We celebrate the life of George Giesbrecht who was born on October 28, 1926 to John & Margaret (nee Dyck) Giesbrecht at Kronsgart, MB and passed on to be with his Lord and Savior on March 10, 2016 at the age of 89. He was the third of six children born to this farm family.
George worked hard on the family farm as well as neighboring farms, but relates the tales of entertainment found in swimming in the dugout, his love of playing baseball, skiing, skating, singing and appreciating great friendships. In his personal life journal, he recounts his decision to accept the Lord as his personal Savior in June 1942 and followed with public baptism on August 23 of that same year. On August 8, 1948 he married his sweetheart, Esther Hiebert of Grossweide. Early years of employment were farming and then carpentry in and around Morden. They moved to Austin in 1952 to continue a farming career until the move into Austin in 2005.
God blessed this marriage with five children, 12 grandchildren, and 17 great grandchildren all deeply loved and prayed for with dedication: Sylvia & Robert Advent, son, Eric; Sharon & Bill Esau, children: Shannon (Sajjad Hashmi) Esau: sons Amir, Adam; Justin Esau, Bill (Shala Brignall) Esau: daughter, Kylar; Matthew (Kathleen) Esau; Harold & Mary Kehler Giesbrecht, children: Heather (Darryl) Enns: Mckenzie, Dylan, Quinlan and Ryenne; Jaynee (Wes) Weiss: Ryder, Mack and Jones; Amanda (Jason) Plant: Cooper, Layla, Rowan and Jessa; Donavon (Ashley) Giesbrecht: Arlo, Noa, Emry; Kenneth Giesbrecht who died in infancy; Earl Giesbrecht: Shantel Hollett, Kaden and Lorissa.
On November 27, 1964 Esther passed away leaving George and his family with great sadness and loss. The love and support of extended family and many friends provided comfort and a reminder of God’s strong presence. Through family contact George met and married Lydia Penner of Headingly on September 24, 1966. Lydia brought much joy and love to the family, great dedication and support to the care of the children, and George - especially as his health declined in these latter years. She has been a “rock” to our family. Mom gave us a new appreciation for hugs, embracing life, always supporting us children in our ventures and caring for our Dad.
Farming was a passion of our Dad’s. From the days of a binder to Massey Harris and John Deere equipment he was up for the challenge. Although he did not utilize the cell phone technology, last fall he was not averse to asking his two granddaughters to text their Dad to see if he was combining. “Once a farmer, always a farmer” as the expression goes.
Our Dad loved to sing and delighted in the opportunity to sing in the church men’s choir some years ago. One of the songs he often mentioned and enjoyed was “O Beautiful Star of Bethlehem”.
George was predeceased by his wife, Esther; infant son, Kenneth; daughter-in-law, Elaine Giesbrecht, parents: John & Margaret Giesbrecht; parents in-law: Abram & Anna Hiebert; and Jacob & Sara Penner; sister: Ann Wiebe; brothers: John, Peter, Abe (Ben); and numerous in-laws.
George loved people and cared for what mattered to them. Our loving husband and father leaves a lasting legacy to his family of reverence and devotion to God, respect for others and his keen sense of detail and enjoying life.
Lydia wishes to express a special thank you to George Bartsch and Mrs. Cronk for their support and special efforts at the time of George’s passing, and for granddaughter Heather, for coming so quickly to be with her. Many thanks to the many people who faithfully said “Say ‘hi’ to George”. Those greetings meant a lot to him and helped pick up his spirits. Our dear neighbour friend, Evelyn Thiessen, made many visits to our home - ‘thank you’. There have been so many visitors, phone calls and acknowledgements that have been a great comfort.