Marie (Mary) Klassen Martens

She was a woman of great faith, with a strong belief in the

Power of prayer. She was predeceased by her husband

Cornelius, sons-in-law Chris, Wayne, Alf and Bert, grand-daughters

Kristin and Naomi. She leaves behind her children: Martha, Ed,

Leonard, Verna, Evelyn, Sharon, Leah, their spouses and her many

grand and great-grandchildren…to carry on her legacy of faith.

I praise the Lord that He gave me 96 wonderful birthdays! My last years were spent surrounded by my loving family and all the dedicated, caring staff at The Mayfair Care home.

I was born to a family of 14 siblings and always remembered the fun we had as kids, surviving life together on the farm, in Manitoba. In 1937, I married my childhood sweetheart Cornelius. We were blessed with 7 beautiful children…Martha, Edwin, Leonard, Verna, Evelyn, Sharon, Leah and then all of their lovely spouses! Soon to follow, we were joined by the highlight of our lives…our grandchildren and later our many delightful great-grandchildren. The desire of my heart was to read God’s word and to remember each of my family in prayer every single day and to my last breath.

In 1946, we moved to the Fraser Valley and it was there that we farmed raspberries, strawberries and raised our family. During these years, Cornie and I were very musical and along with some of our daughters, shared our voices with many church congregations as well as in local care facilities such as the Menno and Tabor Homes. In later years, we became known as the Hope Duet, with our gospel music on cassette being shared across the country. After 54 good years together, my loving husband Cornelius went home to be with Jesus, on our wedding anniversary, October 7, 1991. I continued our music ministry by participating in the seniors’ choir at Sevenoaks Alliance Church and was blessed beyond words.

Now the Angels have come for me and I am singing in the Heavenly choirs and my family will carry the musical blessings forward.