Tribute

She passed away peacefully in Oliver, BC at the age of 95.  She had contracted Covid 19 in early 2021, like so many elders and never really recovered her vitality.

Mom was born near Rosthern, Saskatchewan to Aganetha (Olfert) and Jacob Reimer.  She was predeceased by her parents, brothers Jacob and John and her son Bruce, (who died hours after his birth). She is survived by her younger sister Agatha, and sister-in-law Agnes. Also survived by her sons: Duane (Katherine), Warren (Laurie), and Ross; grandchildren: Kienan (Cailin), Kaitlan (Lee), Jesse and Sarah; great-grandchildren: Kenzie, Finley and Mason.  Remembered by nieces Marla, Sandra and Lorie and many cousins.

Mom grew up in a large Mennonite extended family around Bergthal and Rosthern, Saskatchewan during the hard years of the 1930s.  She left school very early to work on the farm there. She waited tables in a café in Rosthern, went to the Niagara Peninsula to do farm work during World War II; she had a strong work ethic that she passed on to her sons.

She married Abram Hamm in 1953. They moved from Rosthern where Dad taught at the Bergthal one room school, to Teslin in the Yukon in 1956. We moved households and towns many times in the following years.  Saskatoon and Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan, Red Deer, Alberta until 1969 when they came to settle in Kelowna, BC.

In her many years in Kelowna, after her boys left home, she babysat children of acquaintances, volunteered visiting friends and her elders at Cottonwoods Care Home, participated in the Mennonite church community, and volunteered at the MCC shop in its early years in Kelowna.  She also volunteered for many happy years at Kelowna General Hospital on the Book Cart and Gift Shop.  Duane has a picture of our Mom and the two Marys making thousands of noodles in the MCC kitchen.

Nettie and Abe both had large Mennonite extended family ties and also Mom’s Mennonite faith was important. As boys we spent many wonderful times basking in the warmth of these families.

Mom wished us to be independent, or if not independent, at least able to feed ourselves so she taught all of us to cook (and clean). We grew up helping her in the kitchen, loving her Komst borscht, summer borscht, Wareneki, cabbage rolls, Perishky and Zwieback.  In the early years we lived on Ruehrei and bologna. Warren and Ross especially liked Portzelky (New Year’s cookies) and Rollkuchen. Those Mennonite dishes are so much a part of our memories of her.

Mom came to live with Duane and Katherine in Oliver in her late 80s when she finally stopped driving and needed daily support.  She then moved into Heritage House and then Sunnybank Care Centre after she broke her hip.  She was up and walking soon after and did her laps of the care home with her walker before breakfast.  Duane, Katherine and Nettie spent many happy lunch hours at Medici’s as she was very fond of their soups and Sylvia’s gelato.  Her 90^th birthday was celebrated there with Warren and his family including two great-grandchildren.

Mom’s family, especially Duane and Warren want to thank the staff at Sunnybank for their care of Nettie. Duane wants to thank John and Daryn at Nunes-Pottinger as well.

There will not be a service at Nettie’s request.