Maria Johann Friesen was born August 8, 1911 in Georgsthal, Russia, the fifth child of Johann and Katherina Friesen. Maria’s father and an older sister passed away in Russia before Maria came to Canada with her mother and brothers in 1925. On November 5, 1938 Maria married John A. Janz, son of Abram and Elizabeth Janz of Grunthal. They joined the Spencer Bergthaler Church which held its organizational meeting on October 29, 1939. In 1947, they transferred their membership to Elim Mennonite Church. In June of 1946, Mary and John welcomed into their home and into their lives their niece and nephew, Bonnie and Eric Friesen, children of Mary’s youngest brother, Jacob, and raised them as their children. In 1960, after Bonnie and Eric finished their schooling in Grunthal, John Janz took on the job of Dairy Herd Improvement Association Supervisor. This entailed a lot of extra work for Mary as she daily spent hours in the basement heating water and washing the test tubes and sample bottles. Then, while John was gone taking milk samples, Mary was home doing the evening and morning milking and feeding of their own cows. When John retired from his job in 1975, he and Mary moved off the farm, into the house they had built in town. After 19 years in town, John and Mary realized they would need to leave their house and move into an apartment, a difficult decision. They lived in an apartment in Grunthal Home from 1994 to 2002 when John passed away. A few months later, Mary decided to apply for residence at the Menno Home. She was accepted and moved in February of 2003. Though she never truly enjoyed her stay at Menno Home, Mary was amazed at the loving care and respect she received there and was very thankful for it. In the last week of her life, Mary talked of Jesus coming to get her. She was calm, peaceful, polite and thankful to her caregivers. Early on the morning of January 6th, 2011, Mary peacefully slipped into the welcoming arms of Jesus, her Saviour and Lord. Mary outlived her parents, a sister, six brothers and their wives, her husband, a daughter-in-law, three brothers-in-law and three sisters-in-law. She is survived by her daughter Bonnie, son Eric, granddaughters Cari (Mike) Stadnyk and Lorill Friesen, and great grandsons Matthew and Tristan Stadnyk, sisters-in-law Sara Janz and Sue Hansen, and numerous nieces and nephews. Thank you, Mary, for living your faith. Thank you for living unselfishly, for praying for us and for being a model for us. Enjoy the rest and health God is now giving you and the mansion He has prepared for you. The funeral service will be held Tuesday, January 11, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. at the Elim Mennonite Church in Grunthal with interment at Grunthal Cemetery. If friends so desire donations may be made to the Menno Home Foundation, Box 280; Grunthal, MB R0A 0R0