GEORGE DAVID WIEBE

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GEORGE DAVID WIEBE

George David Wiebe was born on December 25, 1927, in Rosenort, Manitoba, and died June 5, 2026, at West Park Manor Personal Care Home in Winnipeg. His childhood was shaped by close family ties, hard work on the farm, and the enriching fellowship and congregational singing at Lena Mennonite Church.

In 1941 the family moved to Reinland, and then to the Fraser Valley in British Columbia. George stayed behind to attend Mennonite Collegiate Institute in Gretna for grades 11 and 12. At MCI he dedicated his life to following Christ.

After teaching school for a year in Manitoba, he was baptized at West Abbotsford Mennonite Church in 1946, where he first directed a choir. He attended Vancouver Normal School and taught in several schools.

Encouraged by his pastor, George enrolled at the fledgling Canadian Mennonite Bible College in Winnipeg in 1950, where he was immersed in choral music and biblical studies. At CMBC he met pianist Esther Hiebert from Plum Coulee. George and Esther were married on July 12, 1953, in Winkler, beginning a lifelong musical and marital partnership.

In 1954 CMBC appointed him to its faculty, marking the start of a 39 year career teaching alongside Esther and shaping choral life across the denomination.

George deepened his craft through summer courses with Robert Shaw and sabbatical studies at University of Southern California, Nordwestdeutsche Musikakademie, and Indiana University. In 1979 he completed his doctoral degree at Indiana University with a dissertation on Schütz's Musikalische Exequien.

George's life work as a professor and servant of the Mennonite community unfolded in complementary paths, including training a new generation of church choir directors and worship leaders. He and Esther led annual choir tours that built bridges with constituent congregations and potential students, and collaborated with Mennonite Brethren Bible College choirs in oratorio performances and church music seminars. He also contributed to Mennonite hymnody and served on four hymnal committees that produced English and German hymnals. He and Esther led the Faith and Life Male Choir, which made recordings and toured to South America and Ukraine.

After retirement George and Esther continued to serve congregations in Germany, Brazil, and Paraguay in church music roles. George and Esther grieved deeply the untimely death of their son Tim in 2019. The loss of Esther in 2022 was a profound loss, but George chose to invest in music, reading, and his beloved community at Lindenwood Terrace. George delighted in his grandchildren and great grandchildren.

George's personal faith in Jesus was at the centre of his life and music making. He was a faithful member of Mennonite congregations in Winnipeg - Sargent Avenue, Springfield Heights, and Charleswood, where he gladly served in music ministry.

He is survived by his sons Bob (Verna) and Peter (Ruth), and daughter-in-law Marlene; 12 grandchildren, and 16 great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his parents, David and Margaretha (Ens) Wiebe; daughter Miriam (in infancy); son Tim; his wife, Esther; and several siblings.

The family expresses deepest appreciation for the loving staff of West Park Manor Personal Care Home as well as Grace Hospital.

Funeral arrangements are in care of Birchwood Funeral Chapel.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jun 06, 2026