Wiebe, Mary Unrau (1899-2002)

"Mennonite Brethren Herald" obituary: 2002 Jun 21 p. 27

Birth date: 1899 Jun 2

text of obituary:

MARY WIEBE

Mary Wiebe of St. Catharines, Ont. passed away Feb. 14. She was born June 2, 1899 to John and Agatha Unrau in south Russia . In 1918, during the Russian Revolution and famine, she put her faith in Christ; Gen. 19 :22 spoke to her heart. From then on, her desire was to serve her Lord. Many family members, including her mother and grandmother, died. In 1921 she entered the registered nursing program at the College of Medicine in Marya. For part of her training, she worked in a psychiatric hospital in Bethania, Russia. There she met Henry P. Wiebe, who was taking a social worker's course. They married in 1926. They immigrated to Kitchener, Ont. in 1927 and moved to Stratford, Ont. in 1932. In 1934 they opened their home to minister to the emotionally distressed. In 1937 they moved to Campden, Ont., where they bought a 100-acre farm in order to expand the ministry. The Ontario MB Conference assumed responsibility for this ministry in 1944, with Henry and Mary serving as houseparents of Bethesda Home until 1953. They moved to another farm in 1953, to Vineland, Ont. in 1965 and to Tabor Manor, St. Catharines, in 1977. Henry died in 1980. She prayed and sang for those who were ill. After she suffered a broken hip for the second time, in April 1995, she prayed that God would take her home. She prayed 3 times a day for her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Predeceased by Henry, she is mourned by sons Edward and Henry; 7 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. The funeral was Feb. 18 in Vineland MB Church, with Doug Schulz and Henry Wiebe ministering.