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 The inception of
the long-standing, multi-branched Wiebe Funeral Homes had its very humble
beginnings in September of 1949 in the very small community of Winkler in
South Central Manitoba. Winkler, during the previous 50 years and even as
early as the mid 1870's was host to many Mennonite families fleeing from
oppression of the corrupt Russian government, most of whom were based in
Southern Ukraine (Russia). Families in Southern Manitoba with established
properties would, out of the goodness of their hearts, host entire families
in their homes for extended periods of time until the immigrant family would
be able to be self-sufficient enough to go it on their own. This was also
assisted by a free transfer of land for homesteading from the Government of
Canada. Original Funeral Home Building-1949
Nick R. Wiebe,
founder of Wiebe Funeral Homes,
 (pictured
below) made his journey from Russia in 1926. The Russian
border's complete closure to all exodus was fast approaching as Russia was
heading into a revolution which would change lives forever, as it did with
the entire Wiebe family. Nick's father and mother along with 8 children,
and one on the way, left their entire farm, buildings and animals and made
way to Germany, then to South Hampton, England, to board a ship to journey
to their destination in Southern Manitoba. Nick's mother was almost 9
months pregnant at this urgent time of escape. She delivered a healthy
little boy named Henry "Hank" between England and Canada. He would
eventually become Nick's right-hand man, operating the Wiebe Funeral Home of
Altona many years later.
There was no
modernized funeral service in the small newly populated Mennonite
Communities in those early years. Disposition was handled by families for
their own, and the only means of preservation prior to burial was fabric
wrapping and ice.
Needless to say, this
caused discomfort and added hardship to an already difficult life for these
very poor families, who were losing parents and siblings to an onslaught of
illnesses and poor nutrition at an alarming rate. Nick's father, John N.
Wiebe, was a "bone setter" by trade after arriving in Canada in September of
1926, as his father was in Russia before him. When Canada was in its early
involvement in the II World War, Nick enlisted in the R.C.A.F. based in
Brampton, Ontario. Here he spent time as a wireless air gunner, radioing
in-coming planes on the airstrip. Through a young recruit's negligence,
Nick was badly injured as a result of a flare gun accident. He was
honorably discharged and after recuperation, moved to Toronto in the early
40's, driving for a local ambulance company. Very often when transferring ailing and injured people to the local hospitals, Nick was asked to make an
alternate turn to Sherrin's Funeral Home instead of the hospital. This
occurrence happened so often over the year, that the employees at the
funeral home got to know Nick. They would say, "Nick, you're coming here so
often, we have an opening apprentice position, why don't you come to work
for us?"
In 1947,
Nick decided to make a career change, and so he started his 40 plus years in
the funeral business. Nick received his embalmers and funeral directors license in 1948
from the Banting Institute, Humber College in Toronto. In 1949 Nick
received a phone call that his mother Sarah Wiebe had died in Winkler. Upon
arriving back a few days later, he saw how the antiquated methods of the
local undertaker had left his mother in very poor condition. At this point,
Nick knew the need for modernized funeral business practices and techniques
were essential for this somehow forgotten, sparsely populated part of
Southern Manitoba.
In 1949, Nick packed
up his belongings and his wife Lorraine and moved to Winkler. He struggled
to borrow the $750 needed to buy a small building, a 1939 Henney Packard
Hearse (pictured here)
 and some basic funeral equipment (including a refrigeration unit that
was later sold to a local hotel to cool beer for many years hence).
The first Wiebe's
Funeral Home was dragged on skids from Main street Winkler, through a back
yard, onto his father John Wiebe's property, 4th Street, Winkler. This very
small 3 roomed building served as the local funeral home from 1949 - 1960 at
which time the existing Wiebe Funeral Home (8th St. Winkler), was built.
Nick's foresight into the expanded need for modernized funeral services
caused the calling in his brother Hank to join him to serve the Altona
District, 25 miles to the east of Winkler in 1951.
Nick also saw an
opportunity to buy in and eventually buy out a funeral home in Morden, 8
miles west of Winkler in 1954. This purchase completed the coverage that
Nick intended to operate, now it was time to try and serve the communities,
feed his wife and 2 sons Alan and Rick, and pay off his large debt with
income received from funerals (that in the books averaged $150 complete).
Volume of business in those early years in Winkler was about 30-40 calls, a
few less in Morden, and even less in the very small community of Altona. In
1961 Nick's brother John from Toronto expressed interest in funeral service
and with the purchase of a little bit of equipment and an old hardware
store, Nick taught his older brother John embalming and funeral procedure.
With that, John Wiebe
started the Morris Wiebe Funeral Home, operating independently of the other
3 Wiebe Funeral Homes. After his father John's death in 1978, his son Jeff
Wiebe took over the Morris funeral home and is operating it with his wife
Kathy presently. Morris is 40 miles Northeast of Winkler, and 35 miles
south of Winnipeg.
In 1962, and into
1963, Nick saw the converted 2 1/2 story Wiebe Funeral Home in downtown
Morden was deteriorating. When vision of the purchase of the funeral chapel
on the hill became a reality, Nick, his brother Hank, and Nick's son Rick
with help of some others, tore down the old building and moved the Wiebe
Funeral Chapel business to the west edge of the town of Morden.
As mentioned, son
Rick, now present owner of Wiebe Funeral Homes Ltd.
 Winkler & Morden,
(pictured below) started full-time into funeral service with his Dad in 1971. Rick saw the
need for close attention and maintenance of the Morden Chapel, which sits on
top of the first prairie escarpment just west of the town on a beautiful 15
acre property with exposure to the harsh N.W. Manitoba winds. Water heat
and an exceptional area volume of glass on the building, left the concrete
and steel building very vulnerable to the elements. In 1974 Rick and his
former wife Janice and young son Christopher moved into a mobile home tucked
in behind the chapel for a few years. Eventually building a home in the oak
forest immediately south of the chapel where Rick lives presently.
The original Pineview
Chapel was built in 1960 by Clark-Leatherdale Funeral Home of Winnipeg.
After mismanagement and more funeral businesses than were feasible in the
community and surrounding district of Morden, bankruptcy closed its doors.
Nick purchased the failed business in 1964 and brought professionalism and
caring to its doors. Along with the purchase of the building also came a
large 10-acre property which accommodates a cemetery along its east edge.
Upon Nick's retirement in the mid-80's, his son Rick C. Wiebe took over the
three funeral-home business. Shortly after the completion of this change of
hands, Rick sold the Altona portion of the business to his cousin and
working partner of many years, Terry Wiebe of Altona (1988). Terry's
purchase of the Wiebe Funeral Home Altona (independent of Wiebe Funeral
Homes Ltd.) employs his wife Roma and funeral director Peter Harder.
Wiebe Funeral Homes
have been in operation for over 55 years in Winkler, 54 years in Altona, and
51 years in Morden. The business at its inception, employed only the owner
Nick Wiebe, without employee assistance for many years, until his son Rick's
assistance began in 1971. (Nick worked as a funeral director for roughly 40
years, from 1949 - 1989). Brother Hank worked almost exclusively in Altona
from 1951 - 1974, until his early passing. Hank's son Terry started his
funeral business career in Altona in early 1974, taking over after his
father's passing.
Presently the
personnel line-up includes Rick Wiebe owner/operator of Winkler & Morden
(living in Morden); Jake Giesbrecht (director living in Winkler), Joey Grenier (director living in Morden), Kiley Wilson (director living in Winkler),
Rick's wife Yolanna Yerex (cemetery administrator), Janet Haslam (secretarial, living in Winkler), Kim Doell (secretarial living in Morden.)
and Sheldon Thiessen (maintenance, living in Morden).
A columbarium in Morden
on the chapel cemetery has recently been added to
the property as Hillside Cemetery, Morden is
just a few years from being completely sold and reserved. The Wiebe
expanded cemetery area will also be a visually pleasing piece of property,
especially when looking at the top of the hill when entering Morden. "I
want to keep this area looking park-like and visually pleasing to the
residents of Morden and also people visiting our community."
The Winkler Wiebe
Funeral Home at present has a yearly case volume of approximately 110.
Morden's volume is about 80. These numbers haven't changed much over the
last number of years though population increase is strong. The increase is
a young working population with families, and some more retirement class in
the post 65-years age group. We have always felt very capable of taking
care of this volume of business with my very competent and caring staff and
with our 9-vehicle fleet and expanded facilities. Rick says, "I feel very
proud of my business. I know that my wonderful caring and patient Dad Nick
(deceased 1994) would be proud
 to
see the expansions and the great staff and public perception of my business
that he started so many years ago. My Dad always saw funeral business
as a service to a need in our communities, not looking at an increase in
population as a business commodity; as is so evident in business practices
these days. When things go well and through years of hard work, things
become comfortable and a wonderful flow and synchronization happens. I
love my business, and the ethics we've been able to maintain. We are
presently over 55 years of funeral service in this area.
"I will always do my absolute best to be the local funeral home
down the street that all can trust and is familiar with what we had for
Grandma, now that Grandpa has passed away."
Very sincerely submitted
by,
Rick C. Wiebe
Email:
rick@wiebefuneralhomes.com
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