Obituary of Mary Martens

“Jesus Lead me all the way……….” Mary Martens peacefully passed away early morning June 30, 2016 surrounded by her loving children. She caught “the morning train to glory” she so frequently had sung about. Mary was born April 18, 1915 the oldest of 13 children; all of which she survived with the exception of the two youngest; sister, Tiena Hildebrand and brother Dave Peters. She was married to our Dad, George Martens in 1951. Three children were born: Joyce (married Ron Wieler), Jerry (died 3/99) (married Jan Bartel), and Gordon (married Lois Wieler) followed by 11 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren. Mother was blessed with an abundance of energy and joy in living resulting from her personal relationship with Jesus Christ and her ability to focus on the good aspects along with her habit of gratitude even amidst difficult circumstances. Mother enjoyed working hard; an art she learned early as she contributed heavily to the needs of a large family living off the land. Milking cows by hand, planting and nurturing hundreds of trees, making wool quilts and feather pillows and recognizing the importance of teaching her ways to her children and grandchildren along with making the time to encourage a family member or friend in time of need with a bucket of fresh homemade chicken noodle soup were hallmarks of Mom. We will miss her more than words can express as we treasure the memory of her quick smile and warm loving ways. Memorial service for Mary Martens was held July 9, 2016 at the Wymark Evangelical Mennonite Church with Phil Houston officiating. Interment was held at Wymark EMC with Harry Peters of Millar College of the Bible. Funeral arrangements were performed by the Parkside Funeral Home. Donations may be made to Millar College of the Bible, Pambrun, SK The Amazing Life of Mary Martens Mary was born on April 18, 1915; the firstborn of Heinrich and Justina (nee Friesen) Wieler of Blumenort, Saskatchewan. Her 101 years of life were marked by love, courage, energy, and faith directed toward others. She had an ongoing realization of God’s faithfulness to her which resulted in a spirit of gratitude and made her a genuinely happy person. Mantras frequently expressed in word and action were: The Golden Rule – “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you,” “Live on the sunny side of life,” “Wisest is the one who drops the argument first,” “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again,” “He who digs a hole for another falls in himself,” “It could be worse,” “where there’s a will there’s a way.” As the oldest with 12 siblings, Mary learned from a very young age to love and care for her brothers and sisters, each of whom held a very special place in Mother’s heart throughout her life. Ten of her loved ones preceded her to glory. Especially dear to her heart were the “four little ones”; two sets of twins born when Mother was 17 and 20 years old. Mother loved and cared for these little ones as her own making sure that each set was clothed in matching outfits down to the smallest details of hair bows and socks and shoes. The family depended heavily on Mother’s contributions in the daily demands of life. As a result, time allowed for only a very limited formal education. She would earn the privilege of running next door to the school house after completing her long list of chores. Her favorite was playing softball at recess time. Despite spending little time in the classroom, Mom taught herself to read and write in both German and English. She would write in a completely phonetical way so her writings were uniquely personalized and treasured, although sometimes required a bit of deciphering. Mother was completely devoted to her family. When her Father, Heinrich Wieler passed away, leaving behind a large, young family, Mother considered it an honor to help the family carry on. God in His mercy soon provided a wonderful man to become the beloved family head in Frank D. Peters. Mother quickly embraced him as “Dad” and carried a life-long gratitude and indebtedness for God’s gracious provision of a loving father and a resourceful provider for their family. In 1951, Mary Wieler married George Martens. She knew him well: a kind-hearted, hardworking man of integrity, who had proved his character over years of diligent work on her parents’ farm. They were both 36 years of age when they married, and having always worked for others, they now directed their focus to establishing a homestead of their own. Together they brought renewed energy and commitment to the effort of grain and cattle farming, along with gardening to sustain their family. God provided three children to George and Mary: Joyce, Jerry, and Gordon. Mom and Dad treated us as if we were the joy of their lives: humbly and gratefully speaking, we think we were…though many nieces and nephews ran tight competition. Then came the “real joys” of 11 grandchildren and 20 great grandchildren. Mother’s strong faith and courage were exhibited in many ways throughout her life, but especially in how she dealt with personal losses of loved ones. By the time she reached 17 years of age she had lost her father and several siblings. Deep loss continued throughout her life but seemed to increase her understanding of God’s sovereignty, the appeal of heaven, the brevity of life, and the importance of living each day to the fullest. Of all Mom’s losses, the loss of her beloved George and her darling son Jerry were the most profound. As was Mother’s habit, she relied on the enabling power of her Heavenly Father, believing fully that He did all things well and that “He would make a way even when there seemed to be no way.” Praise God, He was faithful! Much of Mother’s energy was spent sustaining living things whether people, plants or animals with a few exceptions. Flies and dandelions were not welcome in Mother’s domain, nor were birds if they dared to attack her strawberries or raspberries, and she was very proactive in addressing these threats. Mother planted hundreds and hundreds of trees and bushes throughout her years followed with the diligent care required for their survival and success. Mother grew up in a home where God’s Word and His principles were honored. In the early 60’s when the Wymark Church was in its infancy, God drew Mom’s heart to Himself and He became The Lord of her life, giving her joy and sincere purpose in living a life to bring glory to Him, along with the blessed hope of spending eternity with Him. She loved and honored God’s Word and loved to sing songs of the faith. She was often heard singing hymns while she worked and many were the times when she took a few minutes out of her busy day to sit down at the piano and sing songs out of the hymnal.