And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou has sent.”
Hilda was born February 6, 1937 in Schoensee, Southern Russia (Ukraine). Her parents were Abraham Arendt and Katharina Fast. Her half-sisters, Elisabeth (1924) and Katherine (1926), were born before her, while two sisters, Helen (1940) and Frieda (1942), came after her during the time the family was still living in Schoensee.
The Mennonite people living in Southern Russia at that time had to contend with disease, famine and the spread of communism. Hilda herself contracted typhus as a child, which affected her mental development. In 1941, the German army occupied the region, and life under German occupation was much better than the life that they had been experiencing previously, so there was little resistance when they were required to register as German citizens. In September 1943 the whole village, including the Arendt family, packed up and left the area, fleeing by wagon train to escape the Russian army. They travelled first to Poland where they stayed for almost a year. Then they migrated to Germany, arriving there in time for Mary to be born in March of 1945. In early 1946, again fleeing the Soviet army, the Arendt family escaped into Holland just before that country was forced to stop accepting Mennonite refugees. They arrive in Utrecht on February 12, 1946 and Hilda’s only brother, John, was born there in August of that year. The family stayed in Holland almost 3 years, immigrating to Canada in December of 1948.
Because of Helen’s eye injury, only Elisabeth and Katherine were allowed in the U.S., so the rest of the family went to Canada instead. They left Holland December 10,1948, landed in Halifax December 19, travelled across Canada by train, and finally arrive in Agassiz, B.C. on December 26, 1948.
At first, they stayed in a cabin on a farm in Yarrow, B.C. which belonged to the John Gossen family, relatives of Hilda’s father. Another baby was born here but the little girl only lived for two weeks. The children earned money by picking raspberries, plums and hops. The family went to the local Mennonite church, Yarrow Mennonite Brethren, where Hilda was baptized June 29, 1958. After a year the family bought a small berry farm, where they were living when the youngest sister in the family, Agnes, was born on April, 1950. They lived there about 7 years then purchased a larger farm where they had chickens as well as raspberries. In 1967 Hilda’s father retired and Hilda moved with her parents to Chilliwack, where they were all welcomed into the Broadway Mennonite Brethren Church. She stayed with them until they passed away.
Hilda earned a living working as a cannery worker until she retired. She loved to travel (including to Europe) and also liked visiting Minter Gardens. She loved her nieces and nephews, and cats. She had an extensive doll collection. She was a member of Chilliwack Alliance Church where she socialized with the 55+ club. Hilda gave generously to various church charities. Her generosity was rewarded once when she won a gold ring with a Children’s Hospital sweepstake ticket which she only bought because she wanted to help the children.
Hilda had a pacemaker put in several years ago but that didn’t keep her from walking everywhere, chatting with people at her regular coffee stops. She passed away January 15, 2023, 3 weeks short of her 86th birthday.
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