Erna Janzen died Jan. 29, 2010. She was born Jan. 1, 1926 in Ukraine to Kornelious and Katharina Janzen. Because of the revolution, other family members left for Canada, the U.S., or Paraguay, but Kornelious chose to stay. Erna’s youngest sister died and Kornelious was taken away in the dead of night, never to be heard from again. In 1942, during shelling, Katharina left her two teenaged daughters in a bunker to go for help at a nearby railway station. After her mother’s prolonged absence, Erna ventured out and found her mother, killed by shrapnel. Erna’s sister was placed in an orphanage for a time, but reunited with her before they escaped to Dresden, Germany, in 1945. There, they found peace, some comfort, and food as they helped the owners of a sheep farm. In 1949, their uncle Gerhard Janzen was contacted and sponsored their move to Manitoba. Erna worked as housemaid before obtaining her teacher’s certificate. Her life from then on was dedicated to this profession. In the early 1950s, Erna was baptized in a Mennonite Brethren church in Winnipeg. She was a devout Christian, living her life as best she could according to her beliefs based on the Bible. In spite of the trauma of Erna’s early years, she was happy, enthusiastic, and positive. Predeceased by 1 sister; Erna is mourned by sister Helen Janzen and sons Robert and Bruno MaseDuca; cousins, nephews, nieces, and friends. The funeral was Feb. 8 at Bakerview MB Church, Abbotsford, B.C.
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