Obituary
Our mom, grandmother, and great-grandmother graduated to her home in heaven on December 11, 2022. “Annie” was born April 7, 1927, in Kronsgart/Plum Coulee, Manitoba, to Johann B. Friesen and Anna Giesbrecht Wiebe Friesen, the youngest of eight children in their blended family. As recent immigrants from Russia, raising a family in those years was difficult. The parents felt called west, and after a months-long stop in Herbert, Saskatchewan, they eventually made their way to their final destination of Clearbrook, BC in 1931, becoming one of the first families to homestead on Upper Maclure.
Those years were hard for the family. For Anne, being the youngest, the forest and fields surrounding their farm was her playground. She attended elementary school at Dunach, and then later at North Poplar, quitting school in grade 7 to help her parents at home. This didn’t stop her education, however. She was an avid reader and lifelong learner. Anne also worked hard in those early years, picking berries and hops, working at the canneries in Mission, and helping at home to feed the boarders that lived with their family over the years.
Anne was born into a musically gifted family, and it didn’t take much to realize that her natural talent required support. She was able to take music lessons from her cousin, Menno Neufeld, and achieved her Grade Seven with Honours, and Grade Two Theory with First Class Honours, from the Royal Conservatory of Music. Anne was gifted with a good ear, and she was able to sit down and play for hours without the sheets of music in front of her – and she always added her own flourish to anything she played.
This ability to be adaptable resulted in her accompanying dozens of choirs, gospel quartets and groups over the years. She was proud of the fact that she was the very first pianist (at 15 years of age) at Clearbrook MB Church when the church obtained their first piano. Anne was also one of the first pianists at Mennonite Brethren Bible School (later to become Columbia Bible College) in the late 1940s. This is where her future husband, George Matthies, first laid eyes on her and immediately knew that “she was the one”. George and Anne were married in May 1950, living in George’s home community of Black Creek on Vancouver Island until 1955. Their first child, Charlotte, was born while they lived there, and then James and Jonathan arrived after their move to Vancouver. Over the years, there were lots of moves – some due to George’s employment, but also in an attempt to find that one place to call “home”. In 1973, George and Anne moved to Williams Lake, BC, and in 1980, they moved further north to Quesnel. Those years in the Cariboo region were their fondest – the experiences they had there, the friends they made, the relaxed lifestyle – it all made for wonderful memories.
Anne was always involved with music in one way or another – whether as church pianist/organist, wedding musician, directing the community choir in Quesnel and, later, the ladies choir at Clearbrook, MB, or playing for hymn sings at nursing homes and other seniors’ facilities – but her interests took a turn in the early 1980s when she decided to pursue her passion for natural health. Over the years, she studied hard to earn several certificates and diplomas in various areas of natural healing. When George and Anne moved back to Clearbrook in the 1986, Anne put up her shingle and started consulting. This brought hundreds of people into her life, many of whom became close “forever” friends. The phone was always ringing. Their lives were full between church commitments and functions, family events, weekly coffee with the cousins, Sunday lunch at ABC where friends were always welcome to join them, camping trips, and travels to the prairies to visit their children and grandchildren. After George passed in 2012, Anne remained independent for a few more years, but the family could see that she was needing more assistance. In late 2018, we moved mom to live with her son, Jon, in Calgary, and then in 2019, we moved her to Ponoka to be close to Charlotte. After suffering strokes, we moved mom to Northcott Care Centre where she resided for two years until her passing. We are so grateful for the care she received during this time.
Anne was predeceased by her beloved husband, George, in 2012, her parents Johann B. and Anna Friesen, and all her siblings and their spouses. She is survived by her daughter Charlotte (John Tyler), grandsons Nathan Schroeder (Sadi, Jakob, Mason and their mother, Lisa) and Joel & Theresa Schroeder (Jorja and Gabrielle); her son James (Ellie), granddaughter Jessica & Marty Vergata (Caleb and Thomas) and grandson Joshua; and son Jonathan.
A funeral service will not be held. Cremation has taken place. Donations in mom’s memory can be made to Clearbrook MB Church.
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We offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Annie Friesen Matthies April 7 1927 December 11 2022 95 Years Old and hope that their memory may be a source of comfort during this difficult time. Your thoughts and kind words are greatly appreciated.
Death notice for the town of: Wetaskiwin, Province: Alberta