Obituary of Rosa Thiessen

Peacefully, on February 21^st at 5:15 p.m., Rose Thiessen was ushered into the presence of her precious Lord & Saviour.

Rosa was born on June 17^th, 1926 in Silberfeld, Mb., the youngest of Jacob & Anna Guenther's 11 children. In her childhood, she attended Gimli Bible Camp. Her registration cost was memorizing 500 scripture verses, and she, along with other campers, were transported by grain truck from Roseau River to Gimli! It was there she realized her need to ask Jesus to forgive her sins and become her Lord, and thereafter lived her life as His child. She wanted ALL praise to go to Him for any good that came from her life.

She was a good student in her one room elementary school and then started high school in a neighbouring town, just 4 miles away, but homesickness took her back to the safety of her parents' home. Early in life, her artistic talents evidenced themselves, when as a young 4H sewing club member, she won a trip to Winnipeg because of her sewing expertise!!

Her parents farm at Roseau River was adjacent to the John Thiessen farm.  The Thiessen's son John caught her eye. She would say it was vice versa! His affections weren't reciprocated until he returned from a short stint of military service & she declared “the army has made a man out of him!”

They were married on July 2, 1947 (on a Wednesday, because several of her sisters had that anniversary date).  After marriage, mom & dad worked together at a hydro camp in Ontario. After some time, Mom had to take the train home to Mb to prepare for their twin girls arrival. Dad followed and they purchased a farm at Roseau River, which was to be her home for the next 59 years! 6 more children followed over a period of 21 years. Money wasn't abundant on the small dairy farm but she made those cream cheques stretch!! She was equally adept at stacking a beautifully rounded haystack, milking cows, cooking everything from scratch, sewing literally thousands of clothing items for her family & others, and designing many a custom wedding cake (one was even transported to Alberta for Art & Jackie's wedding.)  It was the love in the home; never the money that made her children feel loved & valued. Mom loved taking on the role of grandma & later great grandma!! For many years, she handcrafted a special Christmas ornament for each grandchild. She enjoyed playing dominoes, skipbo, and fox & goose with them.

Although she had a big workload at home, she served faithfully at her church, Stuartburn Gospel Chapel, where she enjoyed rich fellowship. She taught Sunday School, sang in the choir, hosted innumerable pastors, missionaries and visiting ministry groups, preparing delicious homecooked buns and meals, and freshly made beds.  She also loved cooking at Bible camps where her children worked. 

As a youth, mom thought she was called to be a missionary. After marrying dad, she didn't think she could fulfill that calling, but a sweet pastor's wife reminded her that her children were her mission field. She could raise them for Jesus and send them out. So she did. She and dad encouraged each of the 8 of us to attend at least one year of formal Bible training which all did.

“Prayer Warrior” may be the best 2 words to describe who mom was!! She prayed regularly and with great fervency for her family and friends, knowing God's will in each situation would prove best!

Mom was committed to her community. She and dad visited and became close friends with many, taking a genuine interest in their lives and were always willing to help their neighbours when needed.

In 2007, Rose made the move to a seniors apartment at Meadowood Manor in Winnipeg. She resided there for 10 years and volunteered by helping feed residents in the pch and setting up for coffee time. With her health failing, she moved to the PCH portion of the manor in 2017. She enjoyed making new friends and encouraged many with her sweet smile.

Life was not always pleasant for mom, As her hearing & memory declined, and other conditions such as Parkinson's, cardiac issues, COPD and more took their toll, she continued to be grateful to her Lord. Her sentiment was always “I'm way better off than most”. When dad passed away in 2004, she grieved deeply but carried on living at the farm for 3 more years.

Mom is lovingly remembered by her children Darlene (Dave Holland), Grace (Ralph Gliege), Carol (Ted Hartog), Art (Jackie) Thiessen, Marilyn (Mel Thiessen), son in law David Klassen (Teresa), Debbie (Rick Woodall) and Kelvin (Lorie) Thiessen, 22 grandchildren and 45 great grandchildren.

Preceded in death by her loving husband John, daughter Lois, grandchildren Jolene Thiessen, Nolan Klassen and Charlene Krause and great grandaughter Addison Woodall.

The family wishes to extend our gratefulness to the loving staff at Meadowood personal care home for their excellent care of our mom. We also thank her chaplain, Dave Holland & his wife Darlene, for the spiritual care & visits. We must make special mention of our sister Debbie & her husband Rick, who generously gave of their time to take mom on countless excursions, as well as tending to other needs.

TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!

The funeral service will be held Saturday, February 29, 2020 at 1:30 p.m. at Winnipeg Evangelical Free Church, Winnipeg, MB with viewing prior to the service. Burial will be held at Grace Cemetery, Stuartburn.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Millar College of the Bible or Dallas Valley Ranch Camp.