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Canada’s No. 4-ranked high school hoops team headlines the Snowball Classic A18
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Rejoicing in the midst of sorrow
Erica Schmidt went missing on Oct. 5. She was found New Year’s Day, having lost a struggle with depression. Her husband, Henry, pays tribute to the woman he describes as loving, exuberant and inspirational.
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rica was 17 years old when she bought a school bus. She was involved with the “Jesus People Army” youth movement in the Sardis area of the Fraser Valley in the mid-1970s, but the group didn’t have a vehicle. Erica saved up from her job at A&W, bought a bus and hired a driver. The group was then able to travel to different activities, which often included arena roller-skating. That anecdote encapsulates the generous and enterprising spirit that remained with Erica, 59, throughout her life, says her husband Henry O E D I V INE Schmidt. The life of the Abbotsford ONLws.com abbyne mom and grandmother will be celebrated today (Friday) at a memorial service starting at 1:30 p.m. at South Abbotsford Mennonite Brethren Church (32424 Huntingdon Rd.). The service is open to the public. Erica’s body was found on New Year’s Day in dense brush in the 2100 block of Whatcom Road after she had walked away on Oct. 5 from the home she shared with Henry on Timberlane Drive. She had taken her own life. It’s something Henry wants to be open about, but doesn’t want to dwell on. “Her life was not in vain … She’s not on this Earth anymore, but her life is an inspiration,” he said. Erica and Henry met in 1977. He had arrived at Pacific Life Bible College in Surrey for
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Henry Schmidt remembers wife Erica, pictured in the photo beside him, in the home that the couple shared on Timberlane Drive in Abbotsford.
expects to retire remainder of debt in two years
SUSPENSIONS LIFTED A10 All seven Mouat students suspended for an alleged hazing incident have returned to school
TRUCKER CHARGED A10 A crash on Highway 1 west of Hope results in charges against an Abbotsford trucker
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THOUGHT UGHT OF THE HE DAY
What do you call a dinosaur with an extensive vocabulary? A thesaurus.