On Wednesday, November 1, 2023, at age 84, Anna Banman, formerly of Gnadenthal, passed away peacefully at Salem Home in Winkler, MB.
Anna was born on January 16, 1939, the 7th of 12 children born to Heinrich and Katharina Neufeld (nee Bueckert ) of Mexico. Anna attended school in Mexico until age 12. In her teen years, she was baptized upon confession of her faith in Jesus Christ.
On August 31,1958, at age 19, she married the love of her life, Cornelius Banman. Together, they had 8 children and resided in Mexico until 1977, when the family immigrated to Canada and settled in the village of Gnadenthal until their move to Winkler in 1992. Sometime after Dad's passing, Mom moved to Lions Manor. In August of 2018, Mom experienced some health issues that changed her quality of life. In February of 2019, Mom moved to the Salem Home in Winkler, where she live until her passing.
Anna is lovingly remembered by her 5 sons and 2 daughters, John (Anne) Banman, Henry (Marge) Banman, Cornie (Helen) Banman, Peter (Helen) Banman, Tina (John) Wiebe, Mary (Bernie) Giesbrecht, Herman (Jessie) Banman, 28 grandchildren, 36 great-grandchildren and 1 brother Johan Neufeld.
Mom was predeceased by her parents, 5 brothers, 5 sisters, her husband, Cornelius, and one daughter, Anna in infancy.
The family would like to thank the staff at Salem Home, Rev Cornie Peters, the ushers, the serving group, the song leaders, and Wiebe Funeral Home. Lastly, we would like to thank those that have traveled from Alberta and Mexico as well as the many friends and relatives for their thoughts and prayers.
If friends so desire, donations may be made in Anna’s memory to Salem Foundation Inc.
Eulogy
Anna Banman, our Mom, grandmother and great-grandmother, was a woman of consistency and strength. Her love for learning, storytelling, and attention to detail in her embroidery, sewing, cooking and baking left a lasting impact on her family.
As her children, we all have strong memories of Mom's welcoming smile when we arrived at her place and her value in seeing us off when we left. She would always walk us to the door and say in German “thank you for coming and come again.” She looked forward to each visit!
In her early years, she enjoyed learning and going to school; her passion for reading was evident in her daily life. Each month she looked forward to receiving the Mennonitische Post, which she carefully read in an orderly way from front to back, marking each completed section along the way. She loved to share stories that she found interesting with her family and with the staff at Salem in her later years. Mom also enjoyed reading her Bible and other books.
Mom took pride in doing things well, from her careful handwriting, sewing projects, and the way she kept her home. She took comfort in her orderly life. Back in the day, Mom sewed many of her own dresses and clothing for her children. She mended, repaired zippers, and made blankets for her family. Embroidery was a skill and hobby that Mom always enjoyed, right up until a few weeks ago. Last year, Mom embroidered 28 tea towels, one for each of her grandchildren, and 7 sets of pillowcases for her children, which she enjoyed giving everyone at Christmas.
When Mom moved to Winkler from the farm in Gandenthal, she found ways to keep busy and active. She babysat her grandchildren, freshened wool blankets, sewed sausage casings, and embroidered many, many school bags for a mission project.
Mom's family was her priority, and she enjoyed having the family over for faspa each Sunday. Kringle was her specialty, but anything Mom baked or cooked was extra tasty and memorable: cream cookies, cream pie, perogies, pickles, and noodle soup always tasted best at moms. A highlight of every year was New Year's Eve when Mom had the whole family over for a noodle soup and New Year's cookie supper. This was a real treat!
When Mom moved to Loins Manor, she found ways to contribute by helping prepare lunches in the kitchen and washing the laundry for the kitchen. Mom enjoyed fellowship around the puzzle table and was known to share her Kringle on baking day, which she enjoyed. Mom knew what she liked and had a way of influencing the way things were done around her. For instance, Mom would bring a can of Pepsi to the pizza lunch served at Lions Manor; eventually, Pepsi was served as part of the pizza lunch.
Mom was a good storyteller; she had a fantastic way of explaining details, laughed at her own jokes and was not afraid to express her opinion. We never needed to wonder about what Mom was thinking. She said things the way she saw them.
Mom was a woman of deep conviction regarding tradition and her faith. She enjoyed attending the Reinland Mennonite Church as long as she was able. She held fast to what she believed.
Change was challenging for Mom, as it is for most of us; after Mom's extensive surgery several years ago, her quality of life changed. This was a hard time for Mom and us as a family. The decision to move her to Salem was difficult but necessary. At Salem, Mom enjoyed the many activities. These past months were the most difficult as her health and her thinking declined. The care she received at the hands of the workers at Salem is much appreciated.
We will remember our Mom, grandma, and great-grandma as the consistent, opinionated, funny, helpful and caring woman she was. We love you, Mom.
Lastly, we take comfort in knowing God walks with us.
Wiebe Funeral Home, Winkler
In care of arrangements
wiebefuneralhomes.com