INGE JAHNKE

Peacefully on July 29, 2022, Inge Jahnke (Euler) passed away at the age of 91 at Seven Oaks Hospital.  Inge was predeceased by her husband Rudolf Jahnke in 1985, sister-in-law Christa Weber, and niece Ruth Siracusa.

Born May 21, 1931 in Friedberg, Hessen, Germany, Inge moved with her parents to the city of Mainz Germany at the age of 1.  She always considered Mainz to be her hometown, and grew up in and resided there until 1956.  In 1956 with her husband and oldest daughter Gitta, she immigrated to Canada, settling in Winnipeg.

Inge and her husband started working in Real Estate in 1959, forming their own company Wildwood Realty in 1963.  They were also contractors, building custom built homes under their company Vesta Builders.

Inge was a wonderful, energetic lady, who loved life, her family, and to travel.  Whether white-water rafting at age 65 with her daughter Silvia, going to Space Camp at the age of 64 with her grand-daughter Mandy, or water skiing well into her 70s, Inge was always ready to embrace new challenges and activities, regardless of her age.  She was a strong, kind and gentle lady with empathy for others, and the ability to calm down any situation.

Inge’s favourite memories were based around spending time at the family cottage on Betula Lake in the Whiteshell.  She loved to waterski, canoe, fish and spend evenings with the family.  Later in life, Inge enjoyed the good times spent at the Schwartz’s cottage on Lake Winnipeg and shopping with Joyce in Gimli - particularly the lunch breaks.

One of Inge’s favourite activities was her participation in Toastmasters.  She started with the Winnipeg Real Estate Board Toastmasters Club in the early 1980’s, and in later years she was a proud member of the Elmwood Seniors Toastmasters Club.  She was an accomplished speaker. Her speeches were often inspiring and humorous and always spellbinding.  Inge loved going to the meetings of her club and to competitions, always encouraging others to reach higher, and often taking part in competitions herself.  She was active right until she no longer felt well enough to go to the meetings. 

Inge is survived by and will be greatly missed by her daughters Gitta Schwartz (David), Angela Bartley (Warren) and Silvia Buchanan (Kenn), as well as her grandchildren Amanda Finnbogason (Brandon), Eric Finnbogason (Sherry), Colin Bartley (Katie), Ashton Bartley, Connor Buchanan and Phillipe Girouard. Her great-grandchildren Kimberly, Xander, Jude, Dominic and Antonio will also miss her smile and the many stories of her life.

Relatives in Germany including Rolf & Helga Schmidt, Ralf (Dagmar) Schmidt and family, Jutta Schmidt, Vera Klein (Daniel) and son Taio, and other cousins will miss her visits back to see them.  Her humour and laughter will also be missed by her many friends in Canada.

The past couple of years we were blessed to have a wonderful respite worker who came during our work days to spend time with and care for Mom.  Mika, we thank you for your unwavering dedication and the love you showed Mom, you filled her days with sunshine and laughter and we will forever be in your debt.

We would like to say thank you to the nurses and doctors at Seven Oaks Hospital, who graciously cared for Mom in her last hours.

As per her request, cremation has taken place, and her ashes have been spread during a private family gathering at her favorite place, Betula Lake in The Whiteshell.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made in Inge’s name to Manitoba Lung Association, Alzheimer Society of Manitoba or the Manitoba Heart and Stroke Association.

Gitta’s Message

Mutti, I will miss you so very much.; your kind words when I was down, your smile to renew my faith in life, your hugs that let me know all would be well. 

I came to Winnipeg with you to meet Papa on the coldest day of the decade in 1956.  You came out of the train station into the cold air and your first words were “I can breathe”.   Once the first summer in Canada came and you discovered the Whiteshell, you were hooked.  There was no way you were going back to Europe, even though you had left behind a house you and Papa had just built, as well as both your families.  Your adopted country Canada was where you loved to be, and you were a fiercely proud Canadian.  Your strength and determination that our lives would be good in this new country gave me the strength to overcome obstacles when first arriving and later in life.  Regardless of where my life led me, your caring and love was always a beacon to bring me home.

There are many memories of you.  One of my favourites is the last trip we took together with David’s parents Joyce and George Schwartz.  Our two weeks in Mexico on the beach, wandering around in Playa del Carmen eating fresh mango, going to Coba to see the archeological site and try to climb the pyramid, toasting with tequila and generally enjoying the time together will be forever a high point in my travels with you. 

Thank you for the many years of love and advice, the kindness you showed to everyone around you, the love you showed for your grandchildren and great-grandchildren and the stories you shared of your life.   You are an amazing lady who will forever remembered and missed.

Angie’s Message (your “Angel”)

Mom (or Snooky, as Warren affectionately called you), I will miss our drives to wherever we felt like going at the time- Birds Hill Park, The Forks, around the city, the Whiteshell, a tandem bike ride around Birds Hill Park, or just to go get an ice cream or cup of tea. I always enjoyed our time together alone, listening to your Spotify play list and singing along to all the old songs. We had great conversations, lots of laughs and recalling memories these past 2 years when you had trouble remembering some things. The stories you told from your time during the war or when you moved to Canada were captivating as you recalled with great detail dates and times. That always impressed me so much. Your recall of dates was amazing!

When the kids were young, I loved how you spent time with each of them individually to take them to Rainbow Stage, MTYP, the Prairie Dog Train, and so many other things and always had a Toblerone chocolate bar to give them for their time with you.

You were a strong woman who loved her family fiercely and wanted the best for us all. You always showed grace, love, compassion and kindness to everyone you met. You had a lasting impression on anyone that ever met you.  Many years after meeting you, people would ask me “How’s your cute mom doing?”

Your hands were the softest hands. Right up unto the last day. Those soft hands lightly caressed my face and I recall you doing that just weeks before you passed. I remember saying how much I appreciated that.

Mom, even though I will miss you so very much, I am thankful that we will see each other again and when I see you again, you’ll be doing what you loved to do and couldn’t this past 5 years- singing and dancing. So, until we see each other, enjoy your new voice and dancing so beautifully.

Silvia’s message (your Princess)

When I think of Mom, words like grace, intelligence, humour and gentleness fill my mind. Mom was the epitome of calm, who found humour in small things. She was a woman of many stories, but never one of gossip. But these words fall flat in describing what I truly feel for her and what she brought into our lives.

Who was Mom? She was a woman who would rather shop in hardware stores for a new tool than a clothing store. She never worried about getting her hands dirty and could keep up with the men beside her when doing physical labour. She loved reading, music, word puzzles and listening to Stuart McLean. She loved opera and dancing. I remember many a weekend night spent with the family, with furniture pushed aside, dancing as a child, or playing weekend long games of monopoly - precious family memories which Mom would arrange. To say she loved nature is an understatement! Her favorite place was the cottage at Betula Lake, where we would water ski and catch fish that she taught us how to fillet. And she spent many hours taking her dogs out for long walks in Birds Hill Park, no matter the amount of snow or cold wind.

Mom gave us the love of water, tossing us in at a young age, which turned into years of fond memories of swimming, water skiing and tubing. She instilled in us the desire to travel, see and experience things. She tirelessly worked to make sure that we had all the opportunities she could provide, going without to give us the best of experiences. She and Dad didn’t go out to dinners, or on trips unless the kids could go with them because, in their eyes, the world was for them to show us, not to hold onto themselves.

Mom was a morning person - her pretty voice would sing cute ‘get up’ songs in the morning to us, of course we didn’t appreciate those at the time. Mom was always the one to get up early to drive us to our activities and when we were on a stage and looked out, she was always there supporting us with a look of pride.

When I met my husband Kenn, she welcomed him into our home. A few years later when our son Connor was born, she relished in his company.  They spent countless hours together and forged an unwavering bond.  They would find ways of bringing smiles to each other’s faces and enjoyed shared experiences such as building Lego together.

Her passing leaves a void in our hearts, lives and home. We miss you Mom, always will. I miss our daily chats, sharing stories, joking, songs and watching shows/movies with you. Most of all I will miss seeing your sweet smile. You truly were one of a kind. I thank you for all that you did and all that you were.

I Love you Mom

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ETHICAL DEATH CARE

Cremation & Life Celebrations

530 St. Mary Avenue - Winnipeg

204-421-5501 - www.ethicaldeathcare.com

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