007
The Sudbury Star, October 23, 2007
CBC, October 22, 2007
The Vancouver Sun, October 22, 2007
The Globe And Mail, October 22, 2007
Macleans Magazine, October 22, 2007
Sympatico, October 22, 2007
BCTV News, Break in Surrey Six Murders, March 12, 2008
BCTV News, New Flower Named after Ed, March 26, 2008
Globe And Mail, Lois Schellenberg knows all too well the pain gangs inflict
on the innocent, February 14, 2009
2007
Lower Mainland Shootings
2008 Lower
Mainland Shootings