KATHERINE FRIESEN

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KATHERINE FRIESEN Katherine Friesen died peacefully in her sleep on September 30, 2008. She was born Katherine Epp on July 16, 1910, in Waldheim, Saskatchewan. Her parents were Helena Ens and Jacob H. Epp, pioneers who arrived in Canada from the Ukraine in 1899. Katherine was predeceased by her husband, Jacob D. (Jake) Friesen in November 1990 and her five brothers, Jacob, Abe, Cornelius, lsaak and Peter Epp, and three sisters, Betty Amos, Helen Epp and Margaret Willems. She is survived by sons, James (Lorraine Flatt) of Kitchener, ON, Robert (Valerie) of Winnipeg, MB and Thomas (Janene Haddix) of Vancouver, BC, one daughter Dorothy Friesen (Gene Stoltzfus) of Fort Frances, ON, and one sister Mary Epp of Saskatoon, SK. She has three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Katherine enjoyed her childhood with her brothers, sisters and cousins, and always spoke of her school days with fondness. Family finances did not permit her to continue past 8th grade in the Danzig School District but education was always important to her, and she completed high school by correspondence courses some 40 years later. As a young woman, Katherine worked in Saskatoon and then attended Hepburn Bible School where she met her future husband, Jake and Katie, as she was known then, were married in 1936 and lived briefly in Glenbush, SK. The Dust Bowl depression sent them west and they raised their family in Chilliwack, BC, Hillsboro, KS, and Winnipeg, MB before retiring to Abbotsford in 1978. Katherine loved singing in Bakerview Church choirs and travelled extensively with her husband to Europe, China, Southeast Asia and South America. Her life was marked by an abiding faith in God, a strong sense of responsibility and deep admiration for the kindness of others. She was Jake's caregiver in the last years of his life as diabetes took its toll. And she was grateful to all those who visited and cared for her when age no longer allowed her the active life and memories she had always cherished. Donations in memory of Katherine Friesen can be made to MCC Environmental Projects. Thank you sincerely for sharing our sorrow. We appreciate your thoughtfulness. The Friesen Family

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Nov 15, 2008