Helen Marie Doerksen

On October 18, 2024 Helen Marie Doerksen (nee Friesen) was taken peacefully while surrounded by her family to be with her Lord and Heavenly Father.

Mom was born on their family farm in Altona on March 8, 1936. She was baptized on June 6, 1954, at the Altona Bergthaler Mennonite Church. Mom and dad recently celebrated 70 years together, they were married August 22, 1954 in the Altona Sommerfelder Mennonite Church. This was a lifelong union that began when Dad’s parents Jacob and Maria Doerksen became the neighboring farm to Mom’s parents Peter and Maria Friesen. Mom’s parents had 2 daughters, Helen and Esther, Mom being the eldest. Jacob and Maria had 4 sons and 2 daughters one of which became Mom’s good friend Mary. Mary introduced our Mom and Dad, so this is how their union began.

They moved to Winnipeg to begin their married life as Dad had allergies to grain dust. Mom worked at a factory and Dad worked in the oil furnace business. Eventually Dad had his own business and Mom worked with Dad at home in the office downstairs doing paperwork and raising their family. They purchased their first home in Winnipeg on Bannatyne and rented out the upstairs suite. Thus, the decades of rental homes began. Mom and Dad worked hard and well together buying and fixing up homes to rent. Dad the handyman, and Mom to paint or wallpaper and sew curtains. Eventually, they moved on from the heating business to a partnership in business with Dad’s brother Peter.

Their first child arrived in April of 1960, the second also a girl in March of 1963 just in time for Mom’s birthday. Six years later in 1969 they were blessed by another girl who arrived shortly before Christmas. They resided on Bannatyne for 7 years and then moved to Minto Street staying there for another 7 years. The next 52 years were spent in Charleswood.

Mom and Dad attended the Bergthaler Mennonite Church on Sherbrooke when they first moved to Winnipeg and eventually that congregation purchased a church building on Home Street and Home Street Mennonite Church began. In 1994 a group of people left that church to begin Good News Mennonite Church. As their congregation aged the membership grew too small and the church has recently become a lively Filipino Church named ‘Lord of the Harvest’.

When we were young Mom and Dad had a tent trailer that was taken on numerous trips. Back then there were no seat belt laws and us girls would sleep on the back seat, the floor and the area by the back car window while Dad drove. Mom very much enjoyed travelling, Dad not always as much but they did take many trips together. Some of them included Cuba, Hawaii, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and a cruise they took the entire family on. Mom also travelled with a group multiple times to Cuba bringing Bibles and other needed goods into the country.

Mom spent her time volunteering both in the community and at church. Mom loved to sew and made clothing for all 3 girls. Mom also had many plants in the house and loved her African violets. She planted an extensive garden of flowers, vegetables and fruit trees and preserved and froze most of the harvest. She saved seeds from many of the vegetables and started plants from those and shared them with her daughters. Mom was very involved with the ladies group at church as well as the choir and working in the library. Mom enjoyed music and singing, she even sang in a Winnipeg choir that went on tour in Europe! She played guitar, organ and accordion. Mom and Dad both enjoyed the southern Manitoba summer gospel music festivals and the opportunity to sit and listen, visit and enjoy knack zot. They also both enjoyed going to garage sales every Saturday morning and we all knew that trying to call them then was futile. Mom LOVED shopping and especially finding bargains. She used this skill to fill bags and boxes to donate to Union Gospel Mission and Operation Christmas Child.

In their younger days, Mom and Dad were also bowlers. It started that they bowled together on Friday nights, and later Mom joined a Wednesday morning league on her own. This went on for over 40 years. She continued to bowl until she knew she could no longer leave Dad alone in 2022. She enjoyed the time and friendships with the ladies and continued seeing them as they still came to visit.

Mom and Dad both worked very hard and did well for themselves. Both are lifelong ‘putterers’. There was always something that needed to be done…

In March of this year, the weekend of her birthday, the family moved them to Shaftesbury Park Retirement Residence. It was not an easy move for them after being in one place so long. Prior to them moving Mom had been granted ‘Caregiver’ status for Dad and she was quite proud of it, taking the role very seriously. On October 10th Dad was taken to hospital by ambulance for an infection. On October 13th Mom suddenly became very sick and was also taken to hospital by ambulance. As they were now in different hospitals Dad was granted a pass to come visit Mom on October 14 as it was apparent it was just a matter of time before she would be in her Lord and Saviour’s arms. Dad knew where she was going, and he didn’t want her to suffer. He said, “may the tears that run down your cheeks be tears of healing.” After their 70 years together, how blessed are we that we could witness such a loving farewell.