Esther Heinrichs

Obituary

It is with a spirit of celebration and feelings of sorrow that we mourn the passing of our dear sister, aunt and friend on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at the age of 103. Esther passed away peacefully at Bethania Personal Care Home in Winnipeg, MB., which had been her home for the last nine months.

When Esther’s health started to decline in early 2024 and she lost her mobility, we were very grateful to God that a space opened for her at Bethania Personal Care Home. We rejoice that she is now in the presence of her Lord and Saviour for all eternity.

Esther is survived by dear sisters Grace (John) Krahn of Steinbach and Rose (Larry) Tryon of Altona, her nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews, and great-great nieces and nephews.

Esther was predeceased by her parents, stepmother, two brothers Toby and Gordon , two sisters: Ruth and Alice.

Esther was born on September 27, 1921, to Cornelius P. & Anna (Guenther) Heinrichs in Halbstadt near Gretna, MB. As the eldest of six children, she exemplified leadership and love throughout her life. From a young age, Esther aspired to become a schoolteacher. After completing grade 8 she went to Winnipeg to work as a maid for a little while, but her mother persuaded her to go to Bible school as a way of continuing her education. After graduation from Bible school Esther found ways of furthering her secular education with a teaching certificate in mind. Esther studied at the University of Manitoba where she obtained her degree in Special Education. After Teachers college she found Social Geography courses to take. These provided educational credits while satisfying her urge to explore the world. In this way she got to travel to 3 Central American countries as well as to 5 European and Scandinavian countries. After Esther exhausted the educational travel opportunities, she taught in several public schools before pursuing a degree program. To obtain higher education she went on to study at Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kansas where she received a Bachelor of Arts Degree and did post graduate work at Mankato State College in Minnesota, where she earned a “premasters degree” in Library Science.

After completing her education, Esther was active in teaching special education, which involves working with handicapped children and young people. Esther also kept busy in her General Conference Mennonite Church, teaching Sunday School, Daily Vacation Bible School, volunteering at Camp Assiniboia (a church run children’s Bible Camp) as well as being a deaconess for nine years at Bethel Mennonite Church.

Now in her retirement years she went from teaching underprivileged children to acting as program director in a Seniors complex in Arizona and working in a Church run Community Outreach program in California. Esther was never at a loss to find something to keep her busy.

Esther enjoyed classical music, poetry, sewing, socializing and travel. She was also known for her culinary talents. After she tired of volunteering in distant places, she delighted family and friends with everything from home-cooked meals to wonderful snacks of crackers spread with cheese, and veggies served with some wonderful dip. In this way she showed her hospitality to many friends or relatives who might have stopped by her apartment at Lindenwood Manor ( in Winnipeg) for a visit.

Our birthdays were special events to her. She would always call to wish us a happy birthday and invite us to a birthday meal. This afforded her the opportunities to try out new recipes that she had seen in some magazine. She always set her dining table with candles and special napkins – there were no ordinary plain white napkins on her table.

Esther was always grateful for anything any one of us ever did for her. When we brought her jars of homemade soup, jam, or salsa, she would return the jars with little “thank you” notes. She especially enjoyed the fresh produce from our gardens – tomatoes and cucumbers, dill and parsley for soups etc.

Esther was friendly, cheerful, enthusiastic and a determined and resilient lady. Esther’s strong faith in God served as the foundation of her life. She was a great prayer warrior, tirelessly lifting her family and friends in prayer, offering comfort and support through her unwavering faith in the Living God. At Christmas, she would call us one by one and say, “this is your Christmas Card,” and then read or quote a bible verse to us. At Easter, she would call and say, “He is Risen” and then wish us a blessed Easter.

Esther leaves behind a legacy of love. Love for her Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and a love for others. And especially a Love for her family – every single one of us. We will most definitely miss the prayers she sent up for each one of us daily.

The livestreamed funeral service will be held on Saturday, March 29, 2025, at 2:00 p.m., at Birchwood Funeral Chapel, Steinbach, MB.

We offer a Special thanks to the staff at Bethania Personal Care Home for the care and compassion they provided Esther during her stay there.

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