Kind, caring, gentle and studious, Peter Sluys lived a joyful life serving his Lord and Savior. After struggling with dementia the past few years, he died Nov. 8 in Edmonton, Alta., at the age of 92.
Sluys was born in Andijk, the Netherlands. He was in grade nine when the Nazis bombed his school and his education stopped. As a young adult, he joined a Christian youth movement called “Jeugd en Evangelie” (youth and evangelism) where he made many friends and discussed his faith on many levels. In a book about his early years, he wrote, “The spiritual impact at those meetings… broadened my outlook on life and people, on different denominations and cultures, and deepened my personal connection with God, and opened up deeper relationships with other Christian friends…” Sluys served in the Dutch Air Force from 1948 to 1950 as an airplane mechanic. In 1953, at age 26, he was sponsored to immigrate to Smiths Falls, Ont., Canada, where he worked as a car mechanic. After marriage in 1956, with the help of his wife, he was able to pass the equivalent of high school, completed Calvin College in 3 years and graduated from Calvin Seminary in 1962. He began ministry at Bigelow (Minn.) Christian Reformed Church, and then served the following Canadian churches: First CRC, Rocky Mountain House, Alta.; Strathroy East (Ont.) CRC; Bethel CRC, Lacombe, Alta.; Cornerstone CRC, Salmon Arm, B.C.; and Terrace (B.C.) CRC. He retired in Nanaimo, B.C., and later returned to Lacombe, Alta.
Sluys enjoyed reading and sketching pictures of boats and nature. He was a great storyteller and had a good sense of humor. He loved talking with people.
Predeceased by his wife Ruth, Sluys is survived by six children and their spouses, nine grandchildren, and two great grandchildren.
About the Author
A former nurse and chaplain, Janet Greidanus is a freelance news correspondent and long-time writer of the In Memoriam column for The Banner.
