Tina Derksen (nee Toews) was born October 23, 1927 to Diedrich and Katharina Toews (nee Driedger) in the village of Eigenhof.
Mom developed a love of reading at a young age as her father loved reading and that same interest and passion was instilled in her. Mom attended school in Eigenhof but was not able to complete her education due to her father's illness and subsequent death at the age of 52. As was common in the 30's many children were needed to work at home to help with the family's needs. This did not deter mom from continued learning throughout her lifetime, and she and her brother Jake succeeded in getting their GED well into their adult lives. She was proud of that accomplishment. She had a positive outlook on life and always enjoyed the present moment.
In 1946 Eigenhof experienced a spiritual revival and it was through this that both mom and some her of siblings came to faith in Jesus. She was baptized on the confession of her faith on June 10, 1946 in Eigenhof EMMC. Her relationship with Jesus gave her the strength to go through very challenging moments in her life as well as it brought her great joy and comfort. Her faith was a consistent and foundational part of who she was through the rest of her life.
Mom moved to Winnipeg as a young adult and worked as a dietary aide at the Municipal Hospitals for 40 years. She loved her job and often shared fond memories of her time there, and the many friendships she developed during those years.
After retirement, Mom got the travel bug and went on several tours with her close friends. She went on a European tour, traveled through the United States, saw much of the Canadian Provinces and years later when she met our dad they went on several trips as well. One of their highlights was a bus tour to California.
Mom attended the Nassau Street church, formerly known as Gospel Mennonite, in Winnipeg. She knew our cousin Mary who also attended that church. After our Dad was widowed in 1988 he was so sad and lonely. Dad's niece Mary, wrote him a lovely and heartfelt letter with a proposition for him to spend some time getting to know her friend Tina. It took dad some time to gather his courage to make the phone call to mom to ask her on a date. On April 29,1990 mom became a part of our family and the rest is history. We are sure she never could have imagined becoming a wife, mother and grandmother all in one day at the age of 62! It was easy to see that dad now had a sparkle in his
eye again with this new love. Together they enjoyed camping, travelling to different places with close friends and family, gardening, and just simply being together.
After dad's accident in 1997 they moved to Winkler and it wasn't long after that dad's health declined and mom became his caretaker. Despite the challenges of this role she never complained and showed her love for him through her constant care. In 2006 he passed away after living at Salem Home for a few years and she was now single again. With her faith and the support of her family and friends she took this transition in stride and continued to live a full and joyful life.
We feel so blessed to have had her in our life all these years! She was supportive, loving, and generous to everyone she met, always willing to share her knowledge and experience. Her door was always open and she would invite you in with open arms. She had a kind heart through and through. She spent many hours volunteering at the local MCC, this was often a highlight of her week. Mom was an amazing cook. She was more than happy to prepare our favourite meals for us to enjoy with her. Mom loved to gather people over food and served others by being on the food committee at Cedar Estates where she lived from 2002-2019. We will miss her spontaneity, sense of humor, and her never ending love for her family.
Over the last years of her life her eyesight was failing and this was very difficult for her as she had to give up reading, knitting, crocheting and other hobbies she enjoyed. At this point dementia also started to have an impact on her independence. This led her to saying goodbye to her life and community at Cedar Estates and moving into Salem in 2019. As she adjusted to her new home she was often sad and isolated, grieving the loss of herself and the life she had known.
During the last year mom fell several times and recovered quickly each time. Then on July 11, 2024 she fell again along with her having a tooth infection, her health declined quickly. The last weeks of her life she struggled with pain and it was hard to watch her suffer. She passed away on August 7, 2024 at Salem Home.
Mom is predeceased by her parents Diedrich and Katharina, brothers Lawrence, Dick, Abe, Jake, sister Susie, in-laws Henry, Henrietta and Jack, husband Peter and son-in-law Dennis.
Tina is survived by her sister Mary, her daughters Verna and Sandra (Jeffry). Grandchildren Kristen, Michael (Erica), Jordana, Rayne (James), Alyssa (Josh), and Zenin. Great-grandchildren Oliver, Ezra, Micah, and Sophia.
We would like to thank the staff at Salem Home for their wonderful care, as well as Wiebe's Funeral Home, Pastors Victor and Aron. We would also like to thank everyone for their prayers and messages of support.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Avant Ministries designated to Kristen Penner.
A celebration of life will be held on Monday August 12, 2024 at the Winkler Bergthaler Mennonite Church at 1:30 p.m. with burial prior to the service at the Eigenhof Cemetery at 11:30 a.m.
Viewing will be on Sunday August 11 from 1:00 - 7:00 p.m. at Wiebe Funeral Home in Winkler.
Mom developed a love of reading at a young age as her father loved reading and that same interest and passion was instilled in her. Mom attended school in Eigenhof but was not able to complete her education due to her father's illness and subsequent death at the age of 52. As was common in the 30's many children were needed to work at home to help with the family's needs. This did not deter mom from continued learning throughout her lifetime, and she and her brother Jake succeeded in getting their GED well into their adult lives. She was proud of that accomplishment. She had a positive outlook on life and always enjoyed the present moment.
In 1946 Eigenhof experienced a spiritual revival and it was through this that both mom and some her of siblings came to faith in Jesus. She was baptized on the confession of her faith on June 10, 1946 in Eigenhof EMMC. Her relationship with Jesus gave her the strength to go through very challenging moments in her life as well as it brought her great joy and comfort. Her faith was a consistent and foundational part of who she was through the rest of her life.
Mom moved to Winnipeg as a young adult and worked as a dietary aide at the Municipal Hospitals for 40 years. She loved her job and often shared fond memories of her time there, and the many friendships she developed during those years.
After retirement, Mom got the travel bug and went on several tours with her close friends. She went on a European tour, traveled through the United States, saw much of the Canadian Provinces and years later when she met our dad they went on several trips as well. One of their highlights was a bus tour to California.
Mom attended the Nassau Street church, formerly known as Gospel Mennonite, in Winnipeg. She knew our cousin Mary who also attended that church. After our Dad was widowed in 1988 he was so sad and lonely. Dad's niece Mary, wrote him a lovely and heartfelt letter with a proposition for him to spend some time getting to know her friend Tina. It took dad some time to gather his courage to make the phone call to mom to ask her on a date. On April 29,1990 mom became a part of our family and the rest is history. We are sure she never could have imagined becoming a wife, mother and grandmother all in one day at the age of 62! It was easy to see that dad now had a sparkle in his
eye again with this new love. Together they enjoyed camping, travelling to different places with close friends and family, gardening, and just simply being together.
After dad's accident in 1997 they moved to Winkler and it wasn't long after that dad's health declined and mom became his caretaker. Despite the challenges of this role she never complained and showed her love for him through her constant care. In 2006 he passed away after living at Salem Home for a few years and she was now single again. With her faith and the support of her family and friends she took this transition in stride and continued to live a full and joyful life.
We feel so blessed to have had her in our life all these years! She was supportive, loving, and generous to everyone she met, always willing to share her knowledge and experience. Her door was always open and she would invite you in with open arms. She had a kind heart through and through. She spent many hours volunteering at the local MCC, this was often a highlight of her week. Mom was an amazing cook. She was more than happy to prepare our favourite meals for us to enjoy with her. Mom loved to gather people over food and served others by being on the food committee at Cedar Estates where she lived from 2002-2019. We will miss her spontaneity, sense of humor, and her never ending love for her family.
Over the last years of her life her eyesight was failing and this was very difficult for her as she had to give up reading, knitting, crocheting and other hobbies she enjoyed. At this point dementia also started to have an impact on her independence. This led her to saying goodbye to her life and community at Cedar Estates and moving into Salem in 2019. As she adjusted to her new home she was often sad and isolated, grieving the loss of herself and the life she had known.
During the last year mom fell several times and recovered quickly each time. Then on July 11, 2024 she fell again along with her having a tooth infection, her health declined quickly. The last weeks of her life she struggled with pain and it was hard to watch her suffer. She passed away on August 7, 2024 at Salem Home.
Mom is predeceased by her parents Diedrich and Katharina, brothers Lawrence, Dick, Abe, Jake, sister Susie, in-laws Henry, Henrietta and Jack, husband Peter and son-in-law Dennis.
Tina is survived by her sister Mary, her daughters Verna and Sandra (Jeffry). Grandchildren Kristen, Michael (Erica), Jordana, Rayne (James), Alyssa (Josh), and Zenin. Great-grandchildren Oliver, Ezra, Micah, and Sophia.
We would like to thank the staff at Salem Home for their wonderful care, as well as Wiebe's Funeral Home, Pastors Victor and Aron. We would also like to thank everyone for their prayers and messages of support.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Avant Ministries designated to Kristen Penner.
A celebration of life will be held on Monday August 12, 2024 at the Winkler Bergthaler Mennonite Church at 1:30 p.m. with burial prior to the service at the Eigenhof Cemetery at 11:30 a.m.
Viewing will be on Sunday August 11 from 1:00 - 7:00 p.m. at Wiebe Funeral Home in Winkler.