SONJA PEPNECK

1927 - 2013

Sonja Pepneck, beloved wife of Peter Pepneck, passed away in Taber on Thursday, April 11, 2013 at the age of 85 years.
Relatives and friends were invited to meet with the family at the Vauxhall Mennonite Brethren Church, 320 - 9 Street North, Vauxhall on Monday, April 15, 2013 between 7:00 P.M. and 8:00 P.M.
The Funeral Service was held at the Vauxhall Mennonite Brethren Church, 320 - 9 Street North, Vauxhall on Tuesday, April 16, 2013 at 2:00 P.M. with Pastor Elroy Senneker officiating. Burial followed at the Vauxhall Mennonite Cemetery.
Besides her loving husband Peter, she is survived by their children Helga (Dean) Joyce, Peter (Glenna) Pepneck, Lillian (George) Simpson, Richard (Joanna) Pepneck, Harvey (Kathy) Pepneck and Heidi (Ken) Froese; grandchildren Sonya (Andy) Dodson, Matthew Joyce, Adrienna Joyce, Gavin (Carla) Joyce, Daniel Pepneck, Tracy (Tyler) Forster, Julie Pepneck, Joshua Pepneck, Jennifer Pepneck, David Pepneck, Stephanie Pepneck, Luke Froese, Logan Froese, Carson Froese and two great grandchildren Ben and Nicholas Dodson.
Sonja was born May 17, 1927, to Abram and Helena Wiebe in Neuenberg in the Ukraine, their second child, a sister for Victor. Her father died early in her life and it was a time of great hunger, huge turmoil and ongoing fear for the Mennonite community in the Ukraine. During World War II, Sonja, her mother and brother became refugees, moving with the retreating German army back towards Germany. Time was spent in Benzbrech, Poland where her brother Victor died. Sonja and her mother managed to escape to Passau, Germany on one of the last trains out.
Finally in 1948, Sonja and her mother came to Canada and Pier 21 in Halifax, followed by a train ride across Canada to their sponsor, Uncle Henry Wiebe in Vauxhall and abundance. Shortly after arriving in Vauxhall, she met Peter Pepneck and on October 23, 1949 they married. They established a home on the banks of the Bow River and it was home for over sixty years. They raised their six children there and felt blessed immensely. Sonja frequently expressed that “God is so good to me”.
In the fall of 2012, it became necessary for Peter and Sonja to move into the Linden View care facility in Taber where they have been blessed to continue sharing all their time together and also finding wonderful care and new friends.
Her faith, her family and her friends were her life. No one ever left her home hungry. Her love was evident to all. To the very end, she was looking at what she could do for others, especially her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
If friends so desire, memorial tributes in Sonja’s name may be made directly to the Gideons International in Canada, Box 3619, Guelph, Ontario N1H 7H2.