Bernhard Andres, age 98, went to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on Friday, July 26, 2024, at the Cypress Regional Hospital, Swift Current, SK with family and friends at his side. Bernhard “Bernie” Andres was born on June 8, 1926, in Siberia, to Peter Abraham & Elizabeth (Harms) Andres, the second youngest of eight children. In the spring of 1927, when Bernie was eight months old, the family pulled up their roots and emigrated to Saskatchewan, settling on the land that Bernie farmed all his farming years. Bernie attended Donnellyville School through eighth grade. He also attended the Swift Current Bible School for one year and took a six-week Agricultural Mechanics course at the University of Saskatoon. In 1949 Bernie met Doris Toews at choir and as they got to know each other the relationship blossomed into more than just friendship. Bernie & Doris were married on July 1, 1951, and this union was blessed with a son, Don in 1956. As the years went by Don picked a brother on his own, thus Ken Siemens became his childhood companion which continued throughout his life. Ken became Bernie’s second son, also staying with Don during Bernie’s final hour. Bernie felt very privileged to farm with his dad. Bernie loved the land and working the land with his dad, and later with his son and grandson. Bernie’s dad was not mechanically minded, so once Bernie finished school and was working full-time on the farm, the mechanical duties fell to him. This led to him going to the University of Saskatoon to take an Ag Mechanics course to better fulfill those responsibilities. Bernie was a frugal man, largely due to the scarcity of money and resources growing up. As a young boy, he would trap gophers, earning 1 cent for every 10 gopher tails he turned in. Fifty gopher tails earned him the 5 cents required to buy his favorite treat…a pack of Juicy Fruit gum! Bernie’s younger brother, Henry, and his older sister, Katherine, were his constant childhood companions. Even in his older age, most afternoons Bernie could be seen heading to Katherine’s for coffee. She lived close to a school and they both loved watching as the kids were dismissed, making their way to their homes. Bernie’s heart was always on the farm, from his first memories to the day he left this earth. He loved working on the land, seeding and harvesting the crops. He also loved his cattle and was always concerned about getting that last bale home. Even in the last week of his life, Bernie rode on the tractor with Don as he was cutting hay. In 2007, Bernie & Doris made the permanent transition to town living. For years they had stayed in town for the winter, but when Keith & Lindsay got married, Bernie & Doris made it permanent, so their farmhouse became Keith & Lindsays. Bernie still went out to the farm regularly, staying involved and hoping to be able to help. As the saying goes, “You can move Bernie off the farm…but you could not take the farm out of Bernie”. As Don became more involved on the farm, Bernie started to enjoy some of his hobbies. He spent many happy hours fishing on the shores of Highfield Dam, he did not want a boat, as he liked having his feet firmly planted on the shore. Bernie & Doris traveled with some of Bernie’s family and with some friends, enjoying this as long as Doris was able. Bernie’s favorite trip was going back to Russia with some of his siblings to see where they had come from. Bernie was a creative man and used his woodworking skills in the building and finishing of the church, and over the years numerous miscellaneous projects at the church. He also had many woodworking projects that he completed for his family. Bernie was well into his 90’s, when he built items for the local thrift shop and for Prairie Wind Estates. Bernie was a generous man and enjoyed using his skills to help others. Bernie was also very involved with MCC, Food Grains Bank, and numerous church positions. His faith in Christ was very important to him. He lived out his faith through his daily involvement in these areas, and loving and helping people, even those he maybe did not agree with. Bernie left a legacy of faith and kindness, leaving an example we all can learn from. Bernie leaves to cherish his memory his only child, Don (Lori) Andres; a granddaughter, Denise (Denis) Charron; and great-grandson, David; his grandson, Keith (Lindsey) Andres; his great-grandchildren, Carter and Sara; his chosen son, Ken (Kathy) Siemens; and by numerous nieces, nephews, and close friends, who will all dearly miss him. He was predeceased by his beloved wife of 63 years, Doris (2014); his parents, Peter & Elizabeth Andres; and by all his siblings and their spouses, Elizabeth (Isaac) Doerksen, Katherine (Art) Jahnke, Peter (Mary) Andres, Abe (Gertie) Andres, Isaac (Mary) Andres, Jake (Mary) Andres, and Henry (Irma) Andres. Bernie was the last of his family to enter heaven’s gates. He looked forward to seeing his Savior face to face and reuniting with his beloved wife, Doris, and the family and friends waiting there.

The link for the service recording is below:

Bernie Andres Service Recording