Tina Ford

Peacefully and with sadness we announce the passing of Tina Ford on March 31, 2026, at the age of 93 years at the Niverville Credit Union Manor.

Tina Funk was the first born of 9 children on Nov 21, 1932 to John R Funk & Maria Hiebert on a farm near Niverville MB.

Tina is survived by her children Debra-Lynn (Mark) Litman and Gordon (Diane) Ford; grandchildren Crystal (David) Brown; Tiffany (Jeremy) Kerda; great grandchildren Trevor and Tyson Kerda. She is also survived by her brothers and sisters Helen Friesen; Jake (Helene) Funk; Susie (Fred) Bergmann; Anne (Ed) Falk; John (Liesa) Funk; Ben (Val) Funk; as well as many nieces and nephews.

Tina was predeceased by her parents John and Maria Funk, husband Gerald Ford, brothers and sisters (Peter) Friesen, Marge (George) Buhler and Mary (Henry) Kasdorf.

Growing up, Tina went to school and worked on the farm with her brothers & sisters, mostly helping her mom in the kitchen.

Eventually Tina left the farm for the bright lights of Winnipeg. There she worked at the Winter Club as a waitress. While in Winnipeg she met Gerald Ford who was in the army from Grand Falls, NF. Well, I guess Jerry swept Tina off her feet as they did get married on June 15, 1956.

A couple years later, Debra-Lynn was born and Gordon was born 4 years later. Jerry worked at the Norquay building as a Power Engineer while Tina stayed home with the kids. As the kids got older she worked at The Bay downtown in the watch department.

For a change of scenery Jerry & Tina left Winnipeg for St John's, NF to start a business. As the business did not get off the ground, Jerry got a job at the Psychiatric hospital in the boiler room and Tina got a job at the General Hospital as a ward clerk.

They attended First Baptist Church there and both went forward to receive Jesus Christ as their Saviour.

They stayed in NF for 12 years and returned to Winnipeg after retirement as it was hard on Tina being away from her large family. They enjoyed travelling to Florida during the winter.

At the age of 58 Tina became a widow. She kept herself busy going out for coffee often. She always arrived early and one time she even received a speeding ticket. She travelled to Hawaii and Mexico many times with friends. She worked at the Thrift shop in Niverville once a week with her sisters and her place was the destination for cards each Friday night with brothers, sisters and their spouses serving them night lunch. She also worked at a funeral home serving at receptions.

She reluctantly moved to assisted living in Niverville due to a stroke in 2019. But she bounced back and continued with life there. She enjoyed pretty good health finally agreeing to use a walker because her back hurt. For some reason she did not like to tell anyone her age and was quite upset if it was divulged. We thought she looked so good for her age that we might have mentioned it.

She was diagnosed with diabetes last year and endured the finger pricks each morning taking it in stride. Lately she was complaining about pain she had in her chest that we were trying to address but thankfully she passed into glory on March 31, 2026.

Services for Tina will be held on Saturday, April 11, 2026, at Fourth Ave Bible Church in Niverville MB. A viewing will begin at 10:00 a.m., followed by the funeral service at 11 a.m.

The family extends their sincere appreciation to the staff of the Niverville Credit Union Manor for their exceptional care and support.