Peter A. Gunther

Peter was born on September 13, 1955, and although he was born in Winnipeg, the family resided in Landmark, Manitoba. He was the first son of Peter & Melane Gunther (Kroeker). When Peter was 10, the family made the move to Abbotsford, BC where they took up poultry farming on Queen Street. Peter attended MEI high school. He was athletic and enjoyed playing rep ice hockey and baseball.

Peter met Marita through her brother. They became friends first and only dated later. Prior to getting engaged, Peter asked her, “Do you want to be a farmer’s wife?” This was not her ideal lifestyle, but love overcame and on August 12, 1978, they married.

Peter had purchased a small farm on Walmsley where they farmed together. After a short stint on King Road farm, until 1981, they moved onto Queen Street. They helped manage the family farm, as well as having their own quota there. Over the next 5 years they were blessed with 4 children: Sonja, Christy, Steven, and BJ.

Peter loved the flexibility of farm life and stole away often to go fishing; his favourite hobby. In 1992, he was able to upsize his boat and became a guide for Sweetwater Fishing Tours. There were many successful trips on the river fishing for salmon and sturgeon.

Peter served on the BC Egg Marketing Board, MEI board, and was an active member at Eben-Ezer Church where we attended as a family. He ran the Boys Club for a time, served on committees, sang in the choir, and coached the fastball team. Peter also loved going for coffee daily and visiting with people. An extrovert through and through.

In 1997, Peter and Marita took a leap of faith and sold their quota on the farm to purchase a 5-acre parcel of bush on Huntingdon Road. There, they built their dream home and spent countless hours beautifully landscaping the entire property.

In 1998, suddenly a farmer no longer, Peter had to pivot to provide for the family. With the purchase of a dump truck, excavator and bobcat, Maple Grove Holdings was born. Peter reluctantly went back to hauling manure and gravel, taking any jobs that came his way. Steven came on board as an employee in 2007. Business really took off later when Peter began contract work for Polygon Homes, making a reputable name for the company until his retirement in 2023.

Peter was involved in the establishment of Abbotsford Community Church, where our whole family attended from 2003 - 2019. After COVID, Peter and Marita started consistently attending South Abbotsford Church, along with Christy and her kids.

Becoming a grandpa brought Peter much joy, a title he held very near and dear to his heart. For the last decade, they have blessed their family with annual summer holidays in Vernon, where many memories have been made and will be cherished.

Peter didn’t particularly enjoy the slow lifestyle of retirement. He decided to take on the project of telling Omi’s (grandmother) story of hardship, loss, hope, faith and ultimately her immigration to Canada. In 2024, after many hours of research and time invested, this book was proudly published.

In early January of this year, Peter was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Despite several rounds of radiation followed by immunotherapy, it did not buy him more quality time. On May 27, we learned he was no longer responding to treatment, and the cancer had spread, leaving him just weeks to live. The decline from there was rapid and on June 2nd, Peter was moved to hospice. Two days later, on June 4th, with family by his side, Peter went Home to be with Jesus.

Peter was a great writer, very creative, and a perfectionist. He loved to debate topics of interest and on occasion would ruffle feathers. Peter had a heart for shepherding. He cared for and visited people in hospital, those he knew but strangers too. He sought truth and growth in his spiritual walk. Peter enjoyed connecting with friends and family and just socializing in general. He loved his wife and was so proud of his family. He was thankful to be gifted the time to say goodbye and was at peace.

Peter is predeceased by his parents Peter & Melane Gunther, parents-in-law Isaac & Mika Bergen, brother-in-law Adrian, and his two brothers David and Edward.

Those of us left to mourn are:

Wife and best friend of 46 years, Marita.

Children: Sonja & Danny, Christy, Steven & Jackie, and BJ

Grandchildren: Brooke, Devyn, Marshall, Janae, Camryn, Kesler, Dawson, and Delilah

Gunther siblings: John & Ingried, Teresa, Phil & Janine, Ruth & Craig

Bergen siblings: Pete & Sherrie, Henry & Heidi, John & Karen

Many cousins, nieces and nephews, as well as friends.

To view the Memorial Service on YouTube please click the link below: 

Memorial Service for Peter A. Gunther