SONJA WILHELMINE WAEDT

On August 17, 2023, Sonja Wilhelmine Waedt (née Hofmann), our mother, Oma, and great grandmother passed away. Sonja was born on October 11, 1927 in Heilbronn, Germany.

She is lovingly remembered by her daughters, Norma (Jeff) and Barbara; son Helmut (Gwen); granddaughters, Katy (Ross), Christine, Allison (Fabian), and Lindsay (Brian); great grandchildren, Ryan and Amy; and family in Canada and Germany. She was predeceased by Julius, her husband of 65 years in 2019.

Sonja was raised, along with two brothers and two sisters, in Heilbronn in southern Germany. There they enjoyed a close family life surrounded by many dear friends and neighbours. Sonja maintained contact with many of her school friends over the years through written correspondence and several visits back home.

In 1953 Sonja departed from Germany for a one-year adventure in Canada with a position as an au pair for a Winnipeg family. With this family she spent a summer in north west Ontario Lake country and she fell in love with the natural beauty of the land.

In 1953 Sonja and Julius met and they were married in 1954. What was intended to be a one-year adventure turned out to be a lifelong commitment to her new home. Her first visit back to Germany occurred in 1965 with us three kids in tow.

Julius was an independent business man and Sonja was at his side taking care of the books, chatting with clients, running the household, and generally managing the family. We enjoyed many camping trips in Manitoba, the Rockies and Yellowstone. Many happy days were spent at Twin Lakes Beach on Lake Manitoba. She loved the lake for its scale, wildness, and beautiful sunsets. Sonja and Julius embarked on many trips to the southern US, traveled to Mexico, Hawaii, and repeatedly visited with family and friends in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Romania.

Sonja loved her family. She had a low tolerance for our childhood hi-jinks, not getting school work done was a major offense, and griping about Saturday morning German school was given a “well, go there anyways, maybe it will do you some good.” She and Julius loved a good party with family and friends. They were very active in the German Society of Winnipeg, and for some time volunteered at the German Pavilion of Folklorama. She took great pride in her cooking and was a prolific baker. There was never a time that cookies and/or cake weren’t readily available. She took great pride in the activities of her granddaughters, from watching their gymnastics demonstrations to baking Christmas cookies together. We all miss her dearly.

The family would like to thank the staff at Golden Links Lodge for their kind and compassionate care.

A celebration of Sonja’s life will be held at 2:00 pm on Thursday, September 14 at 603 Wellington Crescent at Academy Road (Unitarian Church).

In lieu of flowers, please donate in Sonja’s name to L’Arche Winnipeg.

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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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