Luella May Wiens
May 26, 1916 – March 18, 2015
Our mother passed away in Central Parkland Lodge in Lanigan on March 18th at the age of 98. She had been a resident at the Lodge for the past 6 years. She was born to Valentine and Amanda Jantz in Drake, Sask. May 26th, 1916. Mother grew up on the Val Jantz farm two miles west of Drake, attending Kansas School. She married Con Wiens November 26th, 1943. They lived east of Drake on their farm until retirement. After retirement mom and dad lived in Drake. After completing her schooling mom spent a couple of years helping her parents on the family farm. She then transitioned to working for other families in the Drake community and then to communities further a field, including Guernsey, Lockwood and Saskatoon. The winter of 1937 marked a highlight for our mother as she spent the winter in Kansas and California visiting relatives. In the summer of 1942, she moved from rural living and began working in Calgary and Banff. Mom and her family considered this a big adventure and the gifts that she sent back to her family were appreciated.
Our mother grew up in a family of faith. She grew up learning to love God and to pray. Her family had a strong desire to serve God and this had a big impact on her, as she lived her life committing herself and her finances to supporting missionaries across the world. Mom's desire to serve was demonstrated by her activeness in the North Star Mennonite church where she was a member. She participated in various mission circles and ladies aides within the church. Later she moved on to a broader responsibility, that of coordinator within Stonecroft Ministries. She was passionate about supporting women in learning about God’s love. She took responsibility in securing leaders for the Bible Studies and then personally took on the role of caring for the children as mothers came together to study the Bible. After retirement mom and dad loved to spend time with their friends fishing at the lakes in the region. Each summer they would meet for a week of camping, with children and grandchildren. Mom and dad travelled extensively in their retirement years. They travelled across the United States, as well as to Israel, Egypt, Brazil, Suriname, Europe and the West Indies. Mother spent many hours in the kitchen, cooking delicious meals and her famous pies. Our family loved to sit around her table enjoying her cooking delights and rich conversation. When mother wasn’t busy with her garden or baking pie, she was quilting and working on other craft projects. She was active at the Silver Sages in Drake and enjoyed spending time with friends playing games and drinking coffee.
After dad went to reside in the Lanigan Lodge, mom was known for her faithfulness in making daily visits to visit him. A few years after dad passed away, it was her turn to become a resident at the Lodge. She soon established a reputation for having a cooperative spirit. Our mother will be sadly missed by her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. She was well loved by her family. Mom leaves a strong legacy of faith to her children and grandchildren. She was a woman of prayer and faith. Mom had a contagious laugh and enjoyed reminiscing about stories in the past. Mom also will be remembered for her generous nature. She seemed to thrive on serving and giving to others. God blessed her with a long life and even as her body failed her, she demonstrated graciousness. Rarely did she complain and she was quick to express her appreciation.
Our mother is survived by two brothers Milton and Allan from California and a sister Ruth from Pennyslvania. She also leaves behind five children and a foster son: Ken(Joanne)Wiens of Cranbrook, Twyla Friesen of Victoria, Cliff (Louann) Wiens of Drake, Theresa (Ben) Harbidge of Cochrane and Sharon(Joe) Kronstal of Winnipeg and Keith Wiens of Saskatoon. He also leaves 12 grandchildren and 11 greatgrandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband Con, her parents Valentine and Amanda (nee Unger) Jantz, her sister Verna and brother Dan, her son Ron and sons-in-law Paul Friesen and Bill Laughton.