BEN W. HEINRICHS

Adjust Text Size: A+ A-

BEN W. HEINRICHS September 15, 1913- September 14, 2004 On Tuesday, September 14, 2004, Ben Heinrichs, beloved father, grandfather, great-grandfather, dear friend and great storyteller, went to join his wife and a host of others whod passed on before. He is survived by sister Annie of Altona; one daughter Dolores Aberdeen, Castlegar, BC; three sons, Bill (Carol), Penticton, BC, Ron (Mary) of Morden, Ken of Winnipeg; 14 grandchildren, Charmaine Aberdeen of Castlegar, Cindy, Debbie, Bradley, Monty, Danny of Vancouver, Brett (Michaela), Calgary, Angela (Don), Airdre, AB, Sheldon (Kristine), Steinbach, Sherald, Morden, Laura and Caitlin Heinrichs of Winnipeg; six great-grandchildren, Bailey and Will Aberdeen of Castlegar, Tricia, Erin and Josh of Airdre and Erryn Heinrichs of Steinbach. He was predeceased by his parents William and Maria Heinrichs; his wife Tien; four brothers, three sisters and a daughter, Barbara in infancy. Ben grew up on the family farm in Halbstadt. He attended school in Halbstadt, Lowe Farm and the MCI in Gretna. It was at the MCI that Ben acquired a love of music, especially classical and opera. In 1934, Ben left the family farm to attend Hanson Auto School in Fargo, ND. A year later he returned to Halbstadt to work in the family machine shop. Here he put his creative mind to work and built a 32 volt electric charger to generate lights for the barn and house. To his fathers delight, Ben also built a radio which kept the entire family in touch with the world. In 1938 Ben married Tien Abrams and they spent a year in Tyndall where Ben managed his own garage and taxi service. Upon their return to Altona, Ben opened up shop and continued to serve his community until well past his retirement in 1980. Ben was an avid reader all his life and had a particular interest in Mennonite history. He also loved to travel and knew no strangers along the way. He was a faithful husband, a devoted father and a loyal friend. Throughout his life he was a collector of antiques and made many wonderful friends pursuing his hobby. He will be deeply missed by those who knew and loved him. His stories will continue to resonate in our hearts and minds forever. A gathering to celebrate his life was held on September 20 at the Altona Seniors Centre. The family would like to thank the following for their caring and support: Dr. Buddefeld for taking care of our father for so many years, the nurses and staff at Altona Community Memorial Health Centre for their tender care and compassion, Mel and Chris Giesbrecht for their help at the gathering and a special thank-you to all the friends and family who visited our father and assisted him when he needed it. Thanks also to Terry Wiebe for taking care of the arrangements and for being a good neighbour.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Nov 04, 2004