Obituary of Liesbeth Neufeldt

April 15, 1915 – November 10, 2013 Although our hearts are sad at being parted, our family joyfully announces that our Mother, Grandmother and Great-Grandmother, Liesbeth Neufeldt, passed away on November 10th, 2013 at Goodwill Manor in Duck Lake, Saskatchewan at the tender age of 98 years and 7 months. One of Mom’s many gifts to us was her ability to blend all three of her families making sure every one of us felt loved and cherished. She leaves her children Alfred (Charlotte), Peter (Janet), Guenther and Ruth, Don (Ruth), Menno (Lee), and John (Lorna) as well as 15 grandchildren and 27 great grandchildren. Mom was born to August and Helene Staess on April 15, 1915 in Rosenort, West Prussia. She was baptized upon the confession of her faith at the age of 16 at Furstenwerder Mennonite Church where she was a faithful attender. Mom had many fond memories of growing up close to the land and loved the opportunity to swim in the pond close by. A wonderful orchard of cherries, pears and apples gave her a special liking for the taste of these fruits until the day she died and nobody made raspberry jam like she did ~ at least according to our taste buds. She married Hermann Toews on April 16, 1936, one day after her 21st birthday. She was now old enough to make her own decisions. World War ll brought many frightening events. She received news of Hermann’s death on the Russian front in 1942; was forced to flee Prussia with her two little boys, Guenther and Helmut during some of the coldest days of 1945; boarded a livestock cargo ship for a refugee camp in Denmark; buried little Helmut in that camp in May of 1945 and eventually arrived in Duck Lake, Saskatchewan with Guenther on August 24, 1948. Mom and Guenther were sponsored by her oldest sister Anna and her husband Frank Harder. Upon Mom’s arrival in Canada she embarked on a career that included home and child care. She and Guenther continued to live with the Harders and Guenther trundled off to school daily with his cousins. On October 15, 1950 she married Jacob JC Klaassen who was also alone with a family. This was Mom’s first opportunity to show how she could care for a blended family and then added little Menno to that combo on February 15, 1952. As Guenther says, “Life was good and peaceful again.” Another loss revealed itself when Jacob JC died suddenly of a heart attack November 28, 1958. Circumstances brought Mom and Menno to Rosthern where Mom’s amazing resiliency and gift for taking care of others found its’ place at The Home for the Aged. For many years Mom worked in the kitchen creating delicious and nutritious foods for the guests living there. Menno has many memories of eating at a table where everyone was just a bit older than he. While living in Prussia Mom had studied to be a seamstress. Those studies along with a special eye for design work and color made her service often sought after. She sewed for many, many years and loved every minute of it. Love came again when Mom and Walter Neufeldt married on July 31, 1967. He also brought with him grown children as well as some grandchildren. Mom’s arms opened wide and she simply enlarged her sense of family. We all have many memories of the rich life she and Dad had welcoming us all to their home for many a family gathering, travelling, working alongside John and Lorna on the farm, volunteering at the Clothes Basket in Rosthern, building a new home in Laird, providing raspberry picking opportunities for her grandchildren’s summer holidays, carpet bowling at the Seniors’ Center in Laird and of course, worshipping and volunteering at their beloved Tiefengrund Church. Life was to shift again when Dad had a stroke in February of 1996 and then passed away the following July. Those were dark days for Mom as she once again experienced the loneliness of loss but true to her nature, she counted on her faith in God to give her the strength to move on. She moved to a small apartment at Genesis Estates in Rosthern, Saskatchewan where she made a home for herself and for us. She so enjoyed coffee times with new friends, working on jigsaw puzzles in the common room with them, enjoying the activities at the Seniors’ Center in Rosthern, sewing aprons for the Clothes Basket and knitting probably thousands of dish cloths. A medical crisis in March of 2010 brought Mom to Goodwill Manor in Duck Lake, Saskatchewan. They were hard days getting used to the fact that she would not be going back home but after some time, she once again took advantage of the opportunities to enjoy and appreciate what was. We are so grateful to the staff of Goodwill Manor for the tender care they offered Mom and the warm hospitality that greeted us every time we came through the door. We know too that Mom appreciated being so lovingly cared for. Mom was once asked what her favorite Bible verse was and she said, without missing a beat, Romans 12:12 which says …………… “ Be joyful in hope, Patient in affliction Faithful in prayer “ This was the way of our Mom’s life and the legacy she leaves us. We are filled with gratitude and love for it and know the faithful prayers she offered on behalf of all of us will continue to eternity. A donation to MCC may be made in Mom’s memory by …………… A time of viewing for friends and family will be held at Funk’s Funeral Chapel, Rosthern on Saturday, November 16, 2013 at 7:30 P.M. The Funeral Service will be held on Sunday, November 17, 2013 at 3:00 P.M. at Tiefengrund Rosenort Mennonite Church. Interment will take place at Tiefengrund Cemetery. Arrangements are in care of Funk’s Funeral Home, Rosthern (306-232-5245, http://www.funksfuneralhome.ca).