Farewell, Peter Dyck

The world is a poorer place with the passing of Peter Dyck.

Once the war ended, the Dycks moved to the Netherlands to direct a massive relief effort. Dyck was later knighted by Queen Juliana of the Netherlands in recognition of MCC's feeding and clothing program.
In 1946, the Dycks set up refugee camps in Germany for thousands of Mennonites who had fled the Soviet Union. Over time, they led 5,500 Mennonites by boat to South America, predominantly Paraguay. This experience provided content for Dyck’s stories and was the basis of the book, Up From the Rubble, that he co-authored with his wife.

I was privileged to hear him speak years ago. He recounted the history of Mennonites in Russia, and warned against the dangers of affluence. He saw parallels in our U.S. Mennonite culture and that of early 20th century Russian Mennonites. A wonderful person.