John Henry Neumann was born March 5, 1926 in Rosenwald in the Barnaul Settlement, Asiatic Russia, and only an infant when the Neumann family emigrated to Canada. John was six years when the family moved to Gem, Alberta, where he began his education at Gem Consolidated School.  He writes of this experience, “From the first day, school was a lark.  I loved every minute of it.”

     In the summer of 1938, at the age of twelve, under the guidance of his brother Dave, John made a decision to become a follower of Christ.  He was baptized at the age of 17, along with his brother Neil.  Of this experience he remembers the challenge of giving his testimony in High German when, up until that time, they had only spoken Low German.

     That same year he entered Gem Bible School where he attended for a year and a half.  At eighteen he was conscripted and chose to do alternative service for reasons of conscience.  He was assigned to work in a lumber camp at Whitecourt, Alberta.

     After serving for four months he was transferred to be a farm labourer at Carstairs, Alberta and then to a farm in the outskirts of Edmonton.  Because his father had been gored by a Jersey bull, John was allowed to return to help his family who had meanwhile moved to Sardis, BC in 1945.  Then for two years John attended Bible school in Sardis at what is now the Greendale Mennonite Brethren Church.  There he met Mary, who was a classmate.  At age twenty, on May 8^th, 1946, he proposed to Mary and was accepted.  They were married July 31, 1947, and farmed a small acreage in Sardis. 

     John’s vocation as a farmer and sawmill employee soon altered when he broke his leg and his doctor advised a change of vocation.  After the birth of their first child they subdivided and sold the land and went off to Vancouver in 1950, where he completed grades 12 and 13 at King Edward High School, and then went on to attend the University of British Columbia.  During his second year he had rheumatic fever, but recovered quickly, and in 1953 received his Bachelor of Arts degree in English and History as well as completing teacher training.  This was later followed by a Bachelors and Masters in Education.

     John began his teaching career at Chilliwack Junior High School in 1954.  At age 30 he moved on to Sardis Junior Secondary School, later transferred to Chilliwack Senior Secondary, and then at age 39 became vice principal of Sardis Junior Secondary School.  At age 42, he became principal of Rosedale Junior Secondary School until his appointment as principal of Chilliwack Senior Secondary in 1977.  John completed his thirty-year education career as Director of Instruction at the Chilliwack School Board office, retiring in 1983 at the age of 57.

     During his educational career John had additional involvements in the church and in the community.  In the community he served in the Chilliwack District Teachers’ Association as president,  in the Rotary Club, in Family YMCA fundraising, and in Man-to-Man prison ministry.  At Broadway Mennonite Brethren Church  his involvements included being Sunday School Superintendent , youth leader, Sunday School teacher, church moderator at various times, and on the board of elders.  He also served as secretary on the executive of the BC and Canadian Conference of M.B. Churches.  In the 1950’s he was provincial youth leader for the M.B. Conference. 

     Mary supported John in his activities, often being hostess at the meetings in their own home.  She enjoyed singing in choirs and groups and also took part in playing piano for choirs. Besides looking after the needs of the family, she served on the Hospital Service League for 10 years as treasurer, working in the gift shop and also doing the ordering for the shop. Mary was also active in the training of the Candy Stripers who did volunteer work after school for the hospital.

     In his retirement years, John was the District Returning Officer for Fraser Valley East from 1988 to 1992, a member of the Chilliwack Hospital Board of Trustees, chairperson of Mennonite Central Committee BC for five years, and also served on the executive of Mennonite Central Committee Canada.  In 1985-86 he and Mary went to China to teach English as a Second Language under China Education Exchange, an inter-Mennonite agency that sent North American teachers to China, and brought Chinese educators to North America as teachers and students.  Later, in 1992, they went to Lithuania for six months to teach English as a Second Language at the Lithuania Christian College.  They also visited their children and grandchildren in Jamaica and Quebec.

     John suffered from several minor strokes during his last years, causing him to slow down and become less active.  On January 24^th he experienced a major stroke and died peacefully in the early hours of January 25^th, 1997.  He is remembered by Mary and his children as a person with a sense of humour who loved his family dearly.  He loved to read, recite poetry and tell stories.  He is remembered as a man of principle who loved God, the people around him and the work he had chosen to do.

     Mary has continued to attend Broadway MB Church and is active in the work of MCC by serving in the MCC Thrift Store.  If she isn’t at home in Chilliwack, she is visiting her children and grandchildren or travelling with her sisters in North America or abroad. 

     John and Mary’s direct descendants number 30 (2023).