Last Wednesday, January 22, 2020, Peter Hanks passed away. He was 93 years old. All of us at M2/W2 Association are saddened by this news and offer our condolences to Peter’s family and friends.

Peter served as a M2/W2 volunteer for over 20 years, from March 1997 to December 2017. He mentored inmates at Mission Minimum and Pacific Institution, and was a regular donor since 1998.

Tony Vanderwal, a long-time friend and fellow M2/W2 volunteer, often accompanied Peter on prison visits. “It was a good friendship,” Tony said. “We looked after one another.” He described Peter as someone who was “as gentle as can be.”

Born in Maitland, Australia, Peter loved fixing things—motorcycles, race cars, and more. Wherever he was, Peter found joy working with his hands—from early jobs as a machinist and movie projectionist to repairing things for other residents at Menno Pavilion in Abbotsford.

Peter also had a passion for international missions work. He served in India, planting churches and recording radio programs; and also Nepal, where he and his wife, Pauline, ran a hospital. Pauline was a nurse and Peter maintained the facility and trained staff. He made friends everywhere he went. All said, he worked in India for 13 years and Nepal for 22.

Peter Hanks and Arnie Melissen, M2/W2 Board Member and Treasurer, share a smile at a volunteer event in May 2018.

At M2/W2, we are grateful for Peter’s contributions as a volunteer, and deeply appreciate how he loved and served others. We’re inspired by the way Peter answered God’s call throughout his life.

Peter is survived by his sons, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Pauline passed away in 2012.

His memorial is Monday, February 3, 2020, at 1 pm at Central Heights Church in Abbotsford.

If you want to learn more about Peter’s life, you can read his obituary here.