Lena Thiessen, née Janzen, was born in the small village of Tiegerweide, Ukraine, May 30, 1931. Her early childhood was full of hardship. She only went to school until grade four and later became a refugee at the onset of World War II.
At the end of the war and with the advance of the Russian army looming, she fled Ukraine with her mother Margaret, and walked to Poland with 30,000 other fleeing Mennonites over four months. She later became a displaced person in a Bachnang Germany refugee camp with her mother, Anne (her sister), and Henry (her brother). After waiting eighteen months, she was finally able to emigrate to Canada and first landed in Nova Scotia. She then travelled and lived in Manitoba and Saskatchewan before settling in British Columbia.
In B.C, Lena lived in Mission, working in a cannery and the local berry fields. During this time, she married her first husband, John Thiessen on November 24, 1951. After marriage, they moved to South Vancouver where she began her married life as a homemaker and worked cleaning houses. John and Lena welcomed three sons: Henry, Peter, and Rick. In 1971, the family moved to Abbotsford and purchased their first poultry farm. For the next twenty-six years until John’s death in 1997, Lena worked on the family farm and raised her family.
Several years after John’s death, Lena met Cornelius Pauls, whom she married. They lived in Garden Park Tower in Clearbrook until Cornelius’ death in 2017.
Lena is survived by her two sons Henry and Rick, eight grandchildren: Kerrie, Kathryn, Scott, Courtney, Brandon, Ryan, Benjamin and Emily. She is also blessed with three great-grandchildren: Alisdair, Brownynn, and Paisley. Lena is predeceased by her husband John and son Peter. Throughout her life, Lena was integral in her grandchildren’s lives. She was a prominent fixture in their early years providing love and direction. The grandchildren spent many enjoyable days at the family farm and later, at Lena and Cornelius’ residence at Garden Park Tower.
As a Christian Mennonite, Lena’s faith was very important to her and guided her throughout her life. May she rest in peace and be with her Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
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