 IndexPage |
 Previoussection |
Section 7 |  Nextsection |
Lily Florence Wiens
Herbert Peter Wiens
Rose Hildegard Wiens
Anna Grace Wiens
Reuben Peter Wiens
Edward Peter Wiens
Violet Viola Wiens
Elizabeth Helen Wiens
John Peter Wiens
Victor Peter Wiens
Gerhard (George) Peter Wiens
Naomi Ruth Wiens
Melita Margaret Wiens
Blondina Joanna Wiens
These are the children whose lives were impacted and influenced by the faith and example of Peter and Maria Wiens.
Our beloved husband and father, Peter P. Wiens, was born on January 17, 1908 on a farm near Ufa in Russia. At approximately the age of one year he lost his father. A year later his mother entered a second marriage with Peter H. Pauls.
In May, 1925, at the age of 17, he left Russia with his two sisters, Sara (Mrs. Nicolai Pauls) and Margaret, single at the time. They arrived in Rosthern, where he attended high school for one year. In the summer months, he earned his living by working in Winnipeg and Southern Saskatchewan.
In November, 1927, as a youth, he came to Rev. N. P. Pauls, his brother-in-law's farm at Glenbush, Saskatchewan. Clearing bushland for others was his means of earning wages. At that time he bought a quarter of land.
On September 23, 1928, he was baptized upon the confession of his faith and was received into the fellowship of the Mennonite Brethren Church at Glenbush. During his stay at this place, he was active in the church and the community. In church he enjoyed the Sunday school work and church music activities.
October 7, 1934, he was united in holy matrimony to me, Maria Derksen, at Borden, Saskatchewan. The Lord blessed our marriage and entrusted us with 14 children - 8 daughters and 6 sons. On September 25, 1961 it pleased the Lord to take our beloved husband and father to be with Him in glory. He died as a result of a premature dynamite explosion while he, together with several other men, was removing the foundation of a large water tower, which he and John Isaac had purchased from a railroad company.
He lived to be 53 years, 8 months and 8 days old. I had the privilege of living with him in wedlock for 26 years, 11 months and 18 days. He left to meet sometime in glory his loving wife, Maria;
6 sons, 8 daughters, his 90 year old mother-in-law; 3 sisters - Sara (Mrs. N. H. Pauls) Kelowna, B. C., Justina (Mrs. K. K. Siemens) Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and Margaret (Mrs. J. P. Enns) Vineland, Ontario; 2 half sisters, Tina (Mrs. Peter Warkentin) and Nettie (Mrs. Bernhard Schmidt) both living in Russia and many relatives and friends. Predeceased are his parents, 1 sister, 2 half sisters and one half brother.
In our deep sorrow we find consolation in the words "I will lift up mine eyes until the hills from whence cometh my help. My help cometh the Lord." Ps. 121:1. We are grateful to all who have expressed their sympathy and shown their love in deeds of kindness.
 |
| A Final Good-bye to a beloved husband, father and provider Back row: Herb, Lily, Ed, Vi, Reuben 3rd row: Anna, Mom, Rose, Vic, Beth, John 2nd Row: Naomi, Melita and George Front Row: Blondina |
By Helen Steiner Rice
Fathers are wonderful people
Too little understood,
And we do not sing their praises
As often as we should . . .
For, somehow, Father seems to be
The man who pays the bills,
While Mother binds up little hurts
And nurses all our ill . . .
And Father struggles daily
To live up to "HIS IMAGE"
As protector and provider
And "hero of the scrimmage" . . .
And perhaps that is the reason
We sometimes get the notion
That fathers are no subject
To the thing we call emotion,
But if you look inside Dad's heart,
Where no one else can see,
You'll find he's sentimental
And as "soft" as he can be . . .
But he's so busy every day
In the grueling race of life,
He leaves the sentimental stuff
To his partner and his wife . . .
But Fathers are just WONDERFUL
In a million different ways,
And they merit loving compliments
And accolades of praise,
For the only reason Dad aspires
To fortune and success
Is to make the family proud of him
And to bring them happiness . . .
And like OUR HEAVENLY FATHER,
He's our guardian and a guide,
Someone that we can count on
To be ALWAYS ONE OUR SIDE
Q. What kind of adjustments did you have to make from living in Borden to moving into a pioneer area?
A. I arrived in Glenbush late at night. It was very dark. It was an all day drive by car from Great Deer to Glenbush. The car your Dad was driving was a borrowed one. The speed limit was about 15 mph and the roads were like one track roads. We had three flats. At that time you had your own kit and pump along to fix the inner tube and pump up your tire by hand. I don't know how old the car was but we finally made it.
It was a lovely day on October 9, 1934 when I said goodbye to my family. The house that we lived in Glenbush was far from finished on the inside. It was a log house with only stones for a foundation so that the mice could easily come in and I hated that. One time I found a nest in my feather blanket with little mice in it.
Another adjustment was the bedbugs which came out of the wooden boards. Somehow as we plastered and white washed the walls, it was easier to fight the bugs and mice. We bought some kind of powder and powdered all along the walls on the floor and in no time the bugs disappeared. Good thing the bugs did not bite us!
Another was food the first year when we didn't have chickens yet so we didn't have any eggs. But we had milk and fish and some beef.
I came from a house where we were 7 people in one house with a phone and a car. The first winter I was mostly alone in the daytime because Peter was cutting and hauling logs to sell to earn money so that he could buy a plough.
I can't remember missing what I had at home. I loved to read, sew and do fancy work. Then there were some outside chores I had to do. When I came to Glenbush, I was accepted and we had many friends.
Q. How did Dad feel about a large family?
A. He wanted a big family.
Q. How did he feel when one by one his children left the farm to get jobs, education especially when they moved so far away such as Manitoba and B.C.?
A. Because it is normal to leave home when you grow up, it was alright. At that time, everybody who wanted to get a higher education than Grade 12 had to go and work to pay for their education. I remember him asking Rose when she left for B.C. just a few weeks before he was killed, if she would come to his funeral.
Q. What did you do for entertainment in the days before electricity and radio?
A. We did lots of reading, singing, visiting and playing games.
Q. In today's rate of high divorces, what did marriage mean to the two of you, especially when things were really tough?
A. Marriage was a commitment to each other plus a lot of hard work.
Q. What involvement did Dad have in the community and church?
A. He lead the string orchestra, taught Sunday school, sang in the choir and also the male quartet etc.
Q. What was the most important thing that got you through the worst of times such as the loss of the chicken barn on Christmas Eve, droughts and even the loss of a mate or child?
A. Trust in God! God says we are to prove him.
"Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." Malachi 3:10
August 14, 1992
To My Wiens Cousins:
When I think of your father, my dear Uncle Peter, I think of many years when we had good times together. He took time out to have fun with us younger ones and I recall his cheerful laugh.
Later when I toke grades nine and ten in your school district, I lived with your family so I learned to know him better. He usually got up early before 6:00 a.m. He would bring a cup of tea* to Aunt Mary's bedside and go out to do some chores. All summer long he worked hard out on the field.
Sundays were special days when he'd take his family to church where he'd have two or three little ones on his knees and another one or two on either side, all well behaved. On Sunday afternoons, he would gather the family around the piano played by Aunt Mary and everyone would enjoy a great sing song of gospel songs.
I remember Uncle Peter took his place in the church choir in the section. He would often sing solos not only in our local church choir but also at song festivals with other churches together. I remember how I appreciated a series of voice lessons he taught to the young people in our church and in this way encouraged us all to do our best.
I will always think of your father as a favorite person in my life.
Your Cousin,
Marie Enns Penner
The cups of tea referred to in this letter were brought to Maria each morning because they helped her get out of bed each morning during per pregnancies. This method really worked.
| Index Page |
Previous section |
Section 7 | Next section |