In this series, The Citizen profiles locals who strive to make our little corner of Manitoba a better place. Each month, we feature a person, family, or organization that helps brighten the world in some way. If you have someone in mind for a future month, please nominate them: jlavin@nivervillecitizen.com.
This month’s super citizen is Gerald Loeppky, born and raised in and around Niverville—and throughout his life he’s remained here, volunteering and helping to make the community a better place.
Loeppky started his career working for Manitoba Agriculture, an organization he remained with for more than 17 years. Afterward, he owned a furniture store in St. Pierre for a decade.
At that point he was involved in a serious motorcycle accident that dramatically changed the course of his life. He sold his business, unable to work due to nerve damage and pain in his legs. The next two years saw him make a slow recovery.
That’s when the board of the MCC Thrift Store in Niverville asked if he would like to join their team.
“I decided to commit to one year of helping the store while I was still trying to figure out what my recovery would be like,” Loeppky says. “So I did that for one year and fell in love with working with all the volunteers. Then I went back to the board and told them I could continue. I continued to work at the store for 15 years until my retirement.”
Merris Dyck, who worked with Loeppky at the MCC before taking over as manager of the store in recent years, speaks highly of him.
“His love of people is evident in how he interacted with the customers and volunteers alike,” Dyck says. “He just loves people.”
Throughout Loeppky’s changes in vocation over the years, he never lost his passion for volunteerism. After six years as youth leader at his church, he went on to serve on its board, then as vice-chairperson, and finally as chairperson. He also served as Elder of Education and Elder of Missions.
Loeppky remembers his years as Elder of Education as being particularly rewarding. During that time, he helped create new programs which proved so popular that the church had to recruit volunteers from other churches to run them.
“All of that was not because of my doing,” he stresses. “It was because of the people working with me. And that is true for everything I’ve touched. It’s never one person. It’s the team that comes around you. I’ve been very blessed to have had good teams around me.”
Dan Macloskie, the pastor of care and discipleship at Niverville Community Fellowship, says that Loeppky is the sort of person that anyone would want to have as a part of their group.
“When he is committed to something, he is dependable to see it through,” says Macloskie. “He has a strong sense of loyalty and will consistently step up to help when there is need. This is attested to by a long list of people who have been impacted by his generosity.”
Loeppky also points to his work with Niverville’s baseball program as representing a major accomplishment. When his children were young, he was asked to preside over the Niverville Baseball Association. Under his leadership, the organization grew from one or two teams to 16 or more teams. A booming T-ball league also developed.
Again, though, he stresses that despite his position in leadership, it was thanks to the volunteers that the sport thrived in Niverville. The growth was the result of efforts made by the entire community.
During these years, Loeppky also coached hockey for 15 years. He is proud of this long period of involvement with local sports, primarily because it allowed him to help kids—both his own kids and others.
“I’m a Dad who believes that parents need to be where their kids are,” he says. “If my kids are there, I need to be involved.”
Now adults, his children seem to want to be where he is too. At Loeppky’s retirement party a few months back, many people sang his praises—including his children and grandchildren.
“It was an honour to attend the party,” says his daughter-in-law Mariska. “It was an opportunity for my kids and niece and nephew to witness the impact that the years of service their grandpa gave to the community had on so many.”
