GOD CALLED HIM HOME

My Love!

Hans Peter Ristau 

November 24, 1939 - May 21, 2013

EULOGY presented by his son Dr. Kenneth Andrew Ristau 

Hans Peter Ristau was born to Karl and Martha Ristau on November 24th, 1939, in Berlin, Germany, only two and half months after the start of the War. Peter’s mother had five children from a previous marriage; with Karl she had Klaus, Peter and Renate.

Klaus, Renate and Peter at their last visit
So glad Renate was able to visit for a few weeks before Peter died. 

Karl immigrated to Canada in 1950, settling in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Martha and the children followed later. Tragically, Peter's mother, Martha, died of cancer shortly afterwards. After spending a year in the care of his Tante Emma, he was reunited with his father, who had remarried. His step-mother Anna’s deep personal faith led the family into the community at the German Mission Baptist Church, where the entire family was baptized on November 6, 1955. Foreshadowing God’s providence, his future wife, Karin, also recently emigrated from Germany, was baptized at the very same service.

In 1960, his father, Karl, died of cancer. His stepmother later decided to return to Germany while he and his brother, Klaus, and sister, Renate, remained in Winnipeg.

These formative years contributed greatly to Peter’s strong personal faith, empathy, and compassion, born of adversity yet also a sense of God’s abiding presence expressed through a close-knit community. During this time, Peter cultivated a passion for ministry and love of learning. He attended the Mennonite Brethren Collegiate Institute and later Mennonite Brethren Bible College, which developed and further instilled in him a commitment to peace, social justice, and a generous orthodoxy, especially inspired by the teaching and scholarship of his professor, David Ewert.

Before leaving Winnipeg to attend Waterloo Lutheran University, Peter asked Heinrich Laser if he could continue to communicate with his daughter, (Brigitte) Karin. Given permission, Peter and Karin exchanged love letters throughout his first year of studies at Waterloo and, in June 1965, Peter asked Heinrich for Karin’s hand in marriage. Peter and Karin were married on July 2, 1966 at the German Mission Baptist Church, where they had been baptized 11 years earlier.

With a Th.B. from the Mennonite Brethren Bible College and a B.A. in Linguistics from Waterloo, Peter decided to continue his studies at the North American Baptist Seminary in Sioux Falls, SD, where he earned a Bachelors of Divinity.

In the Summer of 1968, Peter returned to Winnipeg and the German Mission Baptist Church as a Summer Ministry Student. At the end of the summer, Peter moved to Hartford to continue his academic studies at Hartford Seminary. Because of a postal strike, he belatedly learned that he had also been accepted to Princeton Theological Seminary. Karin remained in Winnipeg for the birth of their first child, Angela Christine, born on November 29th, but joined Peter shortly thereafter.

While attending Hartford Seminary, Peter served as the Youth Pastor at First Baptist Church in Waterbury in 1968 and later the Senior Pastor at both the Montgomery Community Church and Wyben Union Church in Massachusetts from 1969 to 1971. Peter graduated from Hartford Seminary in 1971 with an M.A. in Religion, as faculty changes and health concerns prevented him from finishing his doctoral work.

After graduation, Peter accepted the calling of Immanuel Baptist Church in Woodside, a suburb of New York City. His second child, Sheryl Evelyn, was born there on May 15, 1972. That same year, he accepted an offer to join the faculty of the North American Baptist College (NABC), in Edmonton, AB, as an Old Testament Professor. His third child, Kenneth Andrew, was born in Edmonton, on August 4, 1977.

Peter’s love of learning continued to guide his life, as a teacher at NABC and in sabbatical years at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (1978-1979) in Louisville, KY, and Tantur Ecumenical Institute in Jerusalem, Israel (1989). He faithfully taught and mentored countless students, preached at numerous congregations in the Edmonton area and throughout North America, and led short-term missions to Poland and Brazil. He avidly attended the Annual Meetings of the Society of Biblical Literature and the North American Baptist Triennial Conferences. Peter also served as a pastor at Millwoods Shepherd’s Care Centre from 1993 to 1995. Due to the challenges of epilepsy, Peter went on permanent disability in 1997 and officially retired in 2005.

Peter the stamp collector

Peter had many passions besides teaching and preaching. For a time, he helped pay for his education as an artist and from his many summer jobs in construction and his relationship with his father-in-law, he learned and enjoyed the work of building fences and sheds, and landscaping. He loved movies, especially historical epics and Westerns; as a child, he was fascinated with cowboys and the Wild West. His favourite sports were soccer and racquetball. He enjoyed thunder storms and mountains, and scenic views. He understood the value of a long drive and appreciated the peace and solemnity of quiet moments. He loved to collect stamps and, indeed, is survived by a very large and valuable stamp collection that, in his retirement, he cultivated through online stamp auctions, which connected him to a worldwide community of philatelists. And, as we all especially appreciated in his last days, he loved smiles, having fun with the grandchildren, and giving kisses.

Peter is survived by his wife, Karin, and his three children, Angela, Evelyn, and Ken. Angela is married to Paul Martial and they have two children, Jacque and Samuel. Evelyn is married to Tim Krahn and they have four children, Joshua, Abigail, Joseph, and Simon. Ken is married to Melissa and they have three children, Delaney, Miccah, and Aidan. All of Peter’s children and grandchildren spent time with him in the days before he died on Tuesday, May 21, 2013. He breathed his last with his daughter, Angela, by his side. His last spoken word is a fitting coda to a life lived in service to his family and the Church: “Amen.”

One last look at the light in his window

after he passed away.

As a family, we can confess wholeheartedly that Hans Peter Ristau was a strong and generous man. Never ceasing in empathy and compassion, always faithful, and a person who, by his simple presence in our lives, called out the best in us. Peter is deeply and profoundly missed. Yet, his hope and our own is in Christ Jesus and we look forward in anticipation to the day we will join him again through the resurrection.

Father and son clasping hands one more time. 



We'll all hold him in our hearts forever!
A life well-lived!

Taylor University College & Seminary - Remembering Peter Ristau

http://www.taylor-edu.ca/taylor/pdf/Bridge_2013Spring.pdf