AGNES BERGEN

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AGNES BERGEN Peacefully, while on vacation in Arizona on March 4, 2018, our mother and grandmother passed away. Agnes was born July 7, 1927 in Soviet Ukraine to Kornelius and Emilie Neustaedter, the oldest of six children. She spoke often of those happy, early days in school and could still recite Russian poetry, learned in those years. But the war disrupted chances for education and with her mother and all her siblings she was forced to flee west. Reunited with their father in Germany, the family then left for Paraguay, where she later met her husband, Kornelius Bergen. They married in 1949 and had two children; Arthur in 1950 and Dorothea in 1953. By 1956 they had immigrated to Winnipeg, where they worked hard to raise their family. When that work was done, they retired to Abbotsford, BC. As long as she was able, Mom loved tending to her gardens. Later in life, she travelled often. She enjoyed an especially close relationship with her cherished daughter and was blessed by her presence in death. She leaves behind her daughter Dorothea (Drew Sheele), daughter-in-law Lorie, grandchildren, Adam, Heidi and Paul Bergen, and Michael (Liz) Jones; great-grandchildren Jacob Samuels, Colin, Maxwell, Henry, Greta, Oskar and Oliver Bergen. She is also survived by her siblings Elsie Braun, Kornelius (Margaret), Woldemar (Anyta) and Henry (Hilde) Neustaedter and Kathy (Peter) Peters. She was predeceased by her parents, her husband Kornelius in 2016 and her son Arthur in 2017. Funeral service is being held March 10 at Ebenezer Mennonite Church in Abbotsford, BC.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Mar 10, 2018