Every good journey begins and ends with a good story. And longtime Lynden resident Isaac Johan Reimer (known to many as “Ike”), who passed away at his home on June 1, 2017, had a great journey through this world, with many good stories to prove it.

Ike was born in 1927 in Durango, Mexico, to Johan and Suzanne Reimer, German Mennonite farmers originally from Kuban, Ukraine. The family was forced to go to Mexico when they were denied entry at Ellis Island. The Reimers stayed in Mexico in an adobe hut with a dirt floor until after Ike was born. He was born so premature that he didn’t open his eyes for six weeks. His mother said that he was no bigger than three blocks of butter. She tucked him into a shoebox and put him behind the wood stove at night to keep warm and his mom and dad were surprised every morning to find him still alive. That was their first clue that he was a fighter. He kept that fighting spirit his whole life and in his later years took great inspiration from the Churchill quote, “Never, never, never give up!”

Even though the Mennonite settlement in Durango was welcoming to the Reimer family, his parents hadn’t dreamed of immigrating to Mexico, they dreamed of coming to the United States. His father’s goal remained steadfast. Finally, their application to enter the country was accepted. But there was one problem. When filling out the paperwork on all the children (there were six of them at the time), Johan couldn’t remember when Isaac had been born. He knew roughly when Ike was supposed to be born (if he hadn’t been premature), so he put that date down. Thus, Isaac had two “birthdays” — the date his father wrote down, which remained on his official paperwork for his whole life (Oct. 17, 1927) and his actual birthdate, July 28, 1927.

The family settled for Ike’s childhood years (from ages 4 to 14) in Deer Park, Washington. He always remembered those years, and the area, fondly. In 1943 the family acquired a 40-acre farm on the Glendale Road near Custer. Isaac helped on the farm with berries, dairy cows and the other chores that come with farm life. However, his father encouraged him to pursue his schooling and Ike became the only boy in his family to graduate high school (Lynden High School class of 1946).

In 1953 Ike married the love of his life, Dorothy M. Peters, from Montana. They began their life together by farming his parents’ homestead. After two years, they purchased their 100-plus acre farm at 1860 H Street Rd. where they lived until moving off the farm and into Lynden in 1993.

Besides farming, Ike also worked several side jobs through the years. These included driving a semi truck and trailer from Bellingham to SeaTac (and many stops in between) for the U.S. mail, peeling logs by hand for Oeser Company for making treated power poles, working for Western Farmers in the feed and fertilizer department, working for Iverson Lumber, and as a ditch digger for Whatcom County. Later in life, he worked at Lynden Door for 13 years as a millwright, and then he worked another 13 years as their groundsman.

Ike was also a long-time fixture at Sunrise Baptist Church, where he stood, for decades, nearly every Sunday to give hugs to those who came through the doors. “A lot of people are hurting these days,” he said. “Families aren’t the same as they used to be. If I can make them feel even a moment of fatherly love, once a week or even once in their life, who knows, maybe for them it will make all the difference in the world. I’m willing to give it a try!” he would say in his trademark gravel-voiced imitation of “The Champ” (a boxing persona).

Ike had a warrior’s heart and did his best to pass that attribute on to his children: Randy (Ruth) Reimer, Cynthia (Larry) Honey, Ron (Judy) Reimer, Shyla Reimer, Jayson (Tabitha) Reimer; also 11 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

Isaac was preceded in death by his parents; his wife of nearly 50 years, Dorothy Reimer; their infant daughter and an infant granddaughter; and five of his siblings: Katherine Paetkau, Abe Reimer, Elizabeth Siemens, John Reimer and Susan Peters. His two surviving siblings, Ellie (Maynard) Voth and Doris Bouwman, remain in the Lynden area. He is also survived by his wife Dorothy’s siblings: Les (Elizabeth) Peters, Stella (Ted) Wiens, Wilma Peters, Gene (Jamie) Peters, Mike Peters; and numerous nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Sunrise Baptist Church. If he could make sure the coffee was well-supplied even after his death, that would make Ike smile. And, while you’re sipping that coffee, you’d really make his day if you took the time to write your Congressman and do your part to keep America strong and free!

Viewing is in Gillies Funeral Home, 202 Front St., Lynden, from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, June 9. The memorial service is at 3:30 p.m. June 10 in Sunrise Baptist Church, 2480 W. Badger Rd., Custer. Burial is on June 12 in Enterprise Cemetery at 11 a.m.

As Ike would say to finish off any good story, “Keep the sunny side up and the rubber side down! Forward ho, kids, forward ho!” and for the big finish: “Today is the day that the Lord has made, let us give thanks and be glad in it!”

You are invited to share your condolences and memories in the online guestbook at www.gilliesfuneralhome.com.