Darren Matthew Enns
May 7, 1975 - April 29, 2025
Darren Matthew Enns was born May 7, 1975 and spent his first 3 weeks in the neonatal care unit at Women's Centre in Winnipeg. He was the first born child of Bill and Janet Enns, and a brother to Shawn and Mandy. He is survived by his mother, Janet Enns, brother Shawn and Esther Enns, sister Mandy and Travis Thiessen, and his nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his Dad Bill Enns, and both sets of Grandparents.
When Darren was born the life expectancy of a person living with Down's Syndrome was 29 years, which he surpassed by another 20 years. He lived a full life having opportunities the same as other children his age. Growing up in the village of Sommerfeld on a farm, he spent many enjoyable days on combines, trucks and tractors with his Dad, his Grandpa, and his uncles, and drivng 4-wheelers in summer and snowmobiles in winter.
He had a lot of fun with any water related activity, swimming, fishing, boating, tubing, waterskiing.
Special Olympics played a very important role in his life. He joined the Altona Panthers at the age of 9 and retired at age 49, receiving many medals and ribbons for his achievements in track and field and snow shoeing. A highlight was competing with Team Manitoba at the National Special Olympics Summer Games in London Ontario for one National competition.
When he graduated from High School he had 5 goals set for himself and he often named them, counting them off on his fingers.
1. Move away from home
2. Live in an apartment
3. Have a job
4. Be baptized
5. Get married.
He accomplished all of them except getting married, but that was not from a lack of trying.
Blue Sky Opportunities in Altona and Gateway Resources in Winkler, where Darren attended Day Programs and living in residential homes provided great opportunities to learn new skills, make many friends and enjoy meaningful times. While living at 4th Avenue home, he organized music nights every Wednesday by inviting friends to join him in listening to and playing along with the music he would have chosen for the evening. Darren, of course, played his drums, and his friends would sing along, clap or dance. It was always a fun evening.
Darren's greatest passions were being with people, playing his drums to the music he liked, and his favorite place to be was in Church, worshiping his Jesus. He was a natural pastor, spreading God's love, comforting those who were sad or hurting, teaching us so many life lessons, especially unconditional love, joy and laughter. And he did all these things without trying, and that was because of the love of Jesus in him.
Darren had many medical challenges in his life, spending weeks in hospitals, and yet he was joyful. In the later years dementia also presented an ongoing challenge for him, robbing him of many skills and opportunities, Even though his body and his mind were changed by dementia, his spirit and his soul could not be touched by any illness. His spirit and soul were always sharp and in tune with Jesus, and at any given moment would be in worship and joy in His Heavenly Father, and there was nothing holding him back, he worshipped freely..
Nehemiah 8:10 "The Joy of the Lord is my strength"
May 7, 1975 - April 29, 2025
Darren Matthew Enns was born May 7, 1975 and spent his first 3 weeks in the neonatal care unit at Women's Centre in Winnipeg. He was the first born child of Bill and Janet Enns, and a brother to Shawn and Mandy. He is survived by his mother, Janet Enns, brother Shawn and Esther Enns, sister Mandy and Travis Thiessen, and his nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his Dad Bill Enns, and both sets of Grandparents.
When Darren was born the life expectancy of a person living with Down's Syndrome was 29 years, which he surpassed by another 20 years. He lived a full life having opportunities the same as other children his age. Growing up in the village of Sommerfeld on a farm, he spent many enjoyable days on combines, trucks and tractors with his Dad, his Grandpa, and his uncles, and drivng 4-wheelers in summer and snowmobiles in winter.
He had a lot of fun with any water related activity, swimming, fishing, boating, tubing, waterskiing.
Special Olympics played a very important role in his life. He joined the Altona Panthers at the age of 9 and retired at age 49, receiving many medals and ribbons for his achievements in track and field and snow shoeing. A highlight was competing with Team Manitoba at the National Special Olympics Summer Games in London Ontario for one National competition.
When he graduated from High School he had 5 goals set for himself and he often named them, counting them off on his fingers.
1. Move away from home
2. Live in an apartment
3. Have a job
4. Be baptized
5. Get married.
He accomplished all of them except getting married, but that was not from a lack of trying.
Blue Sky Opportunities in Altona and Gateway Resources in Winkler, where Darren attended Day Programs and living in residential homes provided great opportunities to learn new skills, make many friends and enjoy meaningful times. While living at 4th Avenue home, he organized music nights every Wednesday by inviting friends to join him in listening to and playing along with the music he would have chosen for the evening. Darren, of course, played his drums, and his friends would sing along, clap or dance. It was always a fun evening.
Darren's greatest passions were being with people, playing his drums to the music he liked, and his favorite place to be was in Church, worshiping his Jesus. He was a natural pastor, spreading God's love, comforting those who were sad or hurting, teaching us so many life lessons, especially unconditional love, joy and laughter. And he did all these things without trying, and that was because of the love of Jesus in him.
Darren had many medical challenges in his life, spending weeks in hospitals, and yet he was joyful. In the later years dementia also presented an ongoing challenge for him, robbing him of many skills and opportunities, Even though his body and his mind were changed by dementia, his spirit and his soul could not be touched by any illness. His spirit and soul were always sharp and in tune with Jesus, and at any given moment would be in worship and joy in His Heavenly Father, and there was nothing holding him back, he worshipped freely..
Nehemiah 8:10 "The Joy of the Lord is my strength"