Helena Elias
(nee Penner)
September 3, 1955 - April 9, 2026
Helena Penner was born on September 3rd, 1955, to Diedrich and Helena Penner, in the Bethel Hospital in Winkler Manitoba. She grew up on a farm south of Plum Coulee and received her education at the Grimsby School. Mom was baptized upon the confession of her faith at the age of 18 on June 2nd, 1974, by Bishop Jacob Penner. She served faithfully in the Old Colony Mennonite Church of Manitoba until her death. On June 3rd, 1973, Dad went looking for a young lady who lived at 43 Centre Street in Plum Coulee. She was not at home that Sunday, so he returned the following week on Pentecost Sunday, and they had their first visit. That started a courtship that lasted the next 14 months when they were married on Aug 25th, 1974, in Chortitz, MB. Their marriage lasted 51 years 8 months 15 days.
Mom and Dad's marriage was a fruitful one that yielded 5 children who all had the privilege of being home-schooled with mom as their teacher. We as children want to give credit to Mom and Dad, that in spite of the roads that we may have taken, and the fact that they weren't always the right ones, they have never given up on us. We can all happily say that we are involved in our respective churches and missions because of the example that Mom and Dad were for us. Children and grandchildren alike can attest to the deep love that Mom had for them. She became a grandma at 39 and her grandchildren were a great source of pride and joy.
Throughout her life, Mom faced many health struggles, going back as far as we can remember. Mom never had a very strong back and as a result, some of the children, especially Rob and Mark, got involved in housework, doing laundry, cooking and baking. Some of the leisure activities we remember included, the annual family camping which involved a pinata for the grand-children and funnel cakes for everyone, as a Saturday afternoon snack, taking the older grandchildren to South Dakota, family gatherings with lots of food, 1000 Oaks Music nights, singing with the family, food planning and preparation for Gospel Echoes Banquets, and gardening. Some activities that Mom started that she could do while relaxing included, diamond dots, liquid embroidery, and leather embossing and tooling.
In November of 2022, Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. This led to surgery and radiation treatments, which gave her another 21⁄2 years of a cancer-free life. Early in 2025, she began experiencing back pain that progressively got worse through the year. In January 2026, the pain became so intense that she had a hard time walking and visited the ER on January 30th. After an x-ray that didn't reveal any problems, she was sent back home. Just over a week later, on February 9th, as the pain continued to increase and she could no longer walk unassisted, they returned to the hospital. The doctors ordered a CT scan of Mom's spine and an hour later the doctors informed them that the cancer had returned with multiple lesions showing up on the scan. She was admitted to BTHC that evening and stayed there for one day less than 3 weeks.
She returned home to spend another month with Dad, in which her pain was well managed. During this month, we were blessed with a lot of good conversations with Mom and could enjoy many hours of making some very special memories. We are so grateful for this time we could have with her. As a result of her cancer diagnosis, Mom was on strong pain medication that made her susceptible to an infection. This infection got so bad that on the morning of Thursday, April 2nd, even with Dad's help, she could not get out of bed. It was at this point that she requested to go back to the hospital. For the first few days at the hospital the doctors tried to treat her infection but by Monday it became clear that her body was too riddled with cancer and her time on earth was coming to an end. On April 9th, exactly one week after being admitted to the hospital, 2 months after being diagnosed with cancer, at the age of 70 years, 7 months and 6 days, Mom peacefully took her last breath surrounded by
her husband and most of their children, at 12:49 pm.
She was predeceased by her parents, Diedrich & Helena (Dueck) Penner, Son, Robert Elias (1994), 1 brother, Henry Penner (2023) 1 Sister in Law, Susan Braun (2001),
1 brother-in-law John Friesen (2018).
Helena (Penner) Elias is survived by:
Husband Jake.
Daughter-in-law, (Tina & Paul) Wiebe; Rolanda & (George) Heinrichs, Aria, Jackson, Rylee, Beckett.
Son, Mark & (Margaret) Elias; Keith, Heather & (Jake) Dyck, Tara & (Logan) Peters, Chantelle & (Jesse) Peters.
Daughter, Amanda & (John) Martens; Adrianna, Amberlyn, Alandra. Jerriah & (Kaylee) Martens, Joel, Jazmine, Jenessa, Ashton, Anthony.
Son, Nathan & (Marie) Elias, Robert, Aleesha, Rihanna, Jordan, Soraya.
Son, Jeremy & (Kathy) Elias; Stanley, Gabriella.
Her 2 brothers, Jake & (Tina), and Dave & (Margaret) and their families; her 2 sisters, Tina & (Jacob Martens), Mary & (Henry Wieler) and their families; and her sister-in-law Trudy, and her family.
We, the family, would like to thank Bishop John Wiebe, Reverend Herman Bueckert, and Reverend Johnathon Wiebe, Song Leaders, Ushers, Sound-men, Zion & Old Colony Ladies Serving Groups, Boundary Trails Hospital Staff, Paramedics, Jake and staff at Wiebe’s Funeral Home, and everyone else who helped us out with the funeral. A special Thank You to all those who called or sent messages, and brought food, or flowers. We appreciate your visits and acts of kindness, may the Lord bless you for
showing your love to us.
Donations may be made to Faith Mission, Winkler, Manitoba.
We sorrow but not as those that have no hope. We look forward to the day we will see Mom again in Heaven! ~ The Family ~
(nee Penner)
September 3, 1955 - April 9, 2026
Helena Penner was born on September 3rd, 1955, to Diedrich and Helena Penner, in the Bethel Hospital in Winkler Manitoba. She grew up on a farm south of Plum Coulee and received her education at the Grimsby School. Mom was baptized upon the confession of her faith at the age of 18 on June 2nd, 1974, by Bishop Jacob Penner. She served faithfully in the Old Colony Mennonite Church of Manitoba until her death. On June 3rd, 1973, Dad went looking for a young lady who lived at 43 Centre Street in Plum Coulee. She was not at home that Sunday, so he returned the following week on Pentecost Sunday, and they had their first visit. That started a courtship that lasted the next 14 months when they were married on Aug 25th, 1974, in Chortitz, MB. Their marriage lasted 51 years 8 months 15 days.
Mom and Dad's marriage was a fruitful one that yielded 5 children who all had the privilege of being home-schooled with mom as their teacher. We as children want to give credit to Mom and Dad, that in spite of the roads that we may have taken, and the fact that they weren't always the right ones, they have never given up on us. We can all happily say that we are involved in our respective churches and missions because of the example that Mom and Dad were for us. Children and grandchildren alike can attest to the deep love that Mom had for them. She became a grandma at 39 and her grandchildren were a great source of pride and joy.
Throughout her life, Mom faced many health struggles, going back as far as we can remember. Mom never had a very strong back and as a result, some of the children, especially Rob and Mark, got involved in housework, doing laundry, cooking and baking. Some of the leisure activities we remember included, the annual family camping which involved a pinata for the grand-children and funnel cakes for everyone, as a Saturday afternoon snack, taking the older grandchildren to South Dakota, family gatherings with lots of food, 1000 Oaks Music nights, singing with the family, food planning and preparation for Gospel Echoes Banquets, and gardening. Some activities that Mom started that she could do while relaxing included, diamond dots, liquid embroidery, and leather embossing and tooling.
In November of 2022, Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. This led to surgery and radiation treatments, which gave her another 21⁄2 years of a cancer-free life. Early in 2025, she began experiencing back pain that progressively got worse through the year. In January 2026, the pain became so intense that she had a hard time walking and visited the ER on January 30th. After an x-ray that didn't reveal any problems, she was sent back home. Just over a week later, on February 9th, as the pain continued to increase and she could no longer walk unassisted, they returned to the hospital. The doctors ordered a CT scan of Mom's spine and an hour later the doctors informed them that the cancer had returned with multiple lesions showing up on the scan. She was admitted to BTHC that evening and stayed there for one day less than 3 weeks.
She returned home to spend another month with Dad, in which her pain was well managed. During this month, we were blessed with a lot of good conversations with Mom and could enjoy many hours of making some very special memories. We are so grateful for this time we could have with her. As a result of her cancer diagnosis, Mom was on strong pain medication that made her susceptible to an infection. This infection got so bad that on the morning of Thursday, April 2nd, even with Dad's help, she could not get out of bed. It was at this point that she requested to go back to the hospital. For the first few days at the hospital the doctors tried to treat her infection but by Monday it became clear that her body was too riddled with cancer and her time on earth was coming to an end. On April 9th, exactly one week after being admitted to the hospital, 2 months after being diagnosed with cancer, at the age of 70 years, 7 months and 6 days, Mom peacefully took her last breath surrounded by
her husband and most of their children, at 12:49 pm.
She was predeceased by her parents, Diedrich & Helena (Dueck) Penner, Son, Robert Elias (1994), 1 brother, Henry Penner (2023) 1 Sister in Law, Susan Braun (2001),
1 brother-in-law John Friesen (2018).
Helena (Penner) Elias is survived by:
Husband Jake.
Daughter-in-law, (Tina & Paul) Wiebe; Rolanda & (George) Heinrichs, Aria, Jackson, Rylee, Beckett.
Son, Mark & (Margaret) Elias; Keith, Heather & (Jake) Dyck, Tara & (Logan) Peters, Chantelle & (Jesse) Peters.
Daughter, Amanda & (John) Martens; Adrianna, Amberlyn, Alandra. Jerriah & (Kaylee) Martens, Joel, Jazmine, Jenessa, Ashton, Anthony.
Son, Nathan & (Marie) Elias, Robert, Aleesha, Rihanna, Jordan, Soraya.
Son, Jeremy & (Kathy) Elias; Stanley, Gabriella.
Her 2 brothers, Jake & (Tina), and Dave & (Margaret) and their families; her 2 sisters, Tina & (Jacob Martens), Mary & (Henry Wieler) and their families; and her sister-in-law Trudy, and her family.
We, the family, would like to thank Bishop John Wiebe, Reverend Herman Bueckert, and Reverend Johnathon Wiebe, Song Leaders, Ushers, Sound-men, Zion & Old Colony Ladies Serving Groups, Boundary Trails Hospital Staff, Paramedics, Jake and staff at Wiebe’s Funeral Home, and everyone else who helped us out with the funeral. A special Thank You to all those who called or sent messages, and brought food, or flowers. We appreciate your visits and acts of kindness, may the Lord bless you for
showing your love to us.
Donations may be made to Faith Mission, Winkler, Manitoba.
We sorrow but not as those that have no hope. We look forward to the day we will see Mom again in Heaven! ~ The Family ~