Gisela was born in 1928, in the small German village of Lichtenberg in what is today northern Romania. Gisela's early life was filled with adversity. Her mother died in childbirth and as a result she was raised by her grandparents, Rosalia and Frank Baumgartner. At the start of WWII, when Gisela was 11, she and her family were forcefully relocated from Lichtenberg, living in various camps through Eastern Europe until they were finally placed on a small farm in Poland. An initial refusal to take over operation of the Polish farms resulted in several members of her family being sent, for a period of time, to the concentration camp at Auschwitz. The war years were hard. Grandma Baumgartner, with young Gisela in tow, made connections with the locals, bartering for basic necessities. In 1944, when the Soviet Union was brutally taking over Poland, Polish friends helped Gisela and her family narrowly escape to Germany. Shortly after the end of WWII, Gisela emigrated with her grandparents, joining her Aunt Lucy and her husband Hubert Schatz, who had settled in Regina prior to the war. Gisela found work, lodging and her own independence at the Grey Nuns Hospital (currently Pasqua Hospital) which she often described as heaven. Not long after meeting and falling in love with Johannes (John) Lorenzen, they travelled to and were married near Sudbury, Ontario in 1953. They lived there for a short period of time before returning to Regina where they enjoyed life, working hard and raising a family. Gisela and John's lives were focused on work and family as well as having a profound influence on their grand and great grand children. There are endless stories of the joyous family meals and gatherings over the years at their home in Regina and cottage at Regina Beach. Gisela was a determined and loving person who appreciated and accepted people from all walks of life. She maintained a sharp, humorous wit that made everyone feel comfortable until the very end.
Gisela was predeceased by her husband John in 2009 and will be lovingly remembered by her children Anita (Ron), Harald (Ann), John, Edward (Linda), and Alfred; grandchildren Jaimee (Ryan) Dowdeswell, Kelli Driver, Tyler Abramson, Manoah (Mike) Scheper, Nicholas (Laurissa) Lorenzen, Keira (Ben) Lorenzen, Shaun (Sena) Mann and Chantel Mann; great grandchildren Brooke, Abby and Reese Dowdeswell, Cooper, Easton and Titan Driver, Elia and Robert Scheper, and Walker Bell, Jordyn and Mathew Garratt; family in Germany: sister Hilde Burkard and cousins Frank and Edward Baumgartner; as well as dear friends, including Laurie and Parry Johnson, Glen Abramson and Mary Anne and Ed Clark.
A small family gathering celebrating Gisela’s life will take place in Regina.
If so wishing, donations may be made in Gisela’s memory to the Pasqua Hospital Palliative Care Unit in Regina, SK.
