Friday 18 September 2015
Friday 11 November 2011
John's headstone
Tuesday 8 March 2011
Continuation of family history compiled by Susan Reddekopp Schulz and Judy Schulz
GERHARD REDDEKOPP
The years in Mexico were difficult. From the day the family arrived, Gerhard and his wife wanted only to find a way to return to Canada. They disagreed with the conservative philosophy of the Old Colony Church. Four years after their arrival in Mexico, they moved to the town of Patos to distance themselves from the Mennonite Community. Finally, in 1936, they had enough money to return to Canada.
Gerhard worked very hard to support his growing family. In Mexico, their eighth child, Peter, had been born. Once back in Canada, two more children, Marie and Sara, were born. Eventually he was to buy 80 acres of land near Horndean, Manitoba.
He was a good repairman who could fix anything. He was practical and built the furniture the family needed, such as a dining room table and kitchen cupboards. He was an optimistic, patient, hard-working, can-do person, traits he may have inherited from his father. He certainly needed many positive qualities to face a life filled with obstacles:his first young family had died; he had faced the disappointments of trading his 340-acre farm in Saskatchewan for an almost worthless farm in Mexico, he had the pressures of supporting a large extended family, his two brothers and his father had died while theyy lived in Mexico.
His wife Anna was often not well, already in Mexico, and then back in Manitoba as well. After a long, painful bout with stomach cancer, she died in 1945. Gerhard suffered his losses stoically and worked hard to be a supportive father to his ten now motherless children,
In 1952, he married his third wife, a Mrs Warkentin. The wedding took place in his home in Horndean, with Rev. David Schulz officiating. The marriage and the presence of the stepmother soon created an unhappy situation for the younger children still living at home.
In the year before his death, Gerhard was already aware of some health problems and had slowed down considerably. He was taking medication to control his blood pressure and had been told by his doctor to limit his intake of animal fats. On the morning of August 12, 1955 at the age of 57, he suffered a stroke. The next day, on August 13, 1955, he died in his home, surrounded by his family. Although physically he had been a man small in stature (his 1936 passport lists him as 5' 8") to his loving sons and daughters he had always seemed 10 ft. tall.
The years in Mexico were difficult. From the day the family arrived, Gerhard and his wife wanted only to find a way to return to Canada. They disagreed with the conservative philosophy of the Old Colony Church. Four years after their arrival in Mexico, they moved to the town of Patos to distance themselves from the Mennonite Community. Finally, in 1936, they had enough money to return to Canada.
Gerhard worked very hard to support his growing family. In Mexico, their eighth child, Peter, had been born. Once back in Canada, two more children, Marie and Sara, were born. Eventually he was to buy 80 acres of land near Horndean, Manitoba.
He was a good repairman who could fix anything. He was practical and built the furniture the family needed, such as a dining room table and kitchen cupboards. He was an optimistic, patient, hard-working, can-do person, traits he may have inherited from his father. He certainly needed many positive qualities to face a life filled with obstacles:his first young family had died; he had faced the disappointments of trading his 340-acre farm in Saskatchewan for an almost worthless farm in Mexico, he had the pressures of supporting a large extended family, his two brothers and his father had died while theyy lived in Mexico.
His wife Anna was often not well, already in Mexico, and then back in Manitoba as well. After a long, painful bout with stomach cancer, she died in 1945. Gerhard suffered his losses stoically and worked hard to be a supportive father to his ten now motherless children,
In 1952, he married his third wife, a Mrs Warkentin. The wedding took place in his home in Horndean, with Rev. David Schulz officiating. The marriage and the presence of the stepmother soon created an unhappy situation for the younger children still living at home.
In the year before his death, Gerhard was already aware of some health problems and had slowed down considerably. He was taking medication to control his blood pressure and had been told by his doctor to limit his intake of animal fats. On the morning of August 12, 1955 at the age of 57, he suffered a stroke. The next day, on August 13, 1955, he died in his home, surrounded by his family. Although physically he had been a man small in stature (his 1936 passport lists him as 5' 8") to his loving sons and daughters he had always seemed 10 ft. tall.
Monday 7 March 2011
Reddekopp/Warkentin Family 1970
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| Upper: Elfe, Erwin, Mindy Lower: Martha Reddekopp Warkentin, David, John Warkentin |
Sunday 6 March 2011
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