Obituary of Martin Fehr

It is with great sorrow that we announce the sudden passing of Martin on Friday, November 13, 2020, at the age of 76. 

Martin will be dearly missed by his four children, Wilf (Michelle Harms), Wilma (Grant McMillan), Veronika (Craig Streu), and Ernie (Joy Halliday); his grandchildren, Shelby (Gavin Kroeker), Sydney, Sebastian, Luke, Burke, Kara, Elizabeth, Jenson, and step-grandchildren, Abbey and Gracie Harms; his second wife, Hilda Doerksen & her family; his siblings & half siblings; as well as his extended family and his many friends.

Dad was predeceased by his wife of 49 years, Maria (nee Toews) (2015); his mother, Katharina (nee Friesen) (1957); his father, Peter (2000); and his step-mother, Helena (nee Neufeld) (2018) as well as a number of siblings & half-siblings.

Dad was born on October 21, 1944, and spent his early years in Loma Plata, Paraguay.  Martin was the second oldest of ten children born to Peter Fehr & Katharina Friesen with an additional seven half-siblings after his father re-married Helena Neufeld.

Dad learned the value of hard work growing up in Loma Plata, Paraguay. After meeting Maria, he knew she was the one for him and after a short courtship, they were married on July 28, 1965.  In 1970, after 3 children, they decided to leave family to make a better life for themselves in Canada.  They loved their life in Canada but after a couple of years, they missed their respective families.  So shortly after their youngest son was born, they headed back to Paraguay to be closer to family.  In 1975, they decided to make the permanent move back to Canada and settled in Steinbach, Manitoba, close to a few family members that had also made the move. 

Dad started his career at Barkman Concrete, working in Plumbing & Heating.  After a few years, he was encouraged to go out on his own & started Fehr Sheet Metal, which he owned & operated for 28 years.  He then decided to sell Fehr Sheet Metal to allow more time to enjoy life and to spend more time on the golf course.  He was a prominent businessman in Steinbach and was always looking for new ventures.  Over the years he owned/was part-owner of a number of businesses. 

Family was everything to Dad. He was a loyal son, a supportive husband, father, brother and grandfather. Martin whole-heartedly embraced his role as Opa (Grandpa) and loved to spoil his grandchildren. His pride and joy were watching his grandchildren grow. As babies, you could find him lying on the floor playing with them. He always tried his best to go watch the kids in their numerous activities to cheer them on and spoil them rotten. They will particularly miss his drop-in visits, and playing games, golfing and mini golf with him. 

Dad had a sense of humour and knew how to have fun. He had a zest for life and loved getting together with family or friends.  He also had a gift for bringing people together. He loved heading out for a ride around town on his bicycle.  He knew most people he met along the way by name.  Dad was a supportive and loving friend, who was always available to lend a hand or have a chat with anyone wherever he went.  He loved attending Piston games and was a proud supporter of the team as well as various other non-profit organizations in the community e.g. Youth for Christ and Mennonite Central Committee.

Dad will be remembered for his generous heart, sense of humour, resilience, fun-loving spirit and his welcoming smile.

The family would like to thank the staff at the Steinbach Bethesda Hospital and the Health Sciences Hospital ICU Palliative Care unit for their excellent care. They offered him comfort and dignity during his brief stay in hospital, and for that we are grateful.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Bethesda Foundation or the Heart & Stroke Foundation, Manitoba.

A private family funeral service for Martin will be held on Tuesday, November 24, 2020, at 10:30 a.m., at Birchwood Funeral Chapel, Steinbach, MB.