David P. Brandt

David P. Brandt age 91 surrounded by his family, went home to be with Jesus on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at the Bethesda Regional Health Centre. 

He was predeceased by his first wife Adeline (Barkman), six brothers, two sisters and a step son in law, Mark Cole.

He leaves to cherish his many memories, his wife; Mary (Unrau - Rempel), sons: Merv (Betty), Phil (Sandi), Rey (Beryl) daughters; Rachel (Robert) Plett, Carol Brandt, Denise (Darryl) Klassen, twelve grandchildren, and twenty six great grandchildren. As well as his step sons: John (Kristine), Corny (Lucille) step daughters: Marian (Ben) Ginter, Eva (Ed) Wolfe, Teena Cole, Sue (Jed) Doerksen, nineteen grandchildren and twenty three great grandchildren.

David was born in Ile des Chenes on the family farm. He was the seventh of nine children. Shortly after his birth, the family moved to Blumenort. There they tried their hand at farming. Considering this was the depression era, it was a hard time. Sadly David’s father died when David was only 15; which was quite a difficult time for the family. There was a lot of poverty and economic stress with a single mom raising so many children. Hardships helped shape David’s life, giving him strength of character. David became a Christian as a young adult and upon the confession of his faith he was baptized and became a member of the Blumenort Church. David had a steady and quiet faith.

In his mid twenties, David was employed making boxes for Plett Industries and also at a Lumber Camp. This young man was excited to meet a lovely lady, Adeline Barkman. They met during a time that Adeline worked at the Rest Haven in Steinbach. In August,1958 he and Adeline were married in the Mennville Church. In their first few years of marriage they lived in Blumenort. During this period Merv and Phil were born. 

Seeing a farming opportunity in Mennville they packed up and moved there. Rachel, Rey, Carol and Denise were born during this time in Mennville. Six children were born in the first 8 years of marriage, a truly busy time.

In 1967 this Brandt family moved back to Blumenort. There they built a yard site with bountiful vegetable gardens and picturesque flower beds. David built their family house which became warm and welcoming to all. When David’s sister became ill and his Mother needed care, they opened their house and hearts to support them. A number of years later Adeline’s special needs brother came to live in this home. David was a tender caregiver. David was employed by AK Penner construction to build barns. He worked for them for 22 years. David was respected for his quality workmanship and dependability.

 Together with Adeline they constructed a green house, a business that involved the whole family. The greenhouse became a bigger commitment for David and Adeline. As the business grew David worked increasingly more in this seasonal operation and he retired from construction. They also took on the work of cleaning the Blumenort Church. 

David lived out his faith for his children to witness and learn from. He faithfully went to church to receive encouragement and welcome others. He loved Jesus and rejoiced in the assurance of God’s grace. He cared deeply for his children’s faith and prayed for them.

In 1997, Adeline was diagnosed with breast cancer, David was a great support during this time of illness. Sadly, Adeline passed away June 27,1998. This was a very lonely time as he missed his wife very much. The work on their small country acreage was too much for one person; things felt very overwhelming. So he worked hard at downsizing their property and putting the place up for sale. He bought a smaller house within the town of Blumenort, but this still seemed too lonely. 

This story has a happy turn as David met Mary Rempel at a singles event in January 2002. That must have been some meeting as they were officially engaged July 1st and married October 19th, the same year. Who would have thought that they could have found such a deep love and would celebrate almost 22 years together.

Along with a new wife came a second family. Mary’s children and grand children welcomed David with such love and enthusiasm and David felt cherished and appreciated. Having two families, David and Mary’s lives felt rich and full. The Brandt and Rempel families met separately for gatherings, giving David and Mary 2 celebrations for every holiday. On special occasions the whole “Rembrandt” family would meet as a group enjoying each other and laughing at every joke. 

David and Mary enjoyed their years together, not only with their ever growing family, but also with friends. They could often be found at Smitty’s; their second home, drinking too much coffee. Travelling was a big interest and they journeyed to Belize, Mexico, Virginia and some places in between.

These last number of years and most recently in hospital Mary has steadfastly been by David’s side. The whole family came together and extended much support and continuous acts of kindness. David found great pleasure in the many visits and his sense of humour was present even in his suffering. To the end his faith was sure.

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Romans 8:18

A funeral service will be held at 2:00 pm on Tuesday, September 3, 2024 at the Blumenort Community Church. With interment and reception to follow. For those unable to attend in person, the family invites you to join them through livestream.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in David's memory to the Blumenort Youth For Christ.