BERNHARD NEUFELD

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BERNHARD NEUFELD November 12, 1912 - July 11, 2005 On Monday, July 11, Bernhard Neufeld, beloved husband of Katharina passed away at the age of 92 years. He was predeceased by his first grandchild in May 1969 and leaves to mourn his wife Katharina (Kroeger); his children, Victor, Elfrieda (Schroeder), Irma, Bernard, John, Ruth (Jansen), Hertha (Paetkau) and Margaret (Neufeld); 19 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Our Dad was the last surviving member of his family. He was born in Chortitza, Ukraine, on November 12, 1912, and experienced the loss of his parents at an early age, during the Russian Revolution. He married Katharina Kroeger on November 3, 1940. On October 1, 1943, the family fled from Russia to Germany via Poland, living in various refugee camps. On February 1, 1947, they boarded the Dutch ship Volendam for Paraguay. Here they lived under the most adverse pioneer conditions. Besides farming, Dad preached in the village churches of area. In June 1952 the family immigrated to Canada, settling in Didsbury, AB, where Dad worked the night shift at a local creamery until the family moved to Winnipeg in 1964. Here Dad was employed by the DeFehr furniture factory until his retirement. He and Mom spent many years babysitting their many grandchildren and hosting their large family. During their just over 40 years in Winnipeg, our parents enjoyed the peace and quiet they longed for all their lives. The funeral will be held at the Springfield Heights Mennonite Church on Thursday, July 14 at 10:30 a.m. Many thanks to Dr. Isaac and the staff at Concordia Hospital for their helpfulness and kindness during these days. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Mennonite Central Committee will be gratefully accepted.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jul 14, 2005