Johann Martens

Obituary

Johann Z. Martens, aged 74 years, passed away on Saturday, November 14, 2020.

Dad was born in Paraguay to Peter and Anna Martens on October 17, 1946.

He lived his childhood years in the Village of Eigenhof, where he also went to school.

At the age of 21 he moved to East Paraguay to start a new life on his own.

When he was 23, he got baptized upon the confession of his faith. His faith was very important to him and he was in church every opportunity he could.

When he was 26 years old, he met the love of his life, Aganeta Froese, and they got married on November 25, 1972, in Chaco Paraguay, where they eventually resided.

They arrived in Steinbach, Manitoba on Friday March 18, 1977 and he started working at Barkman Concrete on the following Monday. He worked there for 30 plus years until he retired in 2009 for health reasons.

His grandchildren were very important to him. He took every opportunity to give them attention and he especially loved to tease them. While he was still able, he also liked to work around the Hobby farm and in his workshop. He believed that nothing couldn’t be fixed with baler twine and duct tape and no tool (no matter how worn) should be thrown out as it could always be used for something else.

In 2001 he received a head injury at work which he never fully recovered from. In the next couple of years, he also underwent two hip surgeries. Then in 2014, he was in a major car accident which left him hospitalized for four months. As a result of this he was very limited in his mobility for the rest of his life.

He is survived by his loving wife of almost 48 years, Aganeta, five children and seven grandchildren and four step-grandchildren: Erika (Marlin) Justin; Mathilda (Jonathan) Kara, Ryan; Edwin (Krista), Cameron, Shayla, Kira, Daniel and Jaden; Romanda; and Wil (Anna), Kaylee, Darren and Taylor, three brothers and four sisters and their families.

He is predeceased by his parents, one sister, and one grandchild.

A private family service will be held on Saturday, November 28, 2020, at 2:00 p.m. at Birchwood Funeral Chapel, Steinbach, MB. Please visit the Birchwood website for details on joining the family via live stream.