Jo’s early years were spent in Landmark, Schoenwiese, and Blumenfeld, Man., where her father taught school. When she was 12, the family moved to B.C.’s Fraser Valley. She met the love of her life, Robert (Bob) Jacob Hiebert, in the spring of 1949, and they were married on Christmas Day that year. Settling in the Abbotsford area on a small acreage, they raised their family and engaged in mixed farming with dairy cattle, raspberries, and nursery stock, while Bob also worked as a barber. Early in their life together, Jo and Bob responded to the love and grace of God and put their trust in Jesus as Saviour and Lord. They were baptized on Sept. 19, 1955, and became members of East Aldergrove MB Church in Abbotsford, B.C., embarking on a journey of faith and Christian service that characterized their lives from that point onward. In early 1974, they bought into a grain and beef cattle operation near the hamlet of New Norway, Alta. There they became members of Highland Park Evangelical Free Church. After 12 enjoyable years in Alberta, they sold and moved to a hobby farm near Armstrong, B.C., returning to fellowship within the MB conference at Armstrong Bible Chapel. In 2007, they made their way back to Abbotsford to live in retirement, becoming members of Bakerview MB Church. Advancing years and associated health conditions meant that more support was needed, and so in the spring of 2019, they moved into an apartment in Primrose Gardens at Menno Place. Bob died in April 2022, almost four months after they celebrated their 72nd anniversary. Jo continued to cherish time with her family and to foster friendships to the very end. Her life was characterized by unwavering trust in God, generous hospitality, church ministry (teaching Sunday school, planning Sunday evening services, hosting Bible studies, singing), love for her family, enduring friendships, and community involvement. She also delighted in the beauty of God’s creation and enjoyed gardening, painting landscapes, camping, fishing, and travelling with Bob throughout Canada and beyond to places such as Alaska, Hawaii, Israel, Greece, and, on their last trip together, the Grand Canyon.
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