Ottilia Bredin

She will be forever remembered and cherished by her daughters Sheila Bredin (Allan Shankie) and Sonya Sawatsky (Barry); and her joys in life - her grandchildren: Julia (Alex) Friesen, Karl, Kayla, Gillian and Dashiell.

She was predeceased by her husband Asaph (2006); her parents Julianna and Samuel Rosner, brothers Arnold (Lottie) and Emil (Doreen); and two siblings in infancy, Alfred and Anna. She leaves to mourn her siblings, Martha “Marnie” (late; Allen) Edinger, Hugo “Hank” (Lena) Rosner, Otto (Eleanor) Rosner, Linda (late; Don) Rowat, Lawrence (Esther) Rosner, and many nieces and nephews, friends and colleagues.

Ottilia was born in Tolstoi, Manitoba, leaving her rural home for the big city of Winnipeg at the tender age of 18 to work as a nanny and housekeeper. While she lovingly bonded with her young charges, she heard her future beckoning. She soon applied and was accepted to the St. Boniface School of Nursing where, in 1958, she graduated with her Licensed Practical Nurse diploma and began a career that flourished for 37 years. Ottilia knew from a young age this was her vocation; her destiny shaped by the administrations of comfort and treatments to ailing, but grateful, grade school classmates. She loved being a nurse and her commitment to this calling brought meaning and fulfillment to her life. She formed many long lasting friendships throughout her career at The Municipal Hospitals, now called Riverview Health Centre. Mom was a very sociable person and delighted in hosting many work related and family gatherings in her home. She was a favourite at events of all types; her sense of humour could not be contained and she would, in her unique way, have a room bursting with laughter. She didn’t just break the ice, she melted it with her genuine warmth and unpretentious charm.

However, Ottilia’s life did not revolve around career alone; she married Asaph Bredin on May 16, 1959. They soon bought a beautiful house on Jubilee Ave. Mom loved the wide boulevards with the canopy of elm trees, which she admired from her airy verandas. Here, a patient eight years later, her first child, Sheila, graced her lovingly tended home. Three and a half years later, a second daughter, Sonya, completed her family. In the years that followed, Mom strove to balance her work and family life. It was always her desire to provide the best she could for her daughters and to model independence - a characteristic she fiercely fought to maintain. Her desire above all was to raise strong, independent minded daughters, prepared to embrace all that life may offer.

Throughout Mom’s busy work and domestic life, creativity abounded and the seeds of inspiration were woven into our foundation. Her gift to us, her daughters, was to show us the beauty and joy she found in everything; stones along a beach, the texture of wool, the bud of a flower, the smell of baked bread. This legacy lives on in the grandchildren whom she embraced with so much love and devotion. She eagerly passed on her artistic and creative passions; each grandchild’s unique gifts recognized and encouraged. She loved spending time with her grandchildren; her stories woven through loving hands that wiped their messy mouths, hands that showed them how to knit and how to make her poppy seed bread, all the while imparting her faith, truths and wisdom.

As a young person, she voiced the desire to be a missionary, and while this did not materialize, her lifelong commitment to children in impoverished circumstances remained with her. She held an unfailing belief in God and believed with all her heart that she would someday be with her Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Her faith, though a very personal journey, was conveyed through personal choices and prayer life. She had expressed many times that the Name of Jesus is above all names and He is watching over us.

Heartfelt appreciation to the staff on the 4th floor of Victoria General Hospital and to Dr. Cam Lowden for their wonderful care of Mom, to the Home Care Nurses, especially Geoff, to Rosa, Brad, Dr. Simonsen at the Ambulatory Clinic, to her special “Group of Four” friends Anne, Sharon and Linda, and to her Pastors Terry Janke, Kevin Klassen, and Doug Friesen at Whyte Ridge Baptist Church.

A celebration of Ottilia’s life will be held on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at 10:00 am at Thomson “In the Park” Funeral Home, 1291 McGillivray Boulevard.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to World Vision, an organization Mom avidly supported.