Agatha Guenther (nee Driedger)

Obituary

Agatha Guenther (nee Driedger), aged 105 years, of Grunthal, MB., passed away peacefully surrounded by family on Saturday, February 22, 2025, at the Menno Home for the Aged, Grunthal, MB.

She will be lovingly remembered by her daughters Christie, Barbara (Mario), and sons Dennis, Wayne (Wanda), Gerry (Evelyn); nine grandchildren Tom (Michelle), Caroline (Bob), Gwen, Ciso, Alex, Kathryn, Simon, Savannah and Curtis; four great-grandchildren Kaelyn, Maelle, Emily and Annie; one brother Peter Driedger in Ontario, as well as many nieces and nephews.

Agatha is predeceased by her husband Arthur Guenther, her parents, one daughter-in-law Traudi and one son-in-law Steve, five siblings and many stepsisters and stepbrothers.

Mom was born on August 8, 1919, to Abram Driedger & Aganetha (Enns) Driedger in Schoenfeld, Russia (now Ukraine) where her parents and many other Mennonites farmed. When Agatha was a baby, due to the revolution and ongoing attacks by bandits, the family left Schoenfeld in the fall of 1919. They moved to the village of Fischau in the Molotschna Colony. Life was difficult there and the family welcomed the opportunity to emigrate to Canada. On June 24, 1924, the family left Fischau by horse-drawn wagon, travelling to Lichtenau and from there the parents and 6 children rode in a train boxcar out of Russia to Latvia. In Latvia they changed to passenger cars for the train trip to the port city of Riga. From there they took the “Minnedosa” ship to Antwerp, Belgium where they transferred to a larger ship “Montclair” and finally arrived in Quebec, Canada on July 18, 1924. At that time mom was five years old.

From Quebec the family took a train to Kitchener/Waterloo, Ontario where they stayed until February 18,1925. From there they moved on to the Westbourne and Marquette area in Manitoba. Finally, on December 8, 1926, the family moved to Grunthal where her parents bought a farm.

In 1930 when Mom was eleven her mother passed away. She helped care for her younger sister, and later her younger brother. Like many other young Mennonite women, she also worked as a maid in Winnipeg, thus helping to pay off her families travel debt. In May 1939 she became a baptized member of the Elim Mennonite Church. She was a Sunday school teacher for a number of years.

Mom was active in sports. She played and watched baseball and loved to do figure skate dancing with Art Guenther. They married in 1950 and had five children together. Mom enjoyed visiting with family and friends and was an excellent host. She helped Art run the “Guenther Foods” store until 1983 when Art had a stroke. She cared for Art for six years while he was in a wheelchair until he died in 1988. She stayed in her house until she was 90 and then reluctantly moved into the Greendale Estates assisted living apartments. At age 102 she finally qualified to move into the Grunthal Menno Home.

Mom had a bit of a quirky sense of humour. She loved having her grandchildren over and spoiled them with her baking. She loved her flower gardens, was an amazing cook and baker, and always had a dog and a few cats. She enjoyed quilting, helped with the MCC blanket making at the church, and played violin in the Steinbach Senior String Orchestra. Over the years she travelled to many places in North America with the family, often camping along the way.

In later years Mom was able to visit her birthplace in Russia. She travelled to Europe where her daughter Barbara lives, and they visited places in Italy, France, Germany, Holland and Switzerland; she also made a few trips north to the Yukon where her daughter Christie lives.

We would like to thank the entire staff at both Greendale Estates and the Menno Home for the wonderful care they gave Mom.

Agatha will be deeply missed but forever in our hearts.

The funeral service will be held on Saturday, March 1, 2025, at 2:00 p.m., at Elim Mennonite Church, Grunthal, MB., with viewing one hour prior to the service. Interment to follow at the Grunthal Cemetery.

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