Mom was born on July 15, 1939, to Isaac and Maria Ens in the town of Hepburn, Saskatchewan. They would name her Martha, but from an early age, she went by "Marti" or just "Mart". She was born the 4th of 8 children, and part of a close-knit family growing up in the family home that featured a very large garden and plenty of room for a happy childhood. Mom was known as the "happy-go-lucky" one, and being popular, spent lots of time with her many friends.
Her father Isaac was a labourer, but went back to school and became a pastor and accepted the calling of pastorship to a Mennonite church in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. He would often travel to small, northern Saskatchewan towns to preach. One of Mom's fondest childhood memories was to go with her Dad on these trips where she would accompany the congregational singing on the organ. Mom loved the old hymns and that love would stick with her throughout her whole life.
There were a lot of "moves" during Mom's early years, calling Laird, Rosthern, and Prince Albert among others, home. Mom attended Prince Albert Collegiate Institute during her high school years and after graduation, she worked at the TB Sanitorium in that town. She moved away from home during this time, but continued to send money to her parents and helped care for the 4 younger siblings still at home. It was shortly after this time that Mom attended Millar College in Pambrun, Saskatchewan.
In 1961, Mom moved to the big city, Edmonton, Alberta, where she took a job at Gainer's Meats. It was during her lunch breaks at a nearby coffee shop that she met a certain truck driver named Stanley Bartz and after a 5-month courtship, they got engaged and were married in September, 1962.
Marti and Stan called Edmonton home and welcomed their first child, Stacey in 1964. Two years later they moved to Kelowna, BC, and over the next four years their family grew with the addition of Carrie in 1967 and Kelly in 1970. Mom devoted her time to raising the girls while Dad focused on starting up his own concrete business.
Mom's greatest love was her three daughters and she raised them while working a number of different part-time jobs, including furniture sales, working at Boots Drug Store and even a stint at making elaborate award ribbons. Mom was also a very gifted knitter and produced countless sweaters, dresses and blankets over her years. She worked at several wool shops where her creations would often be on display. Although many customers would ask her to knit custom sweaters, she always declined, saying that knitting for pay would take all the fun out of it.
Mom retired from the workforce in her early 50's but continued to make herself available for babysitting and elder-care which she quite enjoyed. When her own grandchildren came along in her 60's, they became the joy and focus of her life. She spent all the time she could with them and could often be seen on the floor with them watching kid's programs, playing games, and reading together. Mom always made herself available for babysitting, birthday parties and whatever was needed.
Mom loved travelling to sunny destinations and enjoyed many trips to Mexico, Hawaii and California over the years. Of all her travels though, her biggest highlight was a trip to the Holy Land in 2008 that she took with her sister-in-law, Evelyn Bartz from Edmonton. This was a "bucket list" trip for her as she fulfilled her dream of being baptized in the Jordan River.
As Mom's health declined, she was forced to give up her independent living and moved into Cottonwood Cottages assisted living. This was a big adjustment for her but she made the most of it, making some good friends along the way, some of which she was able to kid around with in Low German. Mom was always happy to speak "Plautdietch" with anyone … it made her happy and was always lots of fun for her. After Mom moved into Heritage Village care facility, she very much looked forward to and enjoyed going to church with her daughters and their families. The social restrictions of this past year were difficult for Mom, but limited visits were able to continue as much as possible.
The end came suddenly for Mom when congestive heart failure, complicated by a serious infection proved to be too much to overcome. Mom passed peacefully into the presence of her Heavenly Father on the afternoon of Saturday, April 3, 2021.
Marti is predeceased by her parents Isaac and Maria, and her siblings William, Peter, Helen, Abe, Henry and Dave.
She is survived by her sister Betty, her daughters, Stacey, Carrie, Kelly, and their husbands as well as her four grandchildren, Erin, Avery, Grace and Frances.
Opp wada seene Mom, enn schlop scheen. Wie woare die nie fejate.
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