Elda Giesbrecht (nee Penner)
September 29, 1923 – September 29, 2018
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Elda Giesbrecht, our dear mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, was born to Jacob and Anna Penner in the Greenland, Manitoba area on September 29, 1923. At Maplewood Manor, Steinbach, Manitoba, on her ninety-fifth birthday, it pleased the Lord to give her the greatest gift, eternal rest.
Mother spoke often of her childhood: life in a big family of fifteen children, her school days which she treasured, and the impact of being an elder daughter. Her mother’s illness meant Mother was in the kitchen frying potatoes and baking bread as soon as she was out of school.
She married our father, Erwin R. Giesbrecht on September 10, 1944 and they resided briefly in the Greenland area. In 1947 our parents moved to a farm at Elma, Manitoba. It was truly a family farm with Mother spending many hours getting the eggs ready for market. In 2005 our parents moved to Steinbach. A year later Father died. In the ensuing years Mother would express her gratitude for their loving relationship.
Family life at our house could be boisterous but Mother kept her cool. She was known for her apple pie and her one-sentence admonitions. Many a time when a grandson would come in from the field long after supper, Mother would have something warmed for him in a matter of minutes. Granddaughters, too, were always welcomed with a warm pat on the hand or shoulder. You could see Mother reading the newspaper every day. With her keen mind and sharp memory, she was a great resource for information. In the church community Mother was a Sunday School teacher almost every year; she wrote in her diary at age sixty-five that her term as sewing leader was over, and it had been good; the last of many terms.
Our mother journeyed well, but by her ardent testimony it was always by the grace of God. She gave her heart to the Lord at an early age and was baptized into the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite. Many times in the course of her life she would say, “the Lord revealed to me..” It might be an admonition or an inspiration. Together with prayer and the Bible as her guide, this faith carried her while raising her children, through financial difficulty, and in being a support to our father throughout his illness; as well as the recent losses of her daughter and two daughters-in-law. Mother’s attributes were encased in humility. She did not use comparative language. She had no enemies. Especially while at Maplewood Manor, people would remark how unassuming she was, ready to ask others about their lives. Her last one-liner to her daughter was on August 2, after she had spoken about crossing over Jordan, and her daughter stated it made her cry: “It’s okay. We will meet again.”
Blessed with rich memories are her two daughters and four sons: Fran, Steinbach; Marilyn and Rod Toews, Elma; Ken, Clint, Les and Glenna, Elma; Ron and Sharon, St. Marys, ON; as well as eighteen grandchildren, and twenty-one great grandchildren; three brothers; Ed Penner, Grandview; Marvin and Luana Penner, and Martin and Grace Penner, Steinbach; one sister, Marlena Goossen, Rosenort; sisters-in-law: Evelyn Penner, Steinbach; Bertha Giesbrecht, Steinbach; Linda Giesbrecht, Abbotsford, B.C.; Leanna Wiebe, Steinbach; and brother-in-law, Firmin and Aggie Giesbrecht, Murray, KT. A niece, Candace Goossen of Steinbach was a dear friend to her. She is predeceased by her husband, one daughter, two daughters-in-law, five brothers and five sisters.
It is with gratitude the family wishes to acknowledge how the staff at Maplewood Manor engaged In Mother’s often unique ways, chuckled a bit and provided for her needs.
The viewing will take place on Monday, October 1, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. at Birchwood Funeral Chapel, Steinbach, MB.
The funeral service will be held on Tuesday, October 2, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. at the Whitemouth Church of God in Christ, Mennonite, Whitemouth, MB, with the burial following at the church cemetery.
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Elda Giesbrecht nee Penner September 29 1923 September 29 2018..
Death notice for the town of: Steinbach, Province: Manitoba