Obituary: Susan Giesbrecht

Susan Giesbrecht (nee Schroeder) was born to Jacob S. and Helena Schroeder (nee Heinrichs) on the family farm south of Lowe Farm, Manitoba on July 28, 1928. She was the youngest of a family of 8. Life on the farm was busy, and it took awhile for her dad to get to Morris to register her birthday as July 28, however as you might know she always celebrated her birthday on August 28. Mom always enjoyed a party so having 2 birthdates was no hardship!

Mom accepted Christ as her saviour in her youth and spent her life living out her faith. She had a strong desire to serve the people around her. In an age when women were expected to work in supporting roles, mom excelled as a support to Dad, her family and community around her.

Susan Giesbrecht (1928-2025)

After finishing high school in Lowe Farm, mom headed off to Normal School where she met our dad. It was love at first sight and after completing the school year, they married in November of 1949, enjoying a marriage of more than 73 years together.

Mom’s greatest mission field was her family and her desire was to see her family accept Christ and walk with the Lord in their daily lives. Family devotions, Sunday School lessons, and prayer were important parts of our upbringing, and her greatest desire was fulfilled.

After a few years of substitute teaching, mom accepted a full-time position at the Rosenfeld School and spent more than a decade there. She often spoke fondly of the staff and students that passed through the doors of her classroom and kept in touch with many of them long after she retired.

She became involved in the in Altona EMMC Church as part of the Ladies Auxiliary, teaching DVBS, and especially working in the church library. She organized a cataloging system and ensured that the congregation always had solid, scripture-based reading and multimedia material available to support their spiritual growth.

In 1972 three ladies and mom got together to do some brainstorming in Altona and came up with the idea for a temporary thrift shop as a fundraiser to support the work of the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC). They opened a little shop in donated space in Altona and never looked back. Their early success at turning donated used items into cash through sales in Altona, encouraged more than 85 other communities across North America to try as well. In the more than 50 years that have passed, these shops have generated more than 250 million dollars to support the work of MCC around the world.

It was also during this time that mom took on the role of supporting her mother. Mom become her primary caregiver until she was unable to handle living at home any longer and needed care home support.

This experience introduced mom to the challenges facing many seniors in the community as they aged and she became an active member of the Altona Care Board, learning and offering input to supporting improved care for community members of all ages.

When Dad took on the role of Missions Director for the EMMC Conference, Mom often travelled with Dad and offered quiet support to the many women missionaries working in the field. Her ability to offer a female perspective to the work and a listening ear helped to inform many of the decisions that were being made, often at a distance. This was greatly appreciated by many of the field workers who became not just co-workers but friends as well.

Her 100+ year old dining room table hosted hundreds of people over the years. The hospitality shared there with friends, family, and complete strangers exemplified Hebrews 13:2, “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares". She surely has met some of those angels by now!

After Dad’s passing in 2023, Mom moved to Gardens on 10th. She enjoyed reasonably good health but declined with age. She was active in her home and entertained company right up until she went to bed the night before she was admitted to Boundary Trails Health Centre.

She was only hospitalized for about a day and a half so things went quickly. Mom passed away Friday, March 7 at about 9:15pm at Boundary Trails Health Centre with family at her side.

She was predeceased by her husband Lawrence, one grandson, her parents and all her siblings and their spouses. She is survived by her daughters Sharon (Richard) Funk, Angela (Jim) Harms, sons Jim (Valerie) Giesbrecht, Steve (Diane) Giesbrecht, and Harv (Jeannette) Giesbrecht. She is also survived by 14 grandchildren and 23 great grandchildren.

A celebration of Susan's life was held on March 11, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. at the Altona EMM Church. Interment took place prior to the service at the Altona Cemetery.

Donations in memory of Susan may be made to assist the ongoing development of the La Fortaleza School complex in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Cheques to be made payable to EMMC with “La Fortaleza School” in the memo section. EMMC, 757 St. Anne’s Road, Winnipeg Manitoba R2N 4G6, donations may also be made to MCC Manitoba for the work of MCC Thrift.

Tribute to Susan Giesbrecht

The Giesbrecht family shared this letter from Sharon Soper.

Sharon Soper was a former EMMC missionary in Bolivia

As you know Lawrence and Susan were always such an amazing personal support for me, not only during their tenure as EMMC mission “directors” but also in the many years following, they continued to remember me. Initially, while feeling a little out of my “element” at times, Susan (and Lawrence) were sensitive and knew how to encourage my connections with the EMMC family which helped me appreciate the EMMC and Anabaptist history. In 2018, I disposed all of my belongings in order to return to Bolivia. While I kept a few items like family photo albums, I also saved the giant mural map of Anabaptist Expansion that is a sentimental and a treasured gift from the Giesbrechts.

Susan was a living example of love and hospitality. She was a giver of joy, had a down to earth humor (witty like her mother). She refused to stay sheepish when a voice of reason needed to prevail. She advocated for tangible change. Her love for education is a part of her legacy that will continue because of her support over the years for the La Fortaleza school in Bolivia. I remember the smaller gestures like Susan always packing her suitcase full of goodies which we missionaries always looked forward to when she came to visit.

The Giesbrechts not only welcomed me warmly into their home, but they welcomed me into their family and into the Altona EMMC church. I was received as an associate member during my tenure with the EMMC. On one furlough, Susan and Lawrence and granddaughter Christine came all the way from Canada to Colorado to pick me up. We had a leisurely scenic tour driving back to Altona, and a few history lessons in between that Susan kept / managed to a reasonable length.

Being with Susan (and Lawrence) meant being treated like a daughter, special and accepted. Maybe others who knew them felt the same way, but I was always well-fed and more provided for than I deserved. The joy of the Lord was Susan’s strength, and she lived to glorify God first and foremost. I thank God for her friendship and for her testimony of a life well-lived.

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This article was originally published

in The Recorder Vol. 62 No. 2