Obituary of Menno Penner

 

August 12, 1933 - July 28, 2024

90 Years

 

Menno John Penner was born on August 12, 1933, at the Rosetown Hospital to Henry H. and Elizabeth (Unger) Penner of Herschel, Sask. He grew up on the family farm, attending school in Herschel and obtaining his Grade 12 at Rosthern Junior College. As a youth, while attending Camp Elim, Menno was led to make a decision to be a follower of Jesus. He was baptized on confession of his faith at the Herschel Ebenfeld Mennonite Church on June 1, 1952. He married Melita Krahn on July 12, 1957, with whom he farmed together for 14 years. Three children were born to them; Maureen Valorie, Denelda Beth and Steven Henry Dean.

They moved to Rosthern in 1971 where he managed the Mennonite Youth Farm for several years, then was employed at the Co-op Lumber Yard, followed by 11 years at the Rosthern Union Hospital as Maintenance Engineer; there he repaired anything from razors to heart-monitors. While living in Rosthern he was part of many committees and organizations, including serving on Town Council. Menno obtained his pilot's license in 1977 and took family members and friends to various destinations. Together with Melita, he spent a year under Mennonite Voluntary Service in a housing organization in the inner city of Cleveland, Ohio. Here his skills as ‘jack-of-all-trades’ shone through; he felt privileged to assist the less fortunate in this way. They also served in Brownsville, Texas in the Hispanic Mennonite Church for three months, then with Mennonite Disaster Service in Wier, Mississippi and in Edmonton, Alta. after damages from tornadoes.

Menno was then employed at the Waskesiu Golf Course for eight summers where children enjoyed coming to their cabin and joining him on the links. Upon his retirement in 1993 they moved to Saskatoon where with Local Voluntary Service he again worked in maintenance and as ‘go-pher’ for four years at the Mennonite Central Committee Depot. He also worked at Moonlake Golf Course and Saskatoon West; anything to get another golf game in. Menno volunteered at the Dakota Dunes Golf Course for many tournaments, meeting golfers from all over the world. He participated in the RJC Golf Classic from its inception, his last being in 2018 when he golfed with Denelda and Steve. He then gave away his clubs.

Menno and Melita became members of First Mennonite Church where he served in various ways, especially being a handyman around the facility. He took part in many singing groups; trios, quartets and men’s and mixed choirs. He will be remembered mostly for the beautiful solos that he sang at special occasions and at regular Sunday morning worship services. It was a tradition that he would sing ‘O Holy Night’ at the Christmas Eve programs.

He used his carpentry skills throughout his life: renovating their house in Herschel, one room at a time, then moving it onto a new basement and topping it with a new roof. Later he built a new house when they moved to Rosthern, assisted others with renovations and built furniture for family members. He honed his skills in making many items for grandchildren; rocking horses, doll cribs, table and chair sets, toy barns, rocking chairs and so on. When Menno and Melita moved to a downtown condo, he was able to store his tools in a basement room at Village Green Furniture (MCC). There he spent several days a week helping repair furniture. He also refurbished over 200 old console TV units into chests of drawers or book cases throughout his nearly 18 years there. Menno gave time to the Saskatoon Food Bank once a week for 15 years and assisted in driving the ‘Royal Express’ at The Royal University Hospital for five years.

Menno enjoyed curling; from the early years at the rink in Herschel, to Rosthern, to the Sutherland Curling Club, then to The Granite (near their downtown condo); there he was reunited with his Herschel curling buddies, Bill Sawatzky and Art Wiens. Several times he was part of the Saskatoon volunteering group at the Brier, a week-long Canadian men’s curling event. He enjoyed watching his children’s church, school and sports activities (Steve’s hockey games, in particular) and later his grandchildren’s involvements.

Menno and Melita moved to Bethany Manor in 2014 where they have made many new friends. Playing pool and crokinole were Menno’s pastimes, later just sitting with the guys when he no longer had the energy to participate.

With Melita and family, he travelled across Canada with their truck camper: Expo67 in Montreal, to Disneyland, to Vancouver Island and many camping places in between. Together, Menno and Melita explored many places around the world: an eight country tour of Europe in 1975; to Zaire, Africa in 1985 where Maureen and Gary were serving with AIMM, adding Greece and Germany to that itinerary; to Hawaii twice; to Nepal and Japan in 1989, to Cuba, Cancun and other resorts in Mexico. Later, usually the month of January was spent in southern climes; among other places, several years in Hemet, California; Donna, Texas; Mesa, Arizona, then Victoria, and Osoyoos BC. While in Osoyoos they drove to Oliver to volunteer at The Gleaners. They took their family of 15 to Disneyland in 2005, and travelled to Whitehorse, Yukon in 2007 to be part of granddaughter Jacoba’s speed skating competitions in the Canada Winter Games.

In his later years health challenges kept him from much activity: the diagnoses of bladder cancer (non-invasive) in 2018; a heart attack in 2019 which was repaired with three stents; a broken hip in 2022. With many subsequent hospital visits to manage the cancer, his mental health began to slip away. He passed away on July 28^th, at St. Paul’s Hospital with Melita, Denelda, Steve and Marissa by his side.

Menno will be lovingly remembered by his wife Melita of 67 years, his children Maureen Groot (Gary), Denelda Fast (Larry), Steve Penner (Gayle); grandchildren: Nathan Groot, David Groot (Brianna), Mackenzie Fast (Sarah Unrau), Nicholas Fast (Breanne), Hamilton Fast, Jacoba Fast (Russell Martens), Hillary Fast (Thomas Johnson), Myles Penner (Mackenzie Moleski), Alex Penner (Ciara Korycki), Cassandra Penner (Luke Karwacki) and Marissa Penner (Megan Fairbairn); his great grandchildren Ada, Finnegan, Solomon, Bennett, Casey, Maeve, Cooper, Lucas, Porter and Samuel; sisters Helen Zacharias, and Esther Balzer (Jim Thiessen), and his Krahn in-laws, Edith Hebert (John), Werner Krahn (Trudy), Lydia Schroeder (Peter) and Peter Guenther. He was predeceased by his parents, his brothers, John in infancy and Henry (Anne), sisters Margaret Sawatzky (Peter) and Mary Siemens (John). 

The family wants to thank the staff at St. Paul’s hospital for the wonderful compassionate care that  Menno received while there and to the many caring and supportive friends for their warm wishes and messages of condolences. Most of all we want to thank our loving Heavenly Father who walked with us through this journey. Praise be to God!

 

A Memorial Service will be held at Bethany Manor, 110 La Ronge Rd, Saskatoon, SK, on Friday, Sept. 6, at 7:00pm and a Celebration of Life at First Mennonite Church, 418 Queen St, Saskatoon, SK, on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 11:00am.

 

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Mennonite Disaster Service, 200-600 Shaftesbury Blvd, Winnipeg, MB R3P 2J1.

 

 

 

 

Arrangements are entrusted to Funk’s Funeral Home, Rosthern, SK.

 

 

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