JOHANNA HECHT

1921 - 2009

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Johanna Hecht, beloved wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother who passed away in Taber on Friday, November 13, 2009 at the age of 88 years.
Johanna was born at Prelate, Saskatchewan on September 14, 1921, the first born of Amalia & William Hoffart. She spent her formative years on a farm near Fox Valley, Saskatchewan and left school in grade eight to stay home and help her mother raise nine siblings. She later moved to Medicine Hat and finally to Taber where she spent the last forty nine years of her life. Johanna was a great cook and baker and loved to do both. She had a great love for her family. Her greatest love outside of her home and her family was bingo. She almost considered playing bingo as a job and was very lucky at it. Johanna also loved playing cards with her family. She was a great and competitive player and hated to lose. She helped her husband Harry around the farm near Taber and did the books for Harry’s transport business and the farm, right up to the spring of the year of her passing, all on a less than a grade eight education. Johanna was generous beyond a fault and everyone felt welcome on entering her home. She never let anyone leave without food and drink. She had a great love of life and was always happy. On anything remotely funny, Johanna could laugh until she cried and by then everyone else was enjoying the humor as much as she did. She loved to sing and dance and no one could outdo her in the three step Saskatchewan polka. Johanna was a very positive person, kind and loving and never said an unkind word about, or to anyone. She will be missed by everyone who came in contact with her (except for maybe a few bingo players who thought she won to often... ha) and will remain in their hearts forever.
Johanna is survived and lovingly remembered by Harry, her loving husband of forty two years; two daughters, Crystal Hecht and Karen (Carl) Russell and children Daniel & Sara; son Allan (Linda) Kopp and children Sherri (Jamie) Holtz, Robert (Amanda) and David (Marie); son Gordon (Rose) Kopp and children Ted (Kim), Peggy (Randall) Reimer and their mother Judy; and four great grandchildren. She is also survived by four brothers, Peter (Mary), Dan (Julia), Lawrence (Elsie) and Frank (Sharon); two sisters, AnnaMarie Puckett and Tillie Merkl (Frank); sisters-in-law, Dolores Hoffart, Kathy Hoffart, Hilda Shewaga, Maleta Poley (Jack Rushton) and many nieces, nephews and numerous extended family members.
She was predeceased by her first husband, Ted Kopp; her first born Shirley, in infancy; two brothers, Charlie and Tony Hoffart; one sister, Emelia Schmidt; four brothers-in-law, Otto Schmidt, Ray Puckett, Otto Poley and Mike Shewaga; one sister-in-law, Selma Nelson; her mother and father, Amalia & William Hoffart; nieces Alexandra Revak, Jeanette Vissar and a nephew, Keith Blom.
Relatives and friends are invited to Prayers at the Southland Funeral Chapel, 5006 - 48 Avenue, Taber on Wednesday, November 18, 2009 at 7:00 P.M.
The Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Augustine’s Catholic Church, 5009 - 48 Avenue, Taber on Thursday, November 19, 2009 at 11:00 A.M. with Reverend Patrick Furtado SAC, Celebrant. Burial to follow at the Taber Memorial Garden.
If friends so desire, memorial tributes in Johanna’s name may be made directly to the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Alberta, Box 2211, Lethbridge, Alberta T1J 4K7.