Adeline Duerksen

Obituary

On May 17, 2026, in the middle of a quiet Sunday afternoon, our dearest mother, grandmother and great grandmother peacefully slipped away to touch the face of God and reunite with her beloved husband and daughter.

Our dear mother, Adeline Giesbrecht, was born to Peter and Agatha (Reinke) Giesbrecht on October 21, 1940, in the old Steinbach Bethesda hospital.

In 1943 her parents relocated. They bought an acreage just south of the town of Kleefeld. You can still see the farmstead today. She would tell us how she remembered the chicken barn being moved from Greenland and how the chickens continued laying eggs along the way.

As Mom grew up she attended school in the old Gruenfeld school. Mom thought it was pretty neat that after failing grade 5, the following years she was an honour student in school! During her school years, she was a champion ping pong player and once during a tournament the only person to beat her was her schoolmate, Ronald Friesen. She loved hockey as well and excelled in the sport.

On June 15, 1952, mom was baptized into the Church of God in Christ Mennonite in Kleefeld. She had an unwavering faith to the end. In her latter years she did what she always wanted to do… read her Bible cover to cover.

Mom had a few jobs in her youth. She worked for a short time at an egg grading station and 7 months as a telephone operator. Needless to say, with mom’s playful nature, she would prank people by plugging their phone lines in the wrong places. She also spent many, many hours milking cows on her dad’s dairy. She was her dad’s right hand when he delivered eggs on his Winnipeg route.

At the age of 9 she met our dad, Dennis Duerksen. It was love at first sight at 9 years of age. After 12 years of waiting, they were married on Dec. 28,1961 amidst a raging blizzard. Their marriage withstood the storms of life and they enjoyed 64 years together. Mom and dad were true soulmates, and she honored dad as her leader.

Mom was a fun-loving person who enjoyed life and lived it to the fullest. She had a tremendous sense of humor that we will really miss. She never knew a stranger and appreciated a good joke. Even now in the hospital the caregivers loved her cheerful and uncomplaining nature. There were several that asked if they could be her grandchild and she said…”yes”! She was a hard worker. Baking, canning, cooking, gardening. No one could bake buns like mom could! She was very organized, needing to have things clean and orderly. She would usually do her Saturday chores on Friday, so she could spend the day with dad. They did everything together.

Mom had a beautiful soprano voice and loved to sing.

For years she patiently and lovingly cared for Joanne. Many things were sacrificed, but mom was not a complainer, due to her love and spark for life. She often told us children she did not know what it meant to be depressed.

When our dad passed away suddenly 8 months ago, mom was left with a very deep ache and a loneliness that made her long for Heaven. We are thankful to the Maplewood Manor staff for the loving care during the few months our mom was there. She was granted her wish for Heaven after a short illness in the Steinbach hospital.

A heartfelt thanks to the Bethesda Hospital staff as well, for their excellent care in the last 4 weeks of mom’s life.

Goodbye, Mom… You will be missed.

Mom leaves to mourn her children: Louise and Galen Giesbrecht of Buhl, Idaho; Brian and Deb Duerksen of Elkton, Virginia; Rhonda and Matthew Penner of Kleefeld, Manitoba; as well as nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

She also leaves behind her sisters-in-law: Julie Giesbrecht, Joyce Friesen and Delores Giesbrecht. Sister-in-law Marj Duerksen, sister-in-law Connie and Roy Penner and brother-in-law Dalton and Joyce Duerksen.

She is predeceased by her husband and daughter Joanne. As well as her parents, parents-in-law, two sisters, three brothers, and twin sisters in infancy.

The viewing will take place on Thursday, May 21, 2026 at 7:00 PM at Birchwood Funeral Chapel with a devotional to follow.

The funeral for Adeline will take place on Friday, May 22, 2026, at 10:30 AM at the Kleefeld Church of God in Christ Mennonite, with a viewing prior to the service.