Jake Wiebe

The Blue Diamonds Restaurant in Saskatoon lost a loyal customer on Wednesday with the passing of Jake Wiebe. After surviving many health issues throughout his life including cancer and a heart condition, his story came to a peaceful end on a beautiful spring day in early May.

Jake grew up in the Osler area with loving parents, his sister Anne, and two brothers, John and Bill. His was a typical prairie upbringing, full of faith and family and laughter through good times and bad. At an early age he came to understand the value of hard work and this carried through all of his days. When he was a teenager, he met the most beautiful and fabulous woman he ever could have dreamed of and fell madly in love with her. He had the good sense to ask for her hand in marriage and she joyfully accepted. Her name was Mary, and he adored her with his whole heart every single day for the rest of his life. Two children resulted from this magnificent love, a son named Lloyd and a daughter named Val. Jake was enormously proud of both of them and was always available for support, advice, or dinner at Blue Diamonds if anyone in the family ever needed to talk about something.Lloyd and Val, in an effort to simplify things, decided it would just be easier to marry into the same family and that was how the Penners and the Wiebes became closely entwined with one another. Lloyd married Shirley, a firecracker with a great laugh and a great sense of humour. Val married Merv, more the strong silent type. (It’s been said his quiet demeanor brought a much-needed calmness to Wiebe family gatherings.) Shirley and Merv both loved Jake deeply and he came to love them as his own.

The grandchildren that resulted from these two marriages could not have brought Jake any greater joy. He absolutely adored Lyndon, Jamey, Kim, and Lynsey and although Lyndon insists that he was the “favourite”, this has been hotly contested by the other three. As a grandfather, Jake could not have been more loved or cherished and was called upon constantly for advice. (He was also sometimes asked to lend money to grandchildren who had moments of “irresponsibility” but these situations were usually kept pretty quiet.) Advice requested included (but was not limited to) car advice, relationship advice, financial advice, travel advice, spiritual advice, and farming advice, usually over dinner at Blue Diamonds. If the hour was late or one’s day was largely booked, one could also discuss issues over a pan-scrambler at Humpty’s instead. A breakfast advice date was just as good as a dinner advice date! Grandpa always picked up the tab, and the grandkids always left feeling special and loved and having some direction for the situation they were facing.

In terms of career, Jake spent some time farming and started out with chickens. This eventually proved to be less fun than it looked so he switched over to cattle for a time. Farming was one of Jake’s joys in life, but most people who knew him professionally will remember him for one of two things. First, as a school bus driver for many years who took great pride in getting kids to and from school safely. Secondly, as the caretaker and custodian of Martensville High School for many decades. (So long in fact, they used to joke he came with the building.) Jake enjoyed his work and loved both students and faculty members. Roxanne, the school secretary, and Ed Enns, the school principal, both became supporting characters in the never-ending sitcom that was his work life. Many of the young souls who passed through that school over the years will remember his laugh, his kindness, and his willingness to help in any and every situation.

Jake and Mary’s life was filled with good Mennonite food, time spent with friends, and occasional trips to the US or elsewhere. Jake loved a good road trip and often spoke of their time traveling through California and Arizona or the time they went all the way to Vancouver for Expo 86! There were so many people who were dear to Jake and Mary, and so many winter nights playing Skip-Bo and laughing and giving each other a hard time! Jake loved to joke and tease and no one was safe from his commentary! Abe and Marge Peters, Abe and Mary Wall, Ike and Margaret Unger, Henry and Clara Wiebe, Irvin and Anne Doell, Anne and Dick Neudorf, Harv and Sharon Sawatzky…there are no doubt many others that could be added to this list but these were all “regulars” in Jake’s and Mary’s home. There was always good coffee, good conversation, and more often than not, Jake would say “let’s go to Blue Diamonds for supper first and then we’ll play some games tonight…”

Jake’s was a life well lived, but it would be negligent not to mention his greatest treasure of all. This was his faith in Christ. His relationship with Jesus was the thing he held most dear, and he spoke often of prayer and scriptures that were meaningful to him. He frequently read books by Billy Graham or Phillip Yancy, and it was not uncommon for him to write a cheque to missionaries struggling with their finances. He believed that all things could be made better with prayer, that the Lord has great compassion for those in need, and that someday he would go to meet his heavenly father. “What a day that will be!” he often said. He spoke of going home to glory on many occasions and absolutely loved the line in ‘The Sweet By and By’ about meeting on that beautiful shore.

Jake was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, friend, and neighbour. He led by example and always put the needs of others ahead of his own.

 He will be remembered and deeply missed by all who had the good fortune to know and love him.

Jake's Viewing will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, May 12, 2025, in the Martens Warman Funeral Home, 402 Central Street West, Warman. His Funeral Service will take place at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in the Warman Bergthaler Church, 206 2nd Street, Warman, SK. Following Jake's Funeral Service, his Interment will be held at the Neuhorst EMMC Cemetery, Neuhorst, SK.

Martens Warman Funeral Home is honoured to be entrusted with Mr. Jake Wiebe's care and arrangements.