Calvin Penner
October 1, 1942 - January 7, 2026
Calvin Penner, (October 1, 1942 to January 7, 2026) was born in Calgary to Peter and Olga Penner, and passed away unexpectedly January 7, 2026.He is predeceased by his parents Peter and Olga, his sister Martha, and his brother Richard. He is survived by his wife Ruth, His siblings. Leona, Henry, and Viola, and his sister-in-law Ann, as well as his children Sherri, Jonathan, and Andrew, along with their families.
One of the earliest memories that was shared was attending Kindergarten with Tante’ Anna in High German. There were also unconfirmed rumours of him delivering milk when he was 16 years old.
He attended Winkler Bible School from 1961-1963 but had to return to high school to complete some subjects in Winnipeg. Then he went on to complete a year of Teacher Training. He spent his first year teaching in Morris after which he married the love of his life, Ruth in 1966. They moved to Steinbach in 1967 and spent the next 8 years teaching at various schools in the Steinbach area. Their first child Sherri Lynn made her appearance in 1971.
In 1974 he moved his young family to Australia to teach high school for the next 4 years, where his 2 sons, Jonathan Peter and Andrew Philip were born. Soon after returning to Canada, He brought his family to Herbert, Sk in 1979 and continued teaching there until his retirement in 1999.
Calvin and his wife joined The Gideons in Australia in 1976 and continued to serve with them in Canada up until 2002. Not having had enough ministry time, he took on the role of “Pastor to the Pastors” for the Saskatchewan MB conference, and met with pastors mostly from rural churches in that province. He and Ruth decided to join his brother Richard and sister-in-law Ann to serve with World Concern in Uzbekistan from 2002 until 2004, While the culture shock was a factor, Calvin often spoke warmly of his time there.
In 2006 He and Ruth moved to Winkler. After “church shopping” for a brief time, they settled in at WMBC and soon became members and faithful attendees. He very quickly connected with G-Force Ministries and served with them for a few years, after which he ushered for a while. He also spent some time leading Seniors Bible Study, and thoroughly enjoyed his time with each of those areas of service.
Calvin had many different facets, and some of them very unexpected at first impression. While he may have seemed a bit gruff on occasion, at his core he was
gentle, caring, and compassionate. He served others joyfully and deeply, and cherished the relationships with friends and family.
October 1, 1942 - January 7, 2026
Calvin Penner, (October 1, 1942 to January 7, 2026) was born in Calgary to Peter and Olga Penner, and passed away unexpectedly January 7, 2026.He is predeceased by his parents Peter and Olga, his sister Martha, and his brother Richard. He is survived by his wife Ruth, His siblings. Leona, Henry, and Viola, and his sister-in-law Ann, as well as his children Sherri, Jonathan, and Andrew, along with their families.
One of the earliest memories that was shared was attending Kindergarten with Tante’ Anna in High German. There were also unconfirmed rumours of him delivering milk when he was 16 years old.
He attended Winkler Bible School from 1961-1963 but had to return to high school to complete some subjects in Winnipeg. Then he went on to complete a year of Teacher Training. He spent his first year teaching in Morris after which he married the love of his life, Ruth in 1966. They moved to Steinbach in 1967 and spent the next 8 years teaching at various schools in the Steinbach area. Their first child Sherri Lynn made her appearance in 1971.
In 1974 he moved his young family to Australia to teach high school for the next 4 years, where his 2 sons, Jonathan Peter and Andrew Philip were born. Soon after returning to Canada, He brought his family to Herbert, Sk in 1979 and continued teaching there until his retirement in 1999.
Calvin and his wife joined The Gideons in Australia in 1976 and continued to serve with them in Canada up until 2002. Not having had enough ministry time, he took on the role of “Pastor to the Pastors” for the Saskatchewan MB conference, and met with pastors mostly from rural churches in that province. He and Ruth decided to join his brother Richard and sister-in-law Ann to serve with World Concern in Uzbekistan from 2002 until 2004, While the culture shock was a factor, Calvin often spoke warmly of his time there.
In 2006 He and Ruth moved to Winkler. After “church shopping” for a brief time, they settled in at WMBC and soon became members and faithful attendees. He very quickly connected with G-Force Ministries and served with them for a few years, after which he ushered for a while. He also spent some time leading Seniors Bible Study, and thoroughly enjoyed his time with each of those areas of service.
Calvin had many different facets, and some of them very unexpected at first impression. While he may have seemed a bit gruff on occasion, at his core he was
gentle, caring, and compassionate. He served others joyfully and deeply, and cherished the relationships with friends and family.