FRANK TENNENHOUSE

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FRANK TENNENHOUSE January 9, 1922 - January 30, 2010 Frank Tennenhouse slipped away quietly early Saturday, January 30 in Victoria Hospice. He leaves behind his loving wife of 63 years, Ethel (nee Singer), daughter Esther (Ron Klassen) of Vancouver, son Gary (Sandy Wilson) of Calgary, daughter Sheila (Philip Wynne) of Victoria and grandchildren Joel, David, Timmi, Tracey, Aaron, Michael and Jeffrey. He is also survived by his only sister Dorothy Goldberg of Grand Rapids, Michigan and brother Alex of Moorpark, California. The youngest of 12 children, he was predeceased by parents Morris and Annie Tennenhouse (nee Stein) and brothers Ben, Jack, Isaac, Abe, Joe, Laz, Harry, Dave and Sam. Frank was a farmer and a teacher. To the very end of his 88 years he took enormous satisfaction in planting, tending and harvesting a productive crop, be it thousands of prairie acres of grain or tomatoes in his backyard in Victoria. Ethel was just as dedicated to the care and feeding of Frank. He was born in Winnipeg while his family still lived on their homestead in the New Hirsch Colony (1911 to 1923), a Jewish farm community near Camper, about 110 miles northwest of Winnipeg. The Tennenhouses and just one of the other New Hirsch colony families continued farming. Morris rented first in Old Kildonan and later bought land at Stony Mountain in 1933. Eventually Frank, Sam and Harry formed a partnership and expanded their father's farm from a 160-acre peasant-style subsistence sort of farm to a 2500 acre operation. Frank had used his Second World War veteran credits to get a degree in agriculture at the University of Manitoba. Soon after he was teaching shops to the farm boys taking the aggie diploma course. He taught in the winter and farmed in the summer - the best possible combination, he said. He was on faculty for 35 years and was an associate professor in the Department of Agricultural Engineering when he retired in 1988. He wrote the story of his family's way of life and the changes in farming methods from 1911 to 1988. 75 Years of Farming is archived at http://umanitoba.ca/libraries/units/archives/prairie immigration/tennenhouse.shtml Frank and Ethel moved from West Kildonan to Victoria in 1989, close to Cedar Hill golf course where he played under open skies until well into his 80s. He enjoyed life and found ways to appreciate the world around him, even as his health declined, retaining his wry humour and pragmatism. The funeral was held January 31 at Congregation Emanu-El cemetery in Victoria. Many thanks to Sarah Thoms, Rachel Stouwer and Dr. Ted Rosenberg for the loving care and professional attention which made it possible for Frank and Ethel to enjoy his last retirement years at home. Donations can be made to your local Hospice Society.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Feb 13, 2010