Mildred Penner was born on July 12, 1929 in Steinbach, Manitoba, the only daughter of Abram F. Penner and Mary D. Reimer. She grew up in the Landmark area, and attended school in Landmark and Steinbach. Her keen interest in education became apparent at a very young age, and she continued to take university courses after high school, graduating in 1974 with a Bachelor of Arts. Dad first met mom while working at her father’s farm. She and dad began dating in 1946 while she was working as a cook’s helper at the lumber camp. They dated for three years, and were married on August 27, 1949. Mom was always able to balance multiple priorities while maintaining her independent and entrepreneurial spirit - she was far ahead of her time in this respect. She began teaching immediately after high school in 1947 in Greenland. She later left her teaching career for a season upon the arrival of her daughters Teresa and Marcia, tending to all the needs of her growing family while working as the head cook at the Mafeking lumber camp until 1958. Cooking remained very important to mom, and she continued to clip hundreds of recipies over the years from various publications - her collection would put even master chefs to shame! Mom then obtained her teacher’s certificate in 1959, and resumed full time teaching duties in 1960. She taught grades 1 through 8 in the early 1960’s, while still ensuring that her family’s needs were given top priority. She developed innovative solutions to balancing the needs of both career and family - the family clearly recalls regularly having lunch with mom at the basement of the school while she was teaching. Mom’s nurturing continued as her family grew in the 1960’s, with the arrival of Rhonda in 1964 and Kerry in 1967. She was full time homemaker during this time and resumed her teaching career in 1970 until she retired in the early 80’s. Mom was an entrepreneur, taking several initiatives with dad in the local community. She and dad built and operated the Landmark General Store in the early 1950’s, built and operated the first and only greenhouse at the time in the mid 1970’s, and built and operated a new restaurant in Landmark in 1982. Her spirit as an independent thinker was evident in all of these ventures. She of course respected dad’s opinion as her partner in life with respect to matters of both business and the heart, and she invariably asked for dad’s opinion concerning these matters. Mom had a passion for travel, taking advantage of all opportunities to see the world - her many trips included visits to South Korea, the Middle East, England, Europe, and the United States. Mom also loved to garden, having two huge gardens on the farmstead. Football was also her sports passion - she actually arranged her schedule to ensure that she could watch every possible CFL game, with a particular interest in the performance of the Bombers. Mom’s faith was central to her life. She was baptized in the late 1940’s into the Prairie Rose EMC. Her faith was characterized by devout trust in God, while maintaining an open mind and respect for different opinions. Mom’s faith was evident in her compassion for others in need. Over the years mom worked tirelessly but quietly with her huge gardens, donating most of the fruits of her labor every year to Winnipeg Harvest and others in need. She was also was very fond of quilting, and used her skills to make and donate quilts to MCC. Family was of course paramount to mom. We always delighted in mom’s love and guidance that she provided for her family, and we will miss this dearly. Mom always took a genuine interest in all activities of her family members, reflected in the insightful and interesting questions that she asked throughout the years. The family expresses its appreciation and gratitude for all of the prayers and tremendous support we have receive from family, friends, all of the local churches and the community at large. The family would also like to thank all of the staff at Ste. Anne Hospital for the exceptionally compassionate care that they provided to mom during her stay at the hospital. Mildred passed away Friday, October 29, 2010 at the Ste. Anne Hospital at the age of 81. Viewing will be held at Birchwood Funeral Chapel in Steinbach on Tuesday, November 2 at 7:00 p.m. with a devotional at 7:30 p.m. and at the church prior to the service. The funeral service will be held Wednesday, November 3 at 2:00 p.m. at the Prairie Rose Evangelical Mennonite Church in Landmark with interment at the church cemetery. If friends so desire donations may be made to the Mennonite Central Committee, 134 Plaza Drive; Winnipeg, MB R3T 5K9 or to Cancer Care Manitoba Foundation, 1109 – 675 McDermot Ave.; Wpg., MB R3E 0V9