Remembering Herman Neufeld

The announcement was met with a mixture of surprise and joy in the winter of 1944. Henry and Anna Neufeld gathered the family in their tiny farmhouse and shared the news with their nine children — another baby was on the way! 

The following May, the Neufelds brought baby Herman home from the Niagara Cottage Hospital, carefully navigating the muddy ruts of Wall Road. Peach, cherry, and plum trees heavily laden with blossoms lined the road and surrounded their humble home. The Neufelds’ dreams of owning land had become reality a few years prior when Peter Wall, a Mennonite entrepreneur, purchased a large swath of foreclosed farmland at the junction of Lakeshore and Four Mile Creek Road. He graded a tractor path through the fields, named it Wall Road, and sold it off to fellow refugees, including the Neufelds, in 10 to 15 acre lots. 

It quickly became a close-knit neighbourhood of humble board and insulbrick houses, forged together by common stories of suffering during the Russian Revolution and the grinding poverty and loss of life that followed it. 

Neighbours shared their faith and precious resources in a way that allowed them to thrive. Laying aside their doctrinal divisions in the early years, they crowded together to worship in the home of William Andres on Niven Road. 

 As the Second World War escalated, the Niagara-on-the-Lake community became deeply polarized. There was little interest and few opportunities for “townies” to interact with the newcomers in rural Niagara. Teens with German/Russian backgrounds were not welcome to socialize or play sports on local teams because of possible political connections.

Herman was too young to understand such complexities. He walked to Virgil Public School every day during his primary years. One wintry day when he was in Grade three, he fell through the ice in a pond close to Field Street. He walked three-and-a-half kilometres home to Wall Road in freezing wet clothes. The resulting pneumonia required a stay in the hospital, where visits and cards from his classmates became treasured memories.

In the midst of the whirlwind of family activity, Herman became a keen observer of life on the farm. He especially relished Saturday nights when the family would gather for dinner and storytelling, never letting the facts get in the way of a good story! 

 As a teen, he worked on the nearby Andres farm during harvest season, sweating out long days in the orchards and packing barn. Working in the heat, humidity, and peach fuzz made it all worthwhile when Herman caught Kathy’s eye in the early 1960s.  With 22 children between the Andres and Neufeld families, it was no wonder that romance would eventually flourish!

Having grown up in the same neighbourhood, he felt an immediate kinship with Kathy and her family. However, the challenges increased as their relationship grew more serious.

Doctrinal divisions between their home churches discouraged marriages between the Mennonite Brethren and the United Mennonite branches. Despite the naysayers and finger-waggers, they married in 1966, and within the first five years they became proud parents of their two sons, Ron and Brian. Herman always enjoyed telling the story of how love transcended the cultural barriers of their time.

I first met Herman through mutual friends at Vineland Research Centre, where he was employed for 20 years in the research of plant pathology in fruit trees. 

I connected more closely with him in 2005 after I began helping with the music at the Caribbean Workers Outreach Program (CWOP) church services at Bethany Mennonite Church. He and his wife Kathy, along with other family members, rarely missed a service. They also helped with special events such as the annual banquet and cricket match. We especially enjoyed it when Herman would provide the Sunday night message. His gentle humour and gift of storytelling were enthusiastically received, radiating a warmth and a love that comforted the many homesick hearts. He did not think of Caribbean farm workers as a ‘mission field,’ but as friends and neighbours, and he treated them as such. 

When Robert Rennie, the CWOP chair, asked me to recruit much-needed volunteers from local churches in 2006, I struggled to grasp some of the complex issues embedded in church culture. Many conversations with Herman followed. He was generous with his time, sharing his extensive knowledge of Mennonite history and how it evolved in Niagara. 

 He became an integral part of the planning and pastoral counsel when Niagara Workers Welcome concerts expanded. We believed that the power of love could transcend the barriers and biases deeply rooted in our community. 

In 2010, the Workers Welcome concert moved to a larger venue that could seat 600-plus people. The Toronto Mass Choir, together with Newworldson, raised the roof as they performed together at Orchard Park Church, now Cornerstone Church. The unforgettable musical experience united the audience of farm workers and locals in a joyful expression of community.

In May 2012, he opened the third annual concert in true Herman style with a warm welcome and a big smile on his face. “This has grown from a tiny seed that sprouted. This is what has happened as we’ve been blessed, year after year after year, with the Jamaican services.” He marvelled that the songs Newworldson learned at the CWOP services were being played on stages as far away as Holland and Australia.

At the opening of the 2014 concert, he said, “It’s been a privilege to be on the Workers Welcome committee with Brian and Jane and others. We have a twofold purpose. One is, of course, to make you welcome. Have you felt welcome tonight?”

Cheers and applause erupted across the auditorium.

“Secondly, for a greater awareness in the community of Niagara-on-the-Lake and surrounding area of the viability that you guys bring to the farming community here. We just really appreciate it.” More cheers forced him to pause before continuing, “in fact, we couldn’t do it without you. That’s the honest truth.”

He and Kathy could be seen clapping along enthusiastically in the capacity crowds at every welcome concert. When the welcome events evolved to the Peach Pickers Picnic, he would arrive early with family members to set up their lawn chairs before making the rounds to shake hands with his friends on the farms.

After he was diagnosed with dementia in 2019, Kathy faithfully and tenderly provided for his growing needs. In his final year, he was cared for by the exceptional staff at Pleasant Manor.

On Dec. 31, 2024, Herman Neufeld passed from his earthly home to where he will surely be welcomed with, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

His life was proof that love has the power to transcend all barriers.

The seeds of friendship, generosity, and joy that Herman planted during his lifetime will continue to bear fruit that will last far longer than he could have imagined. 

Thank you, Herman, for your legacy of love.