Mom’s faith in God was formed early in life and she accepted Christ as her Saviour and was baptized at the Lichtenauer Mennonite Church near Ste. Elizabeth in 1946. Church attendance and her church family were always very important to her. She instilled in each of us a love for God and a strong faith, by the way she lived. She was one of the founding members of the Graysville Mennonite Church and served faithfully for many years; teaching Sunday School and DVBS, serving on various committees, and was a member of the Ladies Group until it was dissolved in 2019. She was the church Librarian for as long as we can remember. Community life was also very important to her. She spent countless hours helping organize wedding showers and farewells at the Graysville School and preparing lunches at the local Curling Rink. She also was a 4-H leader for many years in the 60’s and 70’s; making sure teenage girls learned sewing and other social skills. She especially enjoyed quilting, knitting, and crocheting, and was a great cook and gardener.
Mom and Dad were always on the go. Sundays were often spent visiting or hosting relatives or church friends. They enjoyed many camping and fishing trips with neighbours and friends and traveled countless miles from Ontario to B.C. Mom and Dad retired from farming in 1974 and moved to Carman where Dad worked at Carman Farm Equipment, and later at Triangle Lumber in Roland. Mom Cleaned the Dufferin Leader Office and spent countless hours volunteering at the MCC Thrift Store. Sadly, Dad passed away suddenly in 1981. Mom continued on with the love of her family and especially the grand children, who returned some of the joy to her life. She continued on camping with her truck camper, bowling, and curling in the leagues, and spent many evenings with friends playing Skippo and other games. Winning or losing never mattered, as long as she was playing. Her TV was always tuned to Blue Jays baseball or Wheel of Fortune, unless Curling was on! It didn’t matter if they were reruns. Who remembered anyway?
In 2009 she moved to Meadowood Apartments and enjoyed socializing with many new friends. She recovered well from a small heart attack in 2015. However, her Diabetes and other medications required her to get regular Home Care. In May of 2022 she was admitted to Carman Hospital because of high sugar levels. After 4 months of care she was placed at the Foyer in Notre Dame. Here she received excellent care and was able to get her sugar levels back under control. While there she received the heart-breaking news of her daughter Ruth’s sudden passing. After 9 months a room became available at the Boyne Lodge in Carman, and she moved there in June 2023. Here she enjoyed her stay until heart and breathing difficulties finally took their toll and she peacefully entered eternity with her Saviour on April 12.
We are very thankful for all the wonderful care Mom received over the last years from the Home Care Staff, nurses and all the aides at Carman Hospital, The Foyer at Notre Dame, and Boyne Lodge. May God bless you all!