Obituary of Lydian Frey

On Friday, January 1^st 2021, at 7:26 in the evening, Lydian Frey age 90, of Steinbach, Manitoba passed away peacefully at her residence surrounded by her family. She is survived by her four sons, Paul (Rhoda) Frey, Larry (LaVonne) Frey, Steven (Theresa) Frey, Calvin Frey, her daughter Ruthann (partner Bill) Snyder, fifteen grandchildren, and twenty seven great-grandchildren. She is also survived by one brother, Amos Martin and his wife Lorna, of Elmira, Ontario.

She was predeceased by her devoted husband of sixty five years, Alvin Frey, and by her parents Elias and Anne (Brox) Martin, and by four brothers and three sisters.

Lydian Frey was born in the Wellesley Township of southern Ontario on March 1, 1930 and she grew up on a small market garden farm surrounded by eight siblings and a loving community. She attended public school in Heidelberg, Ontario and she spoke often of walking the two miles to school and home again in all kinds of weather with her siblings and friends. She also spoke affectionately about helping her parents on the farm and going to market with them to sell their produce. As a young woman Lydian worked in a candy factory making chocolate covered maraschino cherries - a delicacy that she could not eat for the remainder of her days because of the overindulging in the “culls” that she did while on the quality control line at work.

At the age of seventeen she met a dashing young man by the name of Alvin Frey who swept her off her feet. Since her parents insisted that she not get married until she turned nineteen, Lydian waited for almost one seemingly-unending month after her nineteenth birthday before marrying Alvin in March of 1949.  After their wedding, Lydian began housekeeping in the home of her new in-laws in the small village of Wallenstein, Ontario.  About a year after moving with Alvin into his parents’ home their first son, Paul, was born. In the year immediately following the birth of their son, they converted the upper story of an adjacent chicken barn into a cozy little residence for their growing family. They lived happily in this newly refurbished home until their second son, Larry, was born. At this point they purchased the house directly around the corner, and here they continued to live until the summer of 1960. Their third son, Steven, was born during this time.

Lydian and her husband Alvin and their young family were very involved in the small Mennonite church in Hawkesville.  Although by this time Alvin had sampled various careers, including beginning a farm drainage company with his dad and his brothers and being part-owner of a small baby shoe manufacturing factory, he and Lydian always sensed a greater call on their lives to become more directly involved in the Lord’s work. In 1959, during a summer trip with their children to visit Northern Light Gospel Mission in northwestern Ontario, Alvin and Lydian discovered that the calling that was to occupy much of their future life would be serving as missionaries among the Oji-Cree people north of Red Lake. Upon returning to Wallenstein they sold their house and belongings, and in 1960 they moved their young family to the small, isolated community of Deer Lake, Ontario.

Although this new life was completely different from anything that Lydian had ever lived, she always continued to maintain a secure and loving environment for her family and to provide a refuge for anyone in need. Many times her home became a place where sick babies, needy seniors or injured animals were nursed back to health. She also became adept at preparing gourmet meals using locally accessible moose, beaver, rabbit and muskrat, garnishing them with macaroni noodles, canned tomatoes, and other available “delicacies”. Of necessity she became an expert at long-term meal planning and improvisation because many times during the freeze-up and breakup seasons new food supplies could only be obtained on a bi-monthly basis.

After spending twenty years in northwestern Ontario, and after the addition of an adopted daughter, Ruthann, and a fourth-born son, Calvin, Lydian returned with her husband and two youngest children to southern Ontario.  Here she joined her husband in their ministry of founding and pastoring churches in Atwood and Listowel, Ontario.  It was also during this happy time in Lydian's life that she and her husband welcomed an infant granddaughter, Tanya (Carlon) Yoder, into their home, raising her as one of their own children.

In 1987 Lydian and Alvin moved to Landmark, Manitoba, which became the home base from which her husband’s trans-local church planting ministry took place. This work occupied their lives until their retirement and beyond. Here, as in every place that she lived, she participated fully in life and ministry by continuing to offer gracious hospitality to everyone - the trademark of her life. She was always able to cheerfully rise to the occasion and provide meals and lodging for unexpected guests, even when they arrived at inconvenient times the day or night.

Although Lydian’s life was filled with ministry and service, she also always seemed to find time for a good hobby or two. Her loves included gardening, quilting and embroidering and other handwork. Her large, homemade quilting frame was almost permanently set up in the house at one location or other, and garden-fresh vegetables graced many a summer meal. She also loved experimenting with different recipes and foods. She often spoke with great nostalgia of a trip which she and Alvin made to Israel; one of the highlights of which was being able to sample various, random foods from the street vendors. She also spent many happy times in Mexico with her son, Steven, where she was always up for almost anything, including novel culinary adventures.

Shortly after her husband passed away in 2013 she moved into an apartment at Woodhaven Manor where she spent her final days. Her days there, as she became increasingly unable to walk easily, were spent praying for her family and acquaintances, reading numerous books and enjoying visits from family and friends.  As her health failed, heaven became an ever-more real and tangible place where she desired to go with an increasing passion. And it is to that eternal place of endless joy and glory that her family has released her now.

We wish to express our deepest gratitude to the wonderful ladies of Home Care who so tenderly and lovingly served our Mom during their numerous visits to care for her. We are also very grateful for the products which Home Care provided, making it possible for the family to be involved with her care in her own residence until her final passing.

We also want to thank the Haven Group for enabling our family to provide care for our Mom within their facility in these most unusual times. We can't thank you enough. 

A come & go viewing for Lydian will be held on Tuesday, January 5, 2021 from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. at Birchwood Funeral Chapel, Steinbach, MB. Please remain in your vehicle until instructed by the funeral home staff. 

A private interment will be held.

Donations in memory of Lydian may be made to Voice in the Wilderness Ministries. Please contact the family for further details.