It must have been with great joy that Dr. Reuben Kvill stepped into the presence of the Lord on December 17, 2014 in Grande Prairie, Alberta at the age of 78 years. Born in Provost, Alberta on March 30, 1936 to Palmer and Florence, Reuben got into a lot of mischief with his big brother John as they grew up together on the farm near Metiskow. He was a great caretaker to his four beloved sisters: Priscilla, Grace, Sharon, and Donna. Reuben enjoyed playing hockey in the winter and baseball in the summer while he wasn’t working on the farm. After high school, he continued working with his dad on the farm while periodically attending institutions like Vermillion School of Agriculture. It was at Alberta Bible College in Camrose where he met Rose. They courted through Reuben’s first year at Berean Bible College in Calgary, and were married in October of 1963. The couple lived in Calgary while Reuben continued his education at Berean, and their first daughter, Pamela was born there. In 1965, Reuben returned to Metiskow and full-time farming. Paul and Eunice had joined the family by 1972, when Reuben felt called “off the tractor and into ministry”. It was then that he moved the family to Manitoba to attend Winnipeg Bible College (now Providence University) in Otterburne. Upon his graduation with a Bachelor of Theology he was invited to return to Berean in Calgary, this time as an instructor. During his years teaching at Berean, Reuben continued his education by attending summer school back in Otterburne where he completed his Master of Divinity. In 1984, Reuben accepted a position on the faculty at Peace River Bible Institute and moved up to Grande Prairie. His steadfastness and his faithfulness to the word of God earned him the office of President, which he held until 2002. After that, he served PRBI as Chancellor, a title which he held until his passing. As Chancellor, he and Rose drove countless miles across Canada as he represented PRBI. More than anything, Reuben loved building up people through relationship. This gift was evident during his years leading PRBI. He was faithful to the vision “to train servant leaders who know God, model His character, and build into others the life changing principles of God’s Word”. In 1998, Reuben was honored by the Association of Christian Schools International for his “commitment and contribution to Christian education worldwide”. More than all his other degrees and awards combined, Reuben was most honoured in 2002 to have conferred upon him an honourary Doctorate of Divinity from Briarcrest Family of Schools. R euben’s summer holidays were spent traveling with Rose in their various RVs. Over the years they camped in everything from a tent to a 36-foot motorhome, and they enjoyed every moment. Their favourite direction to head was north: they went to the Yukon, Alaska, and the Northwest Territories several times. In 2001 they traveled across Canada to the east coast in their motorhome with their little green car in tow. One of his favourite pastimes was shooting and hunting. Reuben loved exercising his concentration as he measured his aim or set his gun sights. It was therapeutic for him to clear his mind of all the concerns of life and work while he focused on nothing but the target in front of him. He shot several deer over the years, as well as a beautiful black bear that he proudly displayed in his home. Fishing gave him similar peace. Being out in God’s creation, even if he came home empty handed, made Reuben happy. The last several years of Reuben’s life were met with health challenges. In 1995 he had by-pass surgery, after which he purchased his first treadmill. Reuben repaired, wore out, and upgraded his treadmills regularly over the years with his daily walking and running, which he continued until a year ago. A stroke set him back somewhat about eight years ago, but he continued to “putter” and keep busy around their house with gardening and woodworking. Reuben was diagnosed with dementia and heart failure in June of this year, and his last few months were spent in long-term care with Rose visiting as often as she could. He didn’t enjoy a lot of the games and activities with one exception: bingo — he regularly won socks, gloves, and hats at bingo. Other residents enjoyed Reuben’s gentle and encouraging presence, often asking to sit with “the professor” at meals. On December 4th, Reuben experienced a heart attack that he was unable to recover from. He passed away at the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital, surrounded by love and family. Many people are grateful that Reuben was in their lives. Over the years he taught and mentored countless staff, students, and pastors, but he will be especially missed by his devoted wife Rose, his children Pamela (Jim Dittrich), Paul (Stephanie), and Eunice (Doug Friesen), and his 10 grandchildren: twins Emilee and Blythe (Alex Rigler), Jackson, Alexis, Katya, Jeremy, Montana, twins Pierce and Paul, and Sierra. Reuben has gone to join his parents, Palmer and Florence Kvill, his sister Palma Faith and his brother John. A viewing will take place in Grande Prairie on Monday, December 22 at 7 PM at Mission Heights Church of Christ 8321 Mission Heights Drive. A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, December 23 at 2 PM at Peace River Bible Institute in Sexsmith, Alberta. Memorial donations may be directed to either: Peace River Bible Institute Box 99 Sexsmith AB T0H 3C0 www.prbi.edu Heart and Stroke Foundation 109 10126 120 Avenue Grande Prairie AB T8V 8H9 www.heartandstroke.com Care has been entrusted to Bear Creek Funeral Home Grande Prairie 780-830-7742 www.bearcreekfuneral.com A memorial slideshow can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INPWVW9VSa4