Helen Friesen (nee Martens)
Obituary
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our Mother and Oma, Helen (Leni) Friesen, at Concordia Hospital, at the age of 88 years.
Left to cherish her memory are her children: daughter Dorothea, son Eduard (Danielle) and grandchildren Monica and Evan. Also mourning her loss are her sister Liesel Schroeder of Chicago, brother-in-law Willy Friesen and wife Elsie of Abbotsford, many nieces and nephews, cousins and friends.
Leni was predeceased by her parents Katharina de Jager and Johann Martens, her brother Hans, her sisters Tina Roth and Miche Klassen, and husband Heinrich.
Leni was born on June 28, 1929, the fourth of five children, in Tiege, Sagradowka, in the Ukraine. Her family suffered great hardships under the communist Russian government, and she faced many trials during her childhood. In 1948, although leaving her mother and younger sister behind, she had the opportunity to immigrate to Canada, sponsored by her Uncle Jacob who farmed near Sandford, Manitoba. Her father’s brother specifically planted sugar beets, so that Leni and sister Miche would not have to work for strangers. Our mother took comfort living in Canada, a free country. When asked if she would ever want to visit her country of birth, her answer was always unequivocally, NO.
Eventually moving to Winnipeg, Leni lived at the Eben-Ezer Maedchenheim on Bannatyne, and worked as a live-in maid and a housekeeper. She attended First Mennonite Church where she was baptized, and later met and married Heinrich Friesen in 1951. In 1953, Leni was finally reunited with her mother, her aunt, Tante Marichen and sister Liesel who were granted immigration to Canada. Her family was now safe in Canada.
Leni and Heinrich had two children, Dory and Eddy. As a family we enjoyed many happy summers camping at Patricia Beach and Big Whiteshell Lake. After the camping years, Mom and Dad caught the travel bug and enjoyed many road trips through Canada and the United States in a van that our ever-handy Dad had transformed into a mobile home. They always had the sentiment, “Was this country not wonderful? You could go wherever you wanted.”
Our mother was a kind, soft-spoken woman who always worked outside of her home and still found time to volunteer for the Westgate Ladies’ Auxiliary, The Westgate Thrift Shop, and sing in the occasional choir at her church. She also belonged to a ladies’ group with whom she made many happy friendships. In her retirement years, Mom became an avid crafter, selling her beautiful creations at craft sales for many years. Travelling to Hawaii with her sisters became an annual tradition, which allowed them the freedom to enjoy their lives, as they were not able to in their childhood.
The funeral service will be held on December 18, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. at First Mennonite Church, 922 Notre Dame Avenue with Reverend David Driedger officiating. There will be viewing prior to the service, with interment at Chapel Lawn Memorial Gardens, 4000 Portage Avenue.
If friends so desire, donations may be made to the Lung Association of Manitoba, 301-1 Wesley Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, R3C 4C6.
We are grateful for and would like to thank the compassionate staff of N1N at Concordia Hospital who cared for our Mom in her last days.
What God Hath Promised
God hath not promised skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through;
God hath not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.
God hath not promised we shall not know
Toil and temptation, trouble and woe;
He hath not told us we shall not bear
many a burden, many a care.
God hath not promised smooth roads and wide,
Swift, easy travel, needing no guide;
Never a mountain rocky and steep,
Never a river turbid and deep
But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing sympathy, undying love
Author: Annie Johnson Flint
