Isaac B (IsB) Wiebe
1939 ~ 2023
On Wednesday March 29th, 2023 at 4:40 a.m. Isaac B. Wiebe aged 84 years of Winkler, MB formerly of Blumenfeld, passed away peacefully at his residence in Salem Home with some of his family at his side.
Dad was born on March 12th, 1939 in Cuauhtemoc, Chihauhua, Mexico to Bernhard and Aganetha Wiebe. The majority of his primary years he lived in Campo 106 Schoenfeld, Mexico. As a single young man, he moved to Canada along with his brother Ben. Dad was baptized on May 22nd, 1961 in Campo 107, Burwalde by Reverend Abraham Schmidt. On July 26, 1964 Dad married Katharina Krahn in Taber, Alberta. Their marriage was officiated by Reverend Dave Wall. Together they raised seven sons and four daughters and later got to enjoy 22 grandsons and 18 granddaughters. Additionally, the blessings grew to include 11 great-grandsons and 16 great-granddaughters. His children and grandchildren were so special to him. He enjoyed all the times he could spend with us and he prayed for the entire family daily. Dad’s passions included fellowship, music, puzzling, and people; he never met a stranger. He always moved to the music and enjoyed singing and playing harmonica. Both in his garage and at Bill Peters Service on Highway 32, Dad enjoyed tinkering in wood/metal work and always whistled while he worked. On his way home from Peters Service, Dad would put his truck in gear and let it idle home as he listened to Back to the Bible on the radio. He could enjoy the entire 30-minute program in that 2.5-mile ride. Dad also enjoyed talking about building projects and giving advice and assistance wherever he could. He was a very patient man and would have given the shirt off of his back if someone had needed it. Not that many people would have fit into his shirt. Throughout his life, Dad was very hard working. In his early childhood, his parents were struggling to make ends meet so Dad was hired out as a farm-assist (also known as a farmhand). He was approximately 11 years old at this time and it was very difficult for him to live apart from his family. Because of the distance and lack of transportation he was rarely able to go home to visit his family and when he did, he could only go for a few hours. Dad shared how he was so emotionally overcome in those visits that he would weep more than visit with his family. In his late teens, Dad worked as a salesman in a small general store in Mexico. Dad often reminisced about that job; it rated very high on his list of job experiences, and he would fondly speak of how much he had enjoyed it. When Dad moved to Canada as a young man, he had various jobs ranging from farmhand in Alberta, to the creamery in Winkler, and Conquest in Altona. The remainder of his career was spent in carpentry, building houses, pole barns, and whatever the customer requested, until the age of 49 when his ailing health forced him into an early retirement. Around that time Dad also had fainting episodes due to very low hemoglobin. This led to hospitalization and the eventual diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. RA was his constant companion and taught him a lot about patience, enduring, and respecting his limits. In 1991, knee replacement surgery on both knees gave him a new lease on life and he modified his shop tools so that he could easily work in his garage without aggravating his condition. Regardless of Dad’s circumstances, pain, limited mobility, or lack of materials, Dad’s biggest concern was always for people to know Jesus and find the Salvation that Jesus so graciously and lovingly purchased for us. He would pray through illnesses and was dedicated to reading his Bible. Even though Low German was his first language, he eventually gained more understanding from his English Bible but would read Spanish, German and English Bibles within the same day. In 2013, just two weeks after Mom had a quadruple bi-pass surgery, Dad also suffered a heart attack and endured the exact same surgery. Mom and Dad sold their home in 2015 after 33 years in Blumenfeld. They downsized to South Railway but it was short-lived. Mom passed away five months after that move. It was after Mom’s passing that we began to see evidence of dementia in Dad. After a few fires on the stove, Dad getting lost walking in town, and absentminded driving, which included him getting out of his truck while it was in reverse. During this time, medical issues arose that required hospitalization. The doctors determined that he was unfit to live on his own and panelled him. He spent those first eight months between Boundary Trails and Carman Hospital until he finally got a room in Salem Home. Dad was in Salem Home for five years and we enjoyed many really good visits with him in his room and took him out as often as we possibly could. Dad was declared palliative on Tuesday March 28th and not even hours 12 hours later, he finally met Jesus.
He leaves to mourn his children and their spouses, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, brothers, sisters and many friends. He was predeceased by his wife, parents, one brother, three sisters (two in infancy) and one grandson.
Funeral service at 2:00 p.m. on Monday April 3, 2023 at the Winkler Reinland Mennonite Church with interment at the Church Cemetery in Schanzenfeld. Many thanks to all those who have prayed for the family.
Wiebe Funeral Home, Winkler
In care of arrangements
wiebefuneralhomes.com