Graveside service will be held at 2:00PM on Sunday August 7, 2022 at the Norwegian Cemetery (28047 Rd 1N in the 1-5 district south of Morden). Donations may be made in Tiina's memory to the BTHC Foundation designated to Palliative Care or to Katie's Cottage.
Tiina Hildebrand (nee Haikonen)
1964 ~ 2022Tiina Hildebrand passed on to be with the Lord Sunday July 31, 2022.
She was born the third of three girls to Veijo and Maria Haikonen on November 26th, 1964 in Toronto, Ontario. She spent her growing-up years between Toronto and the family cottage near Norland, ON. It was at the cottage that she learned to love nature and also where she loved swimming in the river so much that her mother would often have a hard time getting her to come out. She attended Ryerson University in Toronto and graduated with a business degree. As a summer job she followed her love of nature to work at Quetico Provincial Park. Soon after graduating she moved to Thunder Bay where she spent the next 14 years working at two different law firms. She started as a legal assistant and then took courses to become a paralegal.
It was her last year in Thunder Bay where she accepted Jesus into her life and that would direct her steps the rest of her days. She then accepted an office management position at the Christian conservation organization, A Rocha, in Surrey, British Columbia and on January 1, 2004 she set out driving across the prairies to start that new job. As she was passing through Manitoba, she said a prayer to thank God that he was letting her live in BC (her dream place) and not Manitoba or Saskatchewan. She often commented later at what a sense of humour God has.
In 2006 she met Dean at a conference in Winnipeg. They were married a year to the day later on September 29, 2007 and she moved to Manitoba. It was some time later she found out that her mother had been praying that she would meet a beef farmer. Many people were amazed at how well this Toronto raised city girl adapted to farm life. Tiina didn’t want to get a job off the farm, so she came up with the farm name Thousand Hills Ranch and started to sell their beef direct to consumers. Tiina and Dean spent many years going to local Farmers Markets to sell and promote their grass-fed beef. Tiina would often say that was their “date time” together. She picked up and learned many new skills on the farm such as cheesemaking and everything else dairy from their own milk; soap, balm and salve making from their own beef tallow and needle felting and wet felting with the wool from their own sheep. Tiina also took up pottery and made several vessels that she used in her kitchen. She rarely served a meal that wasn’t made from scratch and mostly produce from their own farm. Tiina had to wait quite a while, but she was very happy and excited when Dean finally finished building her a traditional Finnish sauna in 2018. She spent many relaxing hours soaking up the heat over the next few years and she also enjoyed sharing the sauna with family and friends.
In 2019 she entered a new part of her life with a cancer diagnosis. There were many highs and lows over the next three years, but God kept her spirit strong and resilient right to the end.
Tiina is survived by her husband, Dean Hildebrand, sisters, Auli Sammons (Bruce) and Sirpa Haikonen (Ebbe), brother-in-law, Wes Hildebrand (Carol), sister-in-law, Jan Mutcheson (Jack), mother-in-law, Sigrid Hildebrand, 10 nieces and nephews and their families. She was predeceased by her parents, Veijo and Maria Haikonen, father-in-law, Charles Hildebrand and brother-in-law, Don Lazarow.
Graveside service on Sunday August 7, 2022 at the Norwegian Cemetery in the 1-5 district. If friends so desire, donations may be made in Tiina’s memory to Boundary Trails Health Centre Foundation designated to the palliative care program or to Katie’s Cottage.
Tiina Hildebrand (nee Haikonen)
1964 ~ 2022Tiina Hildebrand passed on to be with the Lord Sunday July 31, 2022.
She was born the third of three girls to Veijo and Maria Haikonen on November 26th, 1964 in Toronto, Ontario. She spent her growing-up years between Toronto and the family cottage near Norland, ON. It was at the cottage that she learned to love nature and also where she loved swimming in the river so much that her mother would often have a hard time getting her to come out. She attended Ryerson University in Toronto and graduated with a business degree. As a summer job she followed her love of nature to work at Quetico Provincial Park. Soon after graduating she moved to Thunder Bay where she spent the next 14 years working at two different law firms. She started as a legal assistant and then took courses to become a paralegal.
It was her last year in Thunder Bay where she accepted Jesus into her life and that would direct her steps the rest of her days. She then accepted an office management position at the Christian conservation organization, A Rocha, in Surrey, British Columbia and on January 1, 2004 she set out driving across the prairies to start that new job. As she was passing through Manitoba, she said a prayer to thank God that he was letting her live in BC (her dream place) and not Manitoba or Saskatchewan. She often commented later at what a sense of humour God has.
In 2006 she met Dean at a conference in Winnipeg. They were married a year to the day later on September 29, 2007 and she moved to Manitoba. It was some time later she found out that her mother had been praying that she would meet a beef farmer. Many people were amazed at how well this Toronto raised city girl adapted to farm life. Tiina didn’t want to get a job off the farm, so she came up with the farm name Thousand Hills Ranch and started to sell their beef direct to consumers. Tiina and Dean spent many years going to local Farmers Markets to sell and promote their grass-fed beef. Tiina would often say that was their “date time” together. She picked up and learned many new skills on the farm such as cheesemaking and everything else dairy from their own milk; soap, balm and salve making from their own beef tallow and needle felting and wet felting with the wool from their own sheep. Tiina also took up pottery and made several vessels that she used in her kitchen. She rarely served a meal that wasn’t made from scratch and mostly produce from their own farm. Tiina had to wait quite a while, but she was very happy and excited when Dean finally finished building her a traditional Finnish sauna in 2018. She spent many relaxing hours soaking up the heat over the next few years and she also enjoyed sharing the sauna with family and friends.
In 2019 she entered a new part of her life with a cancer diagnosis. There were many highs and lows over the next three years, but God kept her spirit strong and resilient right to the end.
Tiina is survived by her husband, Dean Hildebrand, sisters, Auli Sammons (Bruce) and Sirpa Haikonen (Ebbe), brother-in-law, Wes Hildebrand (Carol), sister-in-law, Jan Mutcheson (Jack), mother-in-law, Sigrid Hildebrand, 10 nieces and nephews and their families. She was predeceased by her parents, Veijo and Maria Haikonen, father-in-law, Charles Hildebrand and brother-in-law, Don Lazarow.
Graveside service on Sunday August 7, 2022 at the Norwegian Cemetery in the 1-5 district. If friends so desire, donations may be made in Tiina’s memory to Boundary Trails Health Centre Foundation designated to the palliative care program or to Katie’s Cottage.