Helena (Helen) Wieler (nee Wiebe)
1929 – 2015
On Saturday, December 19, 2015 at approximately 12:45 pm, Helen Wieler, aged 86 years, 9 months and 13 days of Winkler, MB formerly of Plum Coulee walked from this earth into the arms of Jesus Christ, her Lord and Savior to be with Him for eternity.
Mom was born on March 6, 1929 at home near Plum Coulee in the Horndean area. She was baptized upon her confession of faith by Peter Toews in 1948. She married Henry D. Wieler on May 20, 1948 at her parents’ farm in the Horndean district. After the wedding, Mom and Dad lived at Dad’s parents’ place for awhile building crates and helping with the packing for their big move to South America which took place in June 1948, only one month after marriage. They boarded a train for Quebec and then sailed by ship for three weeks before reaching their new home – a tent on a piece of wasteland – hardly what they had imagined! This journey and time in South America was very hard for Mom and Dad. As Mom’s parents were unable to join them there as planned, they returned back to Canada and their families in March of 1949. Upon their return, they began by working on various farms in summer and then went to work in a lumber camp near Red Lake, Ontario where they spent two winters. In fall of 1951, they began managing a farm near Plum Coulee for the Diamond family, full time, and spent 27 years on this farm. Mom was Dad’s lifelong partner and she loved working on the farm alongside Dad, and particularly enjoyed hauling the grain off the fields during harvest. One summer she even hoed enough beets to earn the money for Dad to purchase a new swather for the farm. They had a very self-sufficient farm, owning cows, chickens, and pigs, which provided milk, cream, eggs, and meat for the family, as well as a large garden which provided all of the vegetables. Mom also greatly encouraged Dad in the purchase of their own farmland near Kane.
Mom was a very hard worker and never took the time to indulge in any hobbies. She did however, do some very good cooking. She did not have the time to do too much experimenting; however, what she did make was always tasty. She made the best potato salad around and her perogies and chicken noodle soup were excellent. Mom was very hospitable and whoever showed up on their yard would always be served a meal. Mom was a very beautiful woman, even into old age. Her inner beauty shone in her selfless care for her family, always taking the time for any family member in need, and in the strength of her spirit to persevere through tough times. She was resilient, passionate, and unwaveringly dedicated to her family, the farm, and the Lord. She prayed daily for her children and grandchildren, which was a commitment of solemn importance to her. In 1976, they were able to build their very first home in Plum Coulee where they lived for 23 years. Then in 1999, as Dad began to have some health issues, they decided to move to a condo in Winkler. Dad passed away on March 17, 2003 which was a very difficult loss for Mom. In February of 2011, she moved to Cedar Estates. Physically, Mom was amazingly strong and healthy, however, sometime before her 80th birthday; she began her journey with dementia. This was a very long and difficult road for Mom. She broke her hip in August of 2011 and was hospitalized for 6 months and then moved to Salem Home on March 1, 2012 when she was no longer able to care for herself, where she resided until her passing.
Helen leaves to mourn her children and their families: David (and Gail) Wieler and his children, Angela (and Bryan) Natali and their son, Gianluca; Michael Wieler; Matthew (and Melissa) Wieler and their children, Bentley and Taylah; Jeffrey (and Breanne) Wieler; Helen (and Ernie) Janzen and their children, Jeremy (and Danita) Janzen; Helanna (and Brad) Penner and their children, Locke and Kaiya; Dorothy (and Earl) Braun and their children, Andrea Braun and Rob McDonald and her children, Paige and Zander; JoLane (and Joe) Klassen and their children, Micah, Simon, Zoe and Owen; Heidi Braun; Erma (and Wayne) Rempel and their children, Courtney Rempel; Garth (and Jaclyn) Rempel.
Mom’s lifelong prayer was that we, her family, would be reunited in heaven some day. One of Mom’s cherished scripture passages:
“Let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” John 14:1-3
Funeral service at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday December 23, 2015 at Winkler Sommerfeld Mennonite Church with interment at Winkler Cemetery. We, the family, would like to extend our gratitude to the staff at Salem Home who loved Mom and took excellent care of her.
Wiebe Funeral Home, Winkler
In care of arrangements
wiebefuneralhomes.com