A Life Full of Gratitude ~ A Heart Full of Gratitude: A Life Well Lived

Terry's Grandma passed away last weekend. She lived to the age of 94 and lived a long life. We drove Thursday night to Warman to attend her funeral on Friday. The funeral was held at Bergthaler Mennonite Church in Warman. It was an intimate service with three of her children (including Nettie) and two of her grandchildren paying tribute. She was, and is, lovingly remembered as a woman who didn't have it easy in life and who experienced change in the world over the course of her lifetime. Although her formal education was one year completing Grades 1-3 in a one-room school house, she was a bright woman who loved literature. She read, she wrote many stories (some of which have been published), and she was a storyteller. With her gentle voice, you would stop and listen as she told stories of the old days. She loved much and was loved. She enjoyed spending time with family and in meeting new friends was always trying to find connections of who was related to whom. After the service, we drove out to a small cemetery in the Sonningdale area. This cemetery has been a project for Nettie over the years as she has managed to research who has been laid to rest there, their relation to others, and their stories (all of which she has compiled in a book). Following the burial, a few of us drove out to the farm that Grandma Anne and Grandpa Peter lived on for years. The place looks quite different now but is full of memories for the family, including Kim pushing Terry down a hill while he was on his bicycle and Terry getting a few bumps and bruises. But Grandma taking care of his scrapes and going on a walk around the farm to cheer him up is still a treasured memory for Terry today. From the short stop at the farm, many of us gathered at Aunt Linda and Uncle Wade's farm for a bbq and family time. The kids had so much fun running around and exploring with their second cousins. In fact, it was hard to pull them away at the end of the night. The time on the farm also meant some horseback riding which thrilled Kirra since she missed a birthday party this weekend where they were going to be going riding. I think the time at the farm and the fun we all had made up for it. The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed the time with family, even though the circumstances were not what we wished had brought us together. It is hard to say good-bye to a loved one but we rest assured in knowing Grandma is in a better place. A funeral such as this where we can celebrate a long life and reflect on the many memories is much easier than a funeral like Ayden's, a life taken too early where the tears come from regret over memories that were yet to be made. Grandma Anne was likely smiling down on all of us on Friday and revelling in the gathering we had to celebrate her and the time it meant for us to be together as a family.

ANNA WIEBE (GUENTHER)
Anna, 94, of Saskatoon died June 6, 2015 at Spruce Manor Special Care Home in Dalmeny, where she had recently moved from Bethany Manor in Saskatoon. She is survived by her six children: James (Martie), Nettie (Geoff Lockhart), John (Marianne), Linda (Wade Parkinson), Elsa (Lawrence Matchee) and Jane (Orlando Bueckert). Grandma is mourned by her fifteen grandchildren, Kim (Jackie), Terry (Jennifer), Jordan, Nathan (Amy), Meneekoh, Tammy (James), Laura (Jeff), Jeremy (Lindsay), Katherine (Marc), Misty (Neil), Dustin (Rachelle), Jennifer, Rachel, Wynn, and Vanessa (Darren); twelve great-grandchildren, Justin, Alysha, Jaret, Kirra, Ashlyn, Rylan, Adam, Kennedy, Aliyah, Jacob, Evan and Grace; two great-great- grandchildren Jayden and Kaydra; and children added to her heart Gordon (Sandy), Gary (Carolyn), and Rose Quong. They also call her Mom. She is also survived by her sister Katherine. She was predeceased by her husband Peter and nine siblings. Anna was born at Blumenheim to Jacob and Aganetha Guenther, where she lived until she was 10, at which time her family moved to Sonningdale. Funeral Service will be held on Friday, June 12, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. in the Bergthaler Mennonite Church. Following the reception a private burial will take place in the Stoney Crest Cemetery in the Sonningdale bush country that she loved so much.