Anna Gortzen nee Penner

Remembering my Mother-in-Law, or as some people would say, my Mother-by-Love of almost 36 years, Anna Gortzen nee Penner was born on February 7, 1930 in Moelln, Germany to Johan & Agathe Penner.

17 years old

Shortly after her birth, together with her parents and older brother, as well as, many other refugees, she immigrated to Brazil where her family settled in Alto Rio Krauel, Witmarsum, Santa Catarina.
Over the years a few more siblings were added to the family and Anna had to start babysitting from a very young age.
I remember her saying that she hardly had a childhood. She was the oldest girl in the family and was put to work at the age of 5, looking after the younger siblings, household chores and as she grew older, she was sent to help in neighbouring households when new babies arrived.

Penner family.

Engagement Picture 1951

She met her future husband, Hans (John) Gortzen, during church youth events.

Wedding Day - February 12, 1949 in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil.

Hans and Anna were blessed with 2 children, Catarina (Katie) in 1949 and Waldemar (Wally) in 1952.
During their marriage they lived in many different places and tried many different occupations, from farming in the south of Brazil to being house parents in Sao Paolo.

Hans (John) Gortzen family.

In 1965, circumstances brought John's grandparents into their house and the family cared for them until their deaths, but mostly the work fell on Anna's shoulders. The years of caring for John's elderly grandparents, 10 years in total, is where Anna's health was stretched to the limits.
It was also during these years that both of her children got married and their little family started to grow!

In 1978 John and Anna immigrated to Canada and the family, was once again, all in once place!
They lived in Vancouver, Richmond, Abbotsford, Richmond and back to Abbotsford.

They were blessed with 5 grandchildren. Richmond 1979

Mom always said that as a child she was never allowed to play with dolls but she made up for that lost time, when she started to volunteer at MCC and became the "doll lady". She would take the dolls home and make them pretty once again. She would bathe and comb them and then she would make new outfits for all the dolls. Then she would sit them on her living room couches and enjoy them for a few days, then back to the store they would go, to be sold.

Mom's pretty dolls, all lovingly restored!

Some of the dolls also ended up at the yearly MCC Sale and Relief Auction in Abbotsford.

After they moved to Abbotsford and her health no longer permitted her to bath all the dolls, she found a different hobby. All of her life she enjoyed crocheting, so that became her all consuming past-time for many years.
She made hundreds of baby blankets, lap blankets and larger afghans for MCC, family and friends.

The other passion in her life were flowers! ! !
Mom and Dad had the most beautiful gardens, with fruit trees, vegetables and always flowers, lots of flowers!!! and when the garden work was no longer possible, she still had a balcony full of flowers!
The following 2 pictures are just a small sample and not nearly as many as she used to have.
Not to mention that she usually had a couple of flower pots with all sorts of herbs, too!

As the years slipped by, her health got worse. The walker had already come many years ago but then the oxygen was added and the pills increased to an unbelievable amount but the crocheting still continued.
Then the time came when it was no longer possible for Mom & Dad to stay in their apartment and in September of 2006 they became residents of the Menno Hospital. In January of 2007 Dad passed away and shortly after Mom was transferred to the Menno Home. Here, Mom lived out her remaining days.
At first, it was very hard for her, but slowly, she got used to her new environment.
She was fortunate to have many visitors and the staff always stopped by for a chat.
During the first year of her stay, she was still crocheting but over the last several months, that also ended. She would still read and loved to watch certain TV shows.
We would go and visit her and watch the shows with her and then discuss them.
She was blessed to have a clear mind, almost to the end. There were maybe 2 months before she died that she would have some moments of confusion.

She would sit in this chair for the most part of the day!

Since the beginning of this last year, 2009, she had one goal in mind and that was to attend her sister's golden wedding anniversary on February 7th, which also happened to be her 79th birthday. God granted her that wish!

Franz & Helena Warkentin and Mom.

And this is the last family picture that we took with Mom on the Golden Anniversary. She was so very happy to be there and enjoyed the day to the fullest.

This picture was taken on the day we celebrated Mom & Dad's Golden Anniversary and she picked this picture to be on her funeral leaflet and for the newspapers.
She also picked the songs, the scripture readings and her own casket, YES, her own casket.
That was just the woman she was. She liked to have everything planned and in order.

I learned a lot from her and had a lot of respect for her.
She could be quite abrasive but she also had a lot of love for her family and her Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. In the last 2 years, she longed to go home and rest from all the bodily suffering she had to endure in her life.

We will miss her, always, but we also grant her the rest and peace she so longed for.
We are happy that we had her all these years and that she had the privilege to see her grandchildren married and to meet her great-grandchildren.
She was able to meet the newest of her 9 great-grandchildren on her birthday, Emerson Aiden Gortzen; she was absolutely thrilled!

We love you and we miss you, Mom!
Rest in Peace!