Nancy Margaret Dyck

Nancy Margaret Dyck (Hiebert)
With heavy hearts we announce the passing of Nancy Dyck on August 4,2023 after a courageous nine-month battle with cancer. Nancy was the cherished wife of David for almost 40 years; dear mother of Andrew, Samuel (Olivia), and Joel Dyck, loving daughter to William and Pauline (predeceased in 2021) Hiebert and devoted sister to Alan (Kirsi), Brenda (Phil), and Janet (Dave).
Nancy was born in Kitchener into a loving family that gave her a secure foundation of faith and faithfulness. At age fifteen she made a decision that would shape the rest of her life. She had come to know the gospel through the witness of Stanley Park Baptist Church, and she decided to trust in the saving grace of Jesus Christ and be baptized.
As a young child she discovered the beauty of music and began to learn the violin. In school, she was blessed with outstanding music teachers who encouraged her as a vocalist. As a teenager, she had leading roles in musicals at Eastwood Collegiate, performed in numerous choirs and orchestras, and became a sought-after soloist. It was no surprise when she decided to major in vocal music at Wilfrid Laurier University.
During those years, while singing in a youth choir, she met the love of her life, and they were married in 1983. After she completed teacher's college, Nancy and David spent two years serving with Mennonite Brethren Mission in Hyderabad, India. These were formative years, and when they returned to Canada, Nancy began her teaching career at Three Bridges, Heidelberg and Wellesley Public Schools. Her students adored her. Three years later they moved to California where Nancy was employed as music director at First Baptist Church Kingsburg, an English teacher at Fresno Pacific University, and where she enjoyed studies at Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary. This fast-paced life appealed to Nancy's personality, and she took every opportunity to grow and excel.
When David graduated from seminary in January 1992, they moved to Edmonton Alberta. Nancy proved remarkably resilient and again found work as an elementary music teacher at Thorncliffe Public School. Three years later she experienced her deepest joy when she became a mother, first to Andrew David in 1995, then Samuel James in 1997, and then Joel Cameron 1999. To say her boys were a handful is an understatement, but Nancy proved equal to the challenge. She devoted the next decade to creating a loving home for her family, cooking nutritious meals, sewing clothes, planning vacations, and teaching her boys to be responsible young men. On the side, she studied choral conducting at the University of Alberta, sang in community choirs, taught music at Westglen Public School, and served in ministry at Lendrum Mennonite Brethren Church.
After fifteen years the family moved to Leamington, Ontario. It was not an easy move for Nancy. But once again, she reinvented herself and began Miss Nancy's music studio. Through piano lessons and early childhood music classes she shared her love of music with hundreds of young children. It was during these years that she directed the Soli Deo Gloria singers, conducting over 25 concerts. She also devoted herself to the Leamington United Mennonite Church, leading the Levite choir, serving in Kid's Club, hosting many people in her home, and supporting David's ministry. And one year ago, she was overjoyed to welcome her first daughter, Olivia into the family.
In November 2022, Nancy began the hardest journey of her life. She had surgery to remove a brain tumor and was diagnosed with terminal cancer. It was devastating for her and all who loved her. No matter how hard she fought, the disease stole more and more of her precious life. Our hearts were crushed when she took her final breath and left our aching arms. We now give thanks for her beautiful life; her cheerful spirit, her boundless energy, her tender heart, her faithful devotion, her determined parenting, her servant heart, and most of all her undying faith in God that kept her going through all the joys and sorrows of life. We miss her terribly. But we give thanks for a life well lived and for our faith in the eternal promises of God, that we will meet again on the other side.
Nancy's family will receive friends from 2 to 5 p.m. and 6:30 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, August 10 at the Leamington United Mennonite Church, 78 Oak Street, Leamington. Visitation will continue on Friday, August 11 at 9:30 a.m., followed by a funeral service in the sanctuary at 11 a.m. The funeral will also be available online at Interment will be at Evergreen Memorial Cemetery and a reception will follow at the Roma Club.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations would be appreciated and can be made to Missionary Aviation Fellowship or Mennonite Central Committee Ukraine. Arrangements entrusted to Reid Funeral Home 14 Russel Street, Leamington, ON, 519-326-2631. Share words of comfort at www.reidfuneralhome.ca