Obituary of Margaret Johanna Elisabeth Haase

1918 - 2013

It is with deep sorrow that the family of Margaret Haase announces her passing on Tuesday, October 8, 2013 in Cranbrook, B.C., at 94 years of age.

Margaret was born on October 22, 1918 in Hattingen, Germany and grew up in a loving family in post WWI western Germany. After the war her father, who worked with a bank, went to South America to re-open business transactions. Unfortunately he contracted typhoid fever on the way there and died in Buenos Aires. Some years later her mother remarried, and she remained especially close to her mother throughout her life. As a young adult, Margaret then experienced the great depression and WWII.

Margaret worked in a pharmacy, where after the war she met her future husband Gerhard, who had been a prisoner of war in Canada through much of the war. They decided to immigrate to Canada thanks to sponsorship by a kind Mennonite family. They settled in the Lethbridge area and raised their two children Monica & Gerald, working hard but also taking time to enjoy life. In 1966, the family moved to Jaffray, B.C. where they had bought a corner store/gas station, and operated it seven days a week for six years. In 1972, Margaret and Gerhard moved to the beautiful Mayook area where they enjoyed their little piece of paradise for almost 30 years. Gardening, fishing, gold-panning, travel, and visiting with family and friends provided a rich daily itinerary of activities. When Gerhard took ill with cancer, a move into Cranbrook was inevitable and Margaret lived several years in Cranbrook where she joined the Cranbrook Seniors and continued to visit with old friends from Mayook, Wardner and Jaffray, and with new friends in Cranbrook.

A stroke in December 2002 left Margaret with her right side paralyzed and a loss of speech. Despite these handicaps, Margaret continued to get up each morning with a smile on her face to greet the new day and all that it might offer. During her stay at Steepleview Care Centre and Joseph Creek Care Centre, she was an inspiration to all that knew her. Her kind, loving ways were easily communicated as was her love of life and family.

Margaret is survived by her sister Marianne Schulenberg, daughter Monica Bunton, son Gerald Haase (Shirley), granddaughters Melissa Villeneuve (Jason) and Rachel Haase, grandsons Sean Bunton (Camille), Arion Haase and Colin Woelk (De'Ann), great grandchildren: Kyla, Brendan, Kaitlyn and her cousin Kurt Sprungmann. She was predeceased by her husband Gerhard "Gus" Haase, brother Paul, mother Paula Zorn, father Engelbert Naendrup and step-father Leopold Zorn.

A memorial service for Margaret will be held at McPherson Funeral Home in Cranbrook in the spring of 2014. She will be interred in the Sand Creek Cemetery in Jaffray, B.C. Those wishing to make a memorial donation in honour of Margaret may do so to the: East Kootenay Regional Hospital c/o Palliative Care, 13 - 24th Avenue North, Cranbrook, British Columbia, V1C 3H9 or to: The War Amps Key Tag Service, 1 - Maybrook Drive, Scarborough, ON, M1V 5K9.

 

Arrangements entrusted to McPherson Funeral Service.

Condolences for the family can be offered at:

www.mcphersonfh.com