Helena Penner Dyck Our dear mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and great-great-grandmother Helena Penner Dyck was born on December 24, 1909 to Bernhard and Katharina Giesbrecht Penner in Gnadenthal, Manitoba, Canada. She passed away peacefully at her daughter Lena and son-in-law Peter Reimer’s place at Rosenort, MB on May 1, 2012, reaching the age of one hundred and two years. She grew up and received her education in the village of Gnadenthal. At the age of fourteen she, together with her parental family and many friends, moved to Mexico. This beginning was not easy, but they managed and life eventually became normal for them. In her youth she decided to become a child of God, whom she would serve all her life. Born and raised in the Old Colony Church, many things regarding religion remained unclear to her but she believed that she was a sinner and that Jesus was the only redeemer that could forgive sin. She loved the Lord and put to practice the Golden Rule of “do unto others as you would that they do unto you”. God gave her a love for others and she told us often that she loved us all. She joined the Old Colonist Church in her youth. Mother joined in marriage with our father Isaak Dyck in 1932 and together they started their own home. Seven sons and two daughters were born to this union. One son died at a young age. After living with her parents for the first seven years, they moved to Osterwick in the Cuauhtémoc area for another four and one half years. After her mother passed away they moved back to her home place where they cared for her father until he passed away. In 1957 they moved to Los Jagueyes where they joined the Kleine Gemeinde Church, finding more light and spiritual life there. In 1959 they moved to Belize, Central America together with numerous other families where they encountered another new beginning with plenty of pioneering hardships. Father was a dentist and doctor, and mother was his constant helper. Many little babies were born whom mother lovingly cared for. Often mothers with their babies were kept and cared for several days until they could go home. She had a heart for the needy and was always ready to give of her time and whatever else was needed. In 1985 her husband, our father, was tragically removed from her side, and from there on she had to face life alone. She did not complain but with God’s help, made the best of it. Her son Abram, with his family, moved her house onto their yard, making life a lot easier for her. In 2003 she moved to Canada to live with her youngest daughter Lena, where she wanted to be cared for into old age. She lived in with Peter and Lena Reimer for 6 years. During this time a desire for full fellowship with the Christian brotherhood developed in her heart. Through prayer and concern of soul it appeared that God did a work of consecration in her heart. She requested church membership and was baptized into the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite on July 3, 2005, at Rosenort, MB. She remained true to God and her vows unto the end. When Mother’s health declined she moved to Maplewood Manor in September, 2009, where she was cared for about two years. The staff did their best for Mother in caring for her, but she still longed to return to her daughter’s place. Her wish to move back to her daughter’s home was granted for another seven months. We are very thankful that the Lord opened the door for this. She is survived by six sons: Bernhard and Helena in Chihuahua, Mexico, Abram and Katherine in Spanish Lookout, Belize, Isaak and Adina in Rosenort, MB, Peter and Leona in Northfield, Nova Scotia, John and Esther in Hestand, Kentucky, David and Lena in Rosenort, MB; two daughters: Katharina and Frank Froese in Greenland, MB, Lena and Peter Reimer, Rosenort, MB; seventy-five grandchildren, two hundred and forty-two great-grandchildren and twenty three great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, six brothers, three sisters, one son, five grandchild-ren and seven great-grandchildren. The Family Viewing will be held at the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite in Rosenort,MB on Friday, May 4, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. The funeral service will be held Saturday, May 5 at 10:30 a.m. at the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite with interment at the church cemetery.