Obituary for Frieda Plett (Kornelsen)
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Frieda Plett (nee Kornelsen)
1938 – 2019
Our Mom, went home to be with her Lord and Saviour on January 28, 2019. Her passing was peaceful and finally she was in the arms of Jesus Whom she so longed to see!
Frieda was born to Isaac and Elizabeth Kornelsen on February 18, 1938, in Kleefeld, Manitoba. Frieda was the seventh in a family of ten children. She completed her first three years of school in Canada before her family moved to Mexico in 1948, when she was ten.
Her family settled down in Quellon Colony, Chihuahua , Mexico along with many others of their family and friends. There she continued her schooling for several more years. Frieda was an energetic child with an outgoing personality. She loved going to school with her younger brother. Book learning came easily and outdoor sports was something she excelled in.
Frieda learned to work hard as a young girl. From washing the large family’s clothes by hand on a washboard, to cooking and cleaning. There was never a shortage of work. She spent many hours helping her oldest sister with their growing family.
Yet in spite of seemingly endless responsibilities, Frieda loved spending time with her friends. She loved climbing the hills and mountains that surrounded the villages where she and her friends lived. She had no problem hitching up the horse and buggy to go for a ride. She loved her friends deeply and made many of them. Laughter came easily and Frieda lived for these times out with her many friends.
But in the midst of that, Frieda knew God was calling her into a relationship with Him. She knew that Jesus had died to save all people from their sin and had risen from the dead. She knew that she, like anyone else had the opportunity to put their faith in Jesus’ gift of Salvation. And she took it by faith. One Sunday afternoon at the age of fifteen, she knelt by her bed and thanked God for sending His Son Jesus to pay for her sin and give her new life in Him that would last into eternity with Him forever. Lifting her hands up to God in surrender, tears streamed down her face at the joy of her new found faith.
Shortly thereafter, Frieda was baptized in the Kleine Gemeinde Church on the confession of her faith.
Frieda had just turned 18 when she and Dad met and began a romantic relationship. They were married on September 16, 1956.
They were soon blessed with a growing family. In all, ten children were born to them. Dad worked as a school teacher and as a song leader in the church they attended. Mom worked very hard alongside her husband taking care of all of her family’s needs so that Dad was able to fulfill his responsibilities away from home as well. They made a great team. We as their children were always well looked after.
Dad and Mom made the difficult decision to move their family to Canada and in 1965 they moved their family with six children to Vider, Manitoba. Dad started work at Johnson Seeds and Mom worked hard to keep things working at home. It was a difficult time for them as they began to make their home in a new community. During this first year, our brother Lloyd was born with spina bifida and passed away within a day of his birth.
Later three more children were born to our family.
As the family grew, so did the family needs. We watched as Mom worked so hard, growing and harvesting a large garden. She loved her work. Each year the pantry got filled with jars of canned produce and bins of potatoes. She loved digging potatoes! We watched and we learned to work alongside her.
There were mounds of laundry that she washed in the basement of our home. We heard her singing as she worked. And the baking. Mom baked many loaves of bread and dozens of buns. She might have said she had a flop now and then, but we didn’t notice as what she baked always tasted good to us.
As the family began to grow up and leave the house, Mom got into the Greenhouse business. At first it was mainly to grow flowers for our yard; but quickly it became a growing business known as Frieda’s Flowers. Dad joined Mom in this venture and together they made it work. Their yard was filled with lots of beautiful flowers and trees as they worked hard together.
Sadly both Mom and Dad began to have growing health issues and they were forced to sell the family home and the business and move to a smaller house in Morweena. Mom used a lot of her energies to look after Dad so well until he passed away in 2005.
In the summer of 2014, Mom moved to Arborg. As she had more time on her hands, she put energies into the giftings we had experienced over the years as she took care of us so well.
Mom loved to work at the Riverton MCC Thrift Shop. She loved working with her friends and knowing she was making a difference in the lives of people in need. She often took work home with her.
What was done for others was always done well. Her heart for the hurting became more and more evident. She poured love into anyone she saw might need a listening ear or some of her baking or canning. Any trip up town for an appointment, or going to the grocery store, local restaurant, or meeting people along the sidewalk in Arborg, would usually present an opportunity to speak an encouraging word and give a hug.
In 2016, Mom’s health began to decline. But her tenacious spirit kept her putting forth effort to look after herself and be able to continue to share with her family and friends.
The struggles were real as Mom needed to come to terms with the fact that her body was failing her. We as her family hurt with her as the diagnosis of her terminal illness, caused her to go into a very dark place in her life. Her faith was sorely tried; but as she neared the last months of her life, we heard from her and we saw in her that her faith had not failed. Her Heavenly Father had been with her through it all and the light of that faith shone through in her words and her peace was evidence of that.
Although we are relieved that her suffering is over and she is finally with Jesus Whom she so longed to see, we will miss her dearly. We will miss her prayers and her deep concern for each and every member of her family, be it a child, in law, grandchild or great grandchild. Mom’s legacy of loving generously will live on in the lives of her family.
Frieda is survived by (Vivian) Plett, Alvin (and Susan) Plett, Annie (and Jeff) Shipman, Gerry (and Anne) Plett, Alvina (and Tim) Reimer, Emily (and John) Loewen, Elaine (and Rick) Reimer, Conrad (and Kara) Plett, Laurie (Bob) Kornelsen and her numerous dearly loved grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Frieda was predeceased by her husband, Otto Plett, sons, Henry Plett and Lloyd Plett (in infancy), son-in-law, Ted Friesen, granddaughters, Evangeline Loewen and Ramona Reimer.
Mom often clung to the verse, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness” 11 Cor 12:9. It remained true to the end.
We as a family want to express sincere appreciation to her care givers, Tina Barkman, Catalina Janzen, Betty Bartch, Frieda Bartch, and all the staff at the Arborg Hospital.
We as a family also want to thank you all for showing your love to us as a family by your prayers, words of comfort and the hard work to make today’s celebration of Mom’s life happen.
The Family
Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Frieda Plett Kornelsen February 18 1938 –
January 28 2019..
Décès pour la Ville: Winnipeg, Province: Manitoba