Obituary for Irene Braun (Buller)
Irene Braun (nee: Buller)
February 13, 1926 Flowing Well, Saskatchewan
February 4, 2023 Calgary, Alberta
It is with deep sorrow and much love that we announce the passing of wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother, Irene, at the age of nearly 97. She will be dearly missed by her husband, Cornelius (Corny), as well as children, Glenda (Mike) Holmes, Elton (Elma Barkman) Braun, Roy (Eva Friesen) Braun and Fern (Stephen) Klassen. She will also be missed by 6 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren. She was predeceased by her parents, John and Maria (nee: Adrian) Buller; stepmother, Helena (nee: Driedger); sisters, Emma (Peter) Priebe, Mary (Albert) Barkman and Linda (Alvin) Schmidt, as well as brothers, William "Bill" (Agath) Buller and Edward "Ed" (Elizabeth "Betty") Buller.
Mom grew up on a farm near Flowing Well, Saskatchewan. She began her education at a rural schoolhouse nearby. She and her older brother Ed had to walk to school often choosing to take a shortcut through a pasture and out-running a raging bull to get there. Sadly, at the age of 10, she lost her mother to cancer.
Although her father remarried shortly after, this early loss deeply impacted the rest of her life. As a teenager mom became a Christian following evangelistic meetings in Gnadenau Church in Flowing Well and was baptized shortly after.
Mom completed her high school studies in Herbert, Saskatchewan, where she became acquainted with her husband-to-be Corny (Dad to me). After high school, she enrolled in nursing studies in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, and Dad entered college in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It was during this time in 1947 that they became engaged. On June 1, 1951, Mom and Dad tied the knot and settled in Herbert for the next five years, where Dad taught in the Herbert Bible School, and mom worked in the Herbert-Morse hospital. It was during this time that Glenda was born. Shortly after her birth, the three of them moved to Kitchener, Ontario, to continue Dad's theological studies, and while there, Elton was born. A few years later Dad was called to Hepburn, Saskatchewan, where he taught at the Bethany Bible Institute while Mom served as campus nurse. During this time, Roy was born, and later Fern. Thus, Hepburn became our childhood home for the next 20 years. The last 2 years in Hepburn, Mom took on employment at the Menno Home in Waldheim, Saskatchewan, providing nursing care for residents with mental illness.
When Dad resigned from teaching at BBI, they moved from Hepburn, to pastor a church in Port Rowan, Ontario, where they lived and thrived for the next 11 years, accumulating many friends whom they have kept in touch with to this day. Dad always thoroughly enjoyed having mom at his side during his ministry, although she often went off and did her own thing under the radar. For instance, she held several talks and bible studies with a group of women from a nearby area who discovered she spoke Plautdeutch fluently. She had secret prayer partners, and she sewed and crafted in order to gift others. As semi-retirement was nearing, since most of the children then lived in Alberta, Mom and Dad relocated to Grassy Lake, Alberta, where they were near their grandkids and served in the Grassy Lake church. From there they moved to Coaldale Alberta where they happily organized and worked with the "55 Plus" group for many years.
When Dad turned 90 they decided they needed some assisted living arrangements and were invited to move to Winfield B.C. to live with their daughter Glenda and her husband Mike. They spent nearly five wonderful years on the Okanagan lakeside. It was here Irene was diagnosed with the onset of Alzheimer's Disease. Sadly too, failing eyesight, poor hearing and a benign leukemia diagnosis coupled with Dad's need for a neck operation, prompted another relocation to Calgary, Alberta where they could receive the health care they needed. They moved into the Prince of Peace Manor in the Rockyview area.
Mom had a wide range of hobbies and interests. One of her loves was music. Having purchased a Hammond organ, she'd either play it with the sound on, or don a set of headphones and carry on for hours on a Saturday night. She also purchased quite a few vinyl records and would play them on repeat. She and Dad would join singing groups and serve at various churches and care homes. She signed up for evening art classes in Hepburn, where she learned to paint everything from landscapes to still lifes. She also had a passion for sewing, gardening, canning, freezing, pickling, baking and cooking. Many of these hobbies and passions carried on well into her eighties. Other enjoyments came her way in the form of playing word games, board games, card games, bowling, mini-golf, fishing, camping, you name it; she was quite a challenge to defeat too, proving herself victorious more often than not. Mom was aware of her declining mental health and she had heard that exercise slowed down the progression of Alzheimer's, thus, in her late eighties she decided she'd "go hard" into exercise, using a treadmill, stationary bike and outdoor walks with Dad and Glenda. She lost twenty pounds and was fit as a fiddle. Recently we discovered a thick packet of her writings, full of interesting poems, limmericks, letters and various musings that she had composed over the course of her lifetime. We are only reading them now. Mom was a very private, quiet person, and these are proving to be an amazing insight into her mind and character.
One thing Mom was always proud of was the independence of having her own bank account. Yet as frugal as she was, she made sure she had enough funds when it came to helping someone out with loans and mortgages as well as lavishing presents and gifts on birthdays and at Christmas.
Mom will always be remembered as one who took a special interest in people less fortunate and somewhat marginalized in the community. She would befriend those with Down Syndrome, ADHD, Autism, as well as children who had lost parents at a young age. She would spend hours in prayer for anyone and everyone, putting others' needs ahead of hers, and always remembering to begin and end her prayers with thanksgiving.
Although we now have one less person in this world praying for us, we rejoice in the fact that God has answered our prayers for her healing, once and for all. One of her favourite Bible passages was Psalm 23, where it says "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the House of the Lord forever." (KJV)
Mom will be cremated, and her urn will be lovingly placed in a reserved location of the west-facing wall of the Columbarium at Herbert Cemetery, in Herbert Saskatchewan.
A small, intimate Celebration of Irene’s Life will be held on Good Friday, April 7 2023 at 1:00 pm at Choice Memorial Rocky View Chapel (243256 Garden Road NE, Rocky View County, AB).
~ Prepared by her son, Roy Braun
February 13, 1926 Flowing Well, Saskatchewan
February 4, 2023 Calgary, Alberta
It is with deep sorrow and much love that we announce the passing of wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother, Irene, at the age of nearly 97. She will be dearly missed by her husband, Cornelius (Corny), as well as children, Glenda (Mike) Holmes, Elton (Elma Barkman) Braun, Roy (Eva Friesen) Braun and Fern (Stephen) Klassen. She will also be missed by 6 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren. She was predeceased by her parents, John and Maria (nee: Adrian) Buller; stepmother, Helena (nee: Driedger); sisters, Emma (Peter) Priebe, Mary (Albert) Barkman and Linda (Alvin) Schmidt, as well as brothers, William "Bill" (Agath) Buller and Edward "Ed" (Elizabeth "Betty") Buller.
Mom grew up on a farm near Flowing Well, Saskatchewan. She began her education at a rural schoolhouse nearby. She and her older brother Ed had to walk to school often choosing to take a shortcut through a pasture and out-running a raging bull to get there. Sadly, at the age of 10, she lost her mother to cancer.
Although her father remarried shortly after, this early loss deeply impacted the rest of her life. As a teenager mom became a Christian following evangelistic meetings in Gnadenau Church in Flowing Well and was baptized shortly after.
Mom completed her high school studies in Herbert, Saskatchewan, where she became acquainted with her husband-to-be Corny (Dad to me). After high school, she enrolled in nursing studies in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, and Dad entered college in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It was during this time in 1947 that they became engaged. On June 1, 1951, Mom and Dad tied the knot and settled in Herbert for the next five years, where Dad taught in the Herbert Bible School, and mom worked in the Herbert-Morse hospital. It was during this time that Glenda was born. Shortly after her birth, the three of them moved to Kitchener, Ontario, to continue Dad's theological studies, and while there, Elton was born. A few years later Dad was called to Hepburn, Saskatchewan, where he taught at the Bethany Bible Institute while Mom served as campus nurse. During this time, Roy was born, and later Fern. Thus, Hepburn became our childhood home for the next 20 years. The last 2 years in Hepburn, Mom took on employment at the Menno Home in Waldheim, Saskatchewan, providing nursing care for residents with mental illness.
When Dad resigned from teaching at BBI, they moved from Hepburn, to pastor a church in Port Rowan, Ontario, where they lived and thrived for the next 11 years, accumulating many friends whom they have kept in touch with to this day. Dad always thoroughly enjoyed having mom at his side during his ministry, although she often went off and did her own thing under the radar. For instance, she held several talks and bible studies with a group of women from a nearby area who discovered she spoke Plautdeutch fluently. She had secret prayer partners, and she sewed and crafted in order to gift others. As semi-retirement was nearing, since most of the children then lived in Alberta, Mom and Dad relocated to Grassy Lake, Alberta, where they were near their grandkids and served in the Grassy Lake church. From there they moved to Coaldale Alberta where they happily organized and worked with the "55 Plus" group for many years.
When Dad turned 90 they decided they needed some assisted living arrangements and were invited to move to Winfield B.C. to live with their daughter Glenda and her husband Mike. They spent nearly five wonderful years on the Okanagan lakeside. It was here Irene was diagnosed with the onset of Alzheimer's Disease. Sadly too, failing eyesight, poor hearing and a benign leukemia diagnosis coupled with Dad's need for a neck operation, prompted another relocation to Calgary, Alberta where they could receive the health care they needed. They moved into the Prince of Peace Manor in the Rockyview area.
Mom had a wide range of hobbies and interests. One of her loves was music. Having purchased a Hammond organ, she'd either play it with the sound on, or don a set of headphones and carry on for hours on a Saturday night. She also purchased quite a few vinyl records and would play them on repeat. She and Dad would join singing groups and serve at various churches and care homes. She signed up for evening art classes in Hepburn, where she learned to paint everything from landscapes to still lifes. She also had a passion for sewing, gardening, canning, freezing, pickling, baking and cooking. Many of these hobbies and passions carried on well into her eighties. Other enjoyments came her way in the form of playing word games, board games, card games, bowling, mini-golf, fishing, camping, you name it; she was quite a challenge to defeat too, proving herself victorious more often than not. Mom was aware of her declining mental health and she had heard that exercise slowed down the progression of Alzheimer's, thus, in her late eighties she decided she'd "go hard" into exercise, using a treadmill, stationary bike and outdoor walks with Dad and Glenda. She lost twenty pounds and was fit as a fiddle. Recently we discovered a thick packet of her writings, full of interesting poems, limmericks, letters and various musings that she had composed over the course of her lifetime. We are only reading them now. Mom was a very private, quiet person, and these are proving to be an amazing insight into her mind and character.
One thing Mom was always proud of was the independence of having her own bank account. Yet as frugal as she was, she made sure she had enough funds when it came to helping someone out with loans and mortgages as well as lavishing presents and gifts on birthdays and at Christmas.
Mom will always be remembered as one who took a special interest in people less fortunate and somewhat marginalized in the community. She would befriend those with Down Syndrome, ADHD, Autism, as well as children who had lost parents at a young age. She would spend hours in prayer for anyone and everyone, putting others' needs ahead of hers, and always remembering to begin and end her prayers with thanksgiving.
Although we now have one less person in this world praying for us, we rejoice in the fact that God has answered our prayers for her healing, once and for all. One of her favourite Bible passages was Psalm 23, where it says "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the House of the Lord forever." (KJV)
Mom will be cremated, and her urn will be lovingly placed in a reserved location of the west-facing wall of the Columbarium at Herbert Cemetery, in Herbert Saskatchewan.
A small, intimate Celebration of Irene’s Life will be held on Good Friday, April 7 2023 at 1:00 pm at Choice Memorial Rocky View Chapel (243256 Garden Road NE, Rocky View County, AB).
~ Prepared by her son, Roy Braun