January 20, 2020
Peter Laven passed away on Monday, January 20th. Peter will be fondly remembered for his sense of humour, his skill at chess, Scrabble and bridge and his creative solutions for every problem.
Peter, the eldest of his siblings, was born in the Netherlands in 1947 and moved to Canada at the age of 5. The Lavens settled in Southern Ontario. As a young man, he came to the West Coast and met his wife Connie at what is now Pacific Rim National Park. They were married in 1972 and after a short period in Ontario they settled in Nanaimo, BC.
Peter, like his father before him, was a landscaper, and ran his business, Laven Landscaping Ltd., for over 30 years in the Nanaimo area. He took great pride in transforming yards into beautiful and practical spaces. Both his sons Casey and Philip worked together with him while they were growing up and learned a strong work ethic from their dad. In his later years, he made use of his riding lawnmower not only to cut the grass, but to travel around the neighborhood and enjoy the outdoors.
Once diagnosed with COPD, Peter was not able to get around as easily. However, he still took great joy in the design of the home and yard he and Connie built for their retirement. He was ever the supervisor, with lots of tips and insight along the way.
Peter was predeceased by his father Pieter and his brother David. He is survived by his mother, Nellie, wife Connie, his sons Casey (Marjorie) and Philip (Iris), his granddaughter Haileigh Toews, his sister Aren Foster (Moe) and his brothers Keith (Janet), Michael (Judith) and John. The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Nanaimo Community Hospice in memory of Peter. A memorial is being planned for later in the year.