October 30, 1932 - June 13, 2018
Erna was born in the rural municipality of Medstead Saskatchewan on October 30, 1932. Her parents were Robert and Margaret Liick, she was the second child of six, the only girl with four younger brothers and one older.
When she began to attend school, she was unable to speak English because her parents where immigrants from a German community in Poland. She had a sharp acumen and learned English quickly and then proceeded to teach the rest of her family the language.
She was a talented self-taught musician with multiple instrumental and vocal talents. At an early age she committed her life to Christ and was baptized in the Pentecostal faith. Erna finished her schooling after Grade 8 as there was no High School. Later she attended Bible School for one year in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, after Bible School she lived at her parents' home, and then moved to Spiritwood where she worked in the Spiritwood Hospital's laundry facility.
She met and married John Poor in May of 1953. After they married they moved to his farm in Northern Saskatchewan. They remained farmers until 1954 when their first daughter Rebecca was born in March. They were given an opportunity to move to Williams Lake in December of 1954 where John began to work in a relative's sawmill. They soon purchased a home at Frost Creek a rural area of greater Williams Lake. They built a convenience store and gas station on their property, where they served their community for a number of years.
Erna had a great compassion for children and joyfully served as a Foster Parent to numerous disenfranchised children, many of which were babies. It was during these years that three more children were born into the family, the second daughter named Karen, the third a daughter named Maureen, and then her only son Randy.
Erna was an avid gardener and was quite renowned in her community for her lavish flower gardens. After the death of her husband John Poor in 1985, Erna lived in Burnaby with her two youngest children for a short time, following that she moved to Brazil and performed volunteer work with abandoned infants and children, with a Canadian-based evangelism team. After that she moved back to BC where she moved to Langley BC, she committed her time to prison ministries where she was involved in playing her accordion in music ministry to inmates. When her brother Ozzie moved from Saskatoon to Abbotsford, she also moved to Abbotsford. There in 2005 she met her second husband John Peters. John and Erna spent the early years travelling until his health slowly declined, she devoted her final years assisting her husband.
A celebration oflife service for Ema Peters was held June 19th, 2018 at Clearbrook MB church, Abbotsford BC. The graveside service was held earlier in the day at Hazelwood Cemetery with Pastor Walter Weins officiating.
Pallbearers were Grandson Andrew Fairburn, Grandson Danny Poirier, Son-in- law Jvor Marriott and daughter-in-law's brother Sadar Salman. Ema is survived by Second Husband, John Peters of Abbotsford BC, Daughter, Rebecca Fairburn (Charlie Taylor) of Williams Lake BC, Daughter, Karen (Dan Poirier) of Cranbrook BC, Daughter, Maureen (Ivor Marriott) of Prince George BC and Son, Randy (Grace Beaumont) of Surrey BC. Seven Grandchildren, Four Great Grandchildren, Three brothers Ozzie (Christa Liick) of Abbotsford BC, Harold (Sharron Liick) of Swift Current Saskatchewan, and Luther (Margaret Liick) of Creston BC.
Ema was predeceased by her Father Robert Liick, Mother Margaret Holm, First Husband John Poor, Brother Arthur Liick, and Brother Alvin Liick.