Mary Thiessen

Mary Thiessen fell asleep in the Lord on March 19th, at her home in Hepburn. Mary was born in Aberdeen on December 10th, 1934, the daughter of Jacob and Helena Peters. In 1957 she married George Thiessen, a marriage that lasted sixty-six years until George’s recent death this past October. George and Mary had six children. During their lives together they lived in many places in central Saskatchewan including Saskatoon, Aberdeen, Osler, Langham, Dalmeny, Martensville and Hepburn. Mary’s first job was shoveling sawdust on the family farm. Over the years she worked as a secretary, a real estate agent, a school bus driver and a Sunday school teacher.

A combination of polio and a car accident that injured Mary’s back meant that she spent much of her life in a wheelchair. Despite the obvious challenges, Mary managed to live a full life, and to participate in family and community events fully. She was a social butterfly and always had a story to tell. Even during the last months of her life, when her husband George had died, she focused her energy on facilitating a renewed sense of community among her cousins and extended family. She encouraged everyone to write family stories and to keep in touch.

Mary’s love for her family, community and church all stemmed for a lifelong love of Jesus Christ. In 1995 Mary and George were received into St. Vincent’s Orthodox Church, where they were members until their deaths.

One of Mary’s great inspirations for her service to her community was the calling that her own mother had followed. Her mother Helena served their traditional Mennonite community as not only a midwife but also as a kind of lay chiropractor. She was what is known in Low German as a “trachtmarka,” one who would set broken bones, reset displaced joints and generally provide similar healthcare; never accepting any payment, always as a sister in Christ. Mary grew up speaking the Mennonite Low German, and would very often use small phrases to describe concepts in life. At Easter, when it is common to greet friends with the phrase, “Christ is risen,” she would greet those who had also grown up speaking Low German with the phrase, “Kristus ist aferstanden.” The expected answer, “indeed, He is risen,” is “Verlicht aferstanden ist.”

Mary is survived by her children: Gaye and her husband James, David and his wife Brenda, Terry and his wife Carol, Kevin and his wife Pat, as well as daughter-in-law Stacy. Her other family includes her grandchildren David, Angela, Shane, Anthony, Jordan, Nicole, Chantel, Travis, Melissa, Brent, Steven, Shawn, Jonathan, Cody, Logan, Emily, Curtis, Jack, Justin, Timothy, Shannah, Isaiah and Myriah, along with a large number of great-grandchildren. Mary is pre-deceased by her husband, George, her parents, Jacob and Helena Peters, and by her children Gordon and Crystal.

Wake Service will be held on Friday, March 22nd, 2024, 7:00 p.m., at St. Vincent Orthodox Church, 304 3rd Avenue North, Saskatoon, SK. 

Funeral Service will be held on Saturday, March 23rd, 2024, 10:00 a.m., at St. Vincent Orthodox Church. Interment to follow at the Kronstal Cemetery. A luncheon will be held at the Osler Town Hall following the interment. 

To view Mary's service live, you can log in to Zoom Meeting:
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Martens Warman Funeral Home is honored to be entrusted with the care and arrangements for Mary Thiessen.