Eileen Elizabeth Wiebe

Our Mother, Eileen Elizabeth Wiebe was born to Henry and Edna Wohlgemuth on March 28, 1942. She was the 5th of 12 children. She peacefully fell asleep in the wee hours of the morning on November 5, 2025, at 83 years of age. She was married to Rennie Wiebe on July 27, 1962. They shared the joys and sorrows of life for 63 years and raised 7 sons and 3 daughters. On September 6, 2025, Dad passed away leaving Mom very lonely. Mother committed her life to God, and was baptized on December 15, 1953, the same day that her baby brother Glenn was buried. She faithfully served her Maker until she was called home.

Mom grew up in an energetic family, full of life and ideas. She was given a fair bit of responsibility watching out for her younger siblings from quite a young age. One of Mom’s dreams was that her family would be a baseball team. As it turned out they had a baseball team and an umpire. Mom loved to care for children, gladly babysitting for her siblings and others. She loved to gather in the living room in the evening surrounded by her family and play games, sing action songs and read stories. Mom was just as thrilled with these stories as we were. Storybooks came to life with her enthusiasm.

Mom’s large dining room table was regularly overflowing with guests. Sunday dinners were to be shared with friends and family. We as children were always welcome to add our friends to the list of guests. During the week, workers, or anyone else who happened to be around, was invited to come eat with us as well. Neighbor children were always welcome to visit, so we learned to know a variety of friends. Mom had a big heart for the lonely and those who were suffering. She readily shared a few friendly words with anyone she happened to meet at the grocery store or wherever she happened to be. On a couple of occasions, Dad and Mom invited complete strangers for a visit.

Mom’s hands were always busy, she spent many hours planting and weeding garden, tending flower beds, cooking delicious meals, making cottage cheese, sewing, mending, and upholstering. Even when she was sitting and relaxing or visiting, she was usually doing needlework or some other project. Mom had interesting ways of breaking the tedium while we were working, playing random word games such as weste foare (Heading West) while we worked.

Mom had some outside the box discipline methods. For example: folks didn’t tolerate grumbling or pouting. We were informed that birds would come and perch on our lower lip if it stuck out too far. Then Mom would show us how it looked. Other times we would be given the ‘opportunity’ to sing The Grumblers Song.

Mom loved beauty. She learned quite soon that with her rambunctious household, beautiful things were breakable. She made up for it by planting and tending beautiful flower beds and feeding songbirds. She could identify a wide variety of different species of flowers and birds. Most of all, Mom loved the Lord, she taught us to pray, confess our failings, and praise the Lord in song.

When Mom and Dad retired, they moved from the farm to a smaller lot on Greenland Road. They loved to travel and visit family in distant places. Mom continued to love and care for her family. She carried a deep love and concern for the well being of each one of them, especially for her youngest son Clinton with his special needs. Her strength gradually waned, and her enthusiasm became more tempered, but her love remained strong. Those she once cared for, now began to care for her. The last three years of Mom’s life were spent at the Maplewood Manor. It was difficult to see time take its toll on her body and mind. We will miss her, but we rejoice that she can now rest beside Dad, as she awaits her new mansion.

Left to mourn her passing are her children, Delton and Susanna, Hythe AB; Linford and Tina, Ste. Anne; Rodney and Maria, Tatamagouche NS; Edna and Mark Reimer, Steinbach; Dorwin and Tanya, Crystal City; Lanita and Frank Froese, Steinbach; Laura and Kendall Friesen, Birnie; Fredrick and Amy, Ste Anne; Daniel and Roxi, Kenora ON; and Clinton, Niverville; 36 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren. Her siblings, Linden and Alice Wohlgemuth, Herbert Friesen, Ron and Mildred Wohlgemuth, Nina and Orville Friesen, Vivian Bartel, Henrietta and Jesse Friesen, Myrle and Ethelyn Wohlgemuth, Florence and Ralph Warkentin, and Martha and Garry Warkentin. From Dad’s family: one brother, Harry; sisters, Marina Rempel, Emily Dueck, Bernice and Bernie Isaac, Rose and Ron Giesbrecht, Lorna and Jerome Koehn; and all her precious friends. She was preceded in death by her husband, one brother, two sisters, one brother-in-law and one sister-in-law; and from Dad’s family two brothers-in-law and one sister-in-law.

We as family would like to give a heartfelt thank you to the Maplewood Manor staff for the loving care Mom received.

A viewing will be held from 7 PM to 9 PM on Monday, November 10, 2025 with a short program at 7:30 PM at Crossings Funeral Care. For those unable to attend in person, the family invites you to join them through live stream. 

A funeral service will be held at 10:30 AM on Tuesday, November 11, 2025 at the Greenland Church Of God In Christ Mennonite with viewing one hour prior to the service. The internment will take place in the church cemetery, followed by a reception and sharing of memories. For those of you who would like to join the family in listening to the funeral service on an audio stream, please click the link here.