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In memory of

Dave Zacharias

Morden, MB, Canada

August 17, 1933 - March 29, 2020

Aug 17, 1933 - Mar 29, 2020

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On Sunday, March 29, 2020, David (Dave) Zacharias, husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather, passed away peacefully at Tabor Home in Morden, Manitoba at the age of 86. Dave leaves behind many loved ones including his wife, Shirley Zacharias, his children Angela (Kevin) Adams, James (Lynda) Zacharias, Colleen (Matthew) Peters and Mark (Rachel) Zacharias, his step-children Carl (Maggie) Roberts, Clinton (Lisa) Roberts and Val Manuel, his brother Bill Zacharias, his sisters Marge Zacharias and Eva Paetkau and his 11 grandchildren, 2 great grandchildren and many other family and friends. Dave was predeceased by his first wife Trudy in 1981 and his son Calvin in 1985. The family takes great comfort knowing that Dave is now in heaven with Jesus and his family and all those that he has loved and missed so dearly.

Dave was raised in a small rural village in Schoenwiese Manitoba where his family farmed. His mother, Elizabeth, married Jacob who was widowed with 4 children and then together they had another 9 children including Dave. Dave was a hard worker. At 10 years old he worked his first job tending Booker heaters in the schoolhouse and then proceeded to hold down many jobs with lumber camps, the railroads, coal mines, construction sites, underwater diving, and of course, his first love, farming. He bought his first farmland in 1955 in Killarney, Manitoba and then sold it to buy his own farmyard outside of Miami, Manitoba in 1960 with his new wife, Trudy, where he raised his family. He bought and farmed land with his brother, Jake, who also settled and started a family in Miami. He was an active member of the community, including being on many boards.

His Christian faith was very important to him, becoming a member of the Sommerfelder Church in Morden. He prided himself on never working on Sundays, keeping it as a day of rest and worship for his Lord Jesus. He was involved in managing many of his kids’ hockey teams and if he was not on the farm, he was cheering on one of his five kids at the rink, gym, or baseball field. After his wife, Trudy, passed away in 1981, he moved from the farm into the town of Miami a year later to make it easier for his kids to play sports and attend school while he farmed and took over the role of both Mom and Dad. Sadly, in 1985, tragedy struck again as his son, Calvin, was killed in a vehicle accident.

Four years later, he married Shirley Roberts, to whom he was married until he passed. They started their life together in Miami and enjoyed finding their church home initially with Miami and United Church and later with the Winkler Mennonite Church.

The only child still at home at this time was his youngest son, Mark. Dave loved following Mark’s promising hockey career, whether it was minor hockey in Manitoba, NCAA hockey in Minnesota or his professional hockey teams in Germany and Texas. This gave Dave a lot of joy and they formed a close bond. Shirley also learned to love hockey and cheering on her new stepson.

In 1998, Dave sold all his farmland. Dave and Shirley enjoyed their retirement by travelling to all corners of the continent by RV and trips overseas. They also made sure to include family visits in their many travel adventures. They continued to be involved in community life in Miami until they moved into their condo in Morden Manitoba in 2014.

Dave loved going to the coffee shop to chat with his friends, share farming tips and keeping up with all of the local news. Dave loved people (family neighbours and friends alike). He got great joy out of making people laugh, especially his grandchildren, and he loved a good joke played on him too. Through all of the toils and health challenges Dave faced, he always made sure that he gave people his time and attention. His children, step-children, grandchildren and great grandchildren loved him very much.

Health challenges in the last few years of his life made it difficult for Dave to travel and later to communicate. He was moved to Tabor Care Home in August, 2019. Very recently, with the new Covid-19 restrictions, Shirley and other visitors were not able to see him. This was a big setback for him. Dave peacefully passed away with Shirley by his side at 3:40pm on March 29, 2020.

This is a very difficult time due to the COVID-19 situation. Family and friends will not be able to gather as they would have otherwise loved to at this time. A private family graveside service will be held on the morning of April 3rd. It will be videoed and available online later that day on this website. A subsequent Celebration of Life service will be announced when gatherings and travel are permitted. Messages and phone calls to Shirley and family are valued and appreciated. In lieu of flowers and cards, donations may be made to Tabor Home (450 Loren Drive, Morden Manitoba, R6M 0E2) or The Heart and Stroke Foundation.

We want to thank the dedicated staff at the Tabor Care Home. Their care and patience made the family feel like Dave was well looked after. Also thank you to Wiebes’ Funeral Home and Pastor Jeremy Isaak from Winkler Mennonite Church for helping with the final arrangements and burial.

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