Anne Friesen (nee Rempel)
Obituary
Peacefully on December 27, 2025, at Bethesda Regional Health Centre, Anne Friesen (nee Rempel) passed away at the age of 85 years.
Left to cherish her memory are five sons and one daughter; Bernie (Jo-Ann), Paul (Laurie), Ronald (Gillian), Daniel (Joy), David, and Joanne (Jason), twenty-one grandchildren and their spouses, twenty-one great grandchildren, and four great great grandchildren.
She is survived by her siblings Art (Elaine), Mary, Menno (Marilyn), Linda (Ed) as well as extended Friesen and Rempel families.
Anne was predeceased by husband Ed, son Luther, parents Jacob and Catharina Rempel, two brothers and one sister.
Our mom was born and raised in Silberfeld, the fifth of eight children; her grandparents Jacob and Elizabeth Rempel, as next door neighbours. She attended Shakespeare School until age 14 at which time she quit school to start work. She gained employment with her mom and sister Mary at a sewing factory in the Exchange District, then later at the Nutty Club.
She met our dad in 1956 while working the counter at the Red and White Store in Silberfeld. He came in for Sweet Caps and left with Mom’s heart. They were married on a bitterly cold Grey Cup Saturday in 1958, just three weeks after her 18th birthday.
In 1969 Mom and Dad bought the old Loeppky farm just North of New Bothwell and so began 26 years of family life on the farm. Mom reveled in the rhythms of the seasons and the responsibilities of seven children. Industrious and organized, she loved a bustling house. Soup on the stove, high chairs full, coffee pot in hand, she made the farmhouse kitchen the hub around which we all turned.
She loved her church and community, whether serving as Sunday School teacher, singing with the Ladies Aid or working the canteen and making chili for the winter carnival. With energy to spare, she was there for all of it.
In 1995, Mom and Dad built a small house and moved to town. Dad had retirement dreams and Mom was his ready and enthusiastic companion. Always together, they took on projects; creating, building, forging something memorable out of the simple.
Mom moved to BridgePark Manor following Dad’s death in 2021. She struggled to find her place in the world without him. The community at BridgePark with old and new friends, brought comfort, safety and new kinds of fun.
This Christmas, after snuggling beloved toddlers and sharing a meal with Paul and Laurie’s family, Mom suffered a stroke from which she would not recover. She began her journey out of this life nestled in the cocoon of family; something she fiercely protected and never stopped believing in. Rest in peace, Mom. We love you.
The family would like to thank Jacquie and staff at BPM for making Mom feel at home, and the Bethesda staff for your excellent care.
A funeral service will be held at 11:00 am on Saturday, January 3, 2026 at the Bothwell Christian Fellowship Church, 20 Sara Ave, New Bothwell, Mb. with viewing 1 hour prior to the service. A reception and interment will follow the service.
