Susie Loewen
With immense gratitude for a life well-lived, we say goodbye to our mother who died in the early morning of November 24.
Susie was born on January 25, 1923, in Altona Manitoba. She was predeceased by her husband Alfred, her parents, two sisters, one brother, and a host of in-laws. She is survived by all her children; Maureen (Gerry Aubry), Garry (Teri), Janet (Ray Wiebe), Ted (Sharryl), Don (Donna), and Glen (Roxanne); and by 60 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She is also survived by in-laws Tina Letkeman, Jake and Trudy Heinrichs, and Helen and Ralph Thorpe.
Mom always described her early childhood as idyllic. She and her friends created their own fun by playing games like pom-pom-pollaway, ante ante over, hide and seek, French and English, and others. Anne Klassen, the girl she played with most during her childhood, remained her best friend for her whole life. Life crashed for Susie at the age of 12, when her mother died suddenly. Four and a half months later Susie got a new stepmother. The new mother was not interested in Susie or her siblings and demanded a lot of her dad’s time. For many years it felt to Susie like she had lost both parents.
Mom remembered clearly the day when a spark was lit between her and her future husband Alf. They were walking home together from an event. As they parted, Alf stole a kiss from her. “The nerve of him”, she would say later. Alf was twenty-four at the time, and Susie was only sixteen. Susie and Alf eventually married and lived most of their lives in Gretna. Susie was a homemaker her whole life, and this gave her much joy. She was a wonderful cook, and an even more wonderful baker, always keeping the house full of magical food aromas. Somehow, she managed to keep a house of five kids always looking clean and orderly.
The church and faith have always been central to Susie’s life. She sang in the choir, and with other groups. She was the secretary of many church committees. She was an active member of the Ladies Aid, and a leader of a friendship Bible coffee group. Her family remembers her bringing the women of the church together in her garage to make handmade soap for distribution to underdeveloped countries.
Susie and Alf did a lot of traveling over the years. A couple of trips overseas, quite a few to Florida, a road trip to Mexico, and many trips across Canada to church-related conferences. Their favourite place to go was Clear Lake. After they had been married for forty years Susie and Alf had been to Clear Lake forty-one times.
At the age of 46, Susie had a big surprise. She discovered that she was going to have another baby. Susie always felt that having Glen so late in life really enhanced their retirement years. An enormous highlight for Mom in the last few years has been the annual family Christmas gathering. In 2018, the last Christmas at which Mom’s mind still functioned reasonably well, all 57 of her children and grandchildren attended.
In the last few years, Mom’s mental health has deteriorated steadily. It has been a sorrow for us to lose meaningful communication with her. Through it, all Mom has kept up a generous, loving, and cheerful spirit, and has buoyed us all by her determination to bring joy into our lives and the lives of others around her.
Funeral services will take place on Friday, December 3 at 1:30 pm at Bethel Mennonite Church.
Covid Protocols: All in Attendance are required to Be Fully Vaccinated, Only Those Who Can Show Proof Of Vaccination And Government Issued ID Will Be Permitted To Attend. Face Masks are Mandatory.
In lieu of flowers, you might consider a donation to Mennonite Central Committee or to Pembina Place.
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Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Susie Loewen Wednesday November 24th 2021..
Décès pour la Ville: Winnipeg, Province: Manitoba