Agatha Wiebe Braun was born in humble circumstances in her family home southeast of Grunthal in 1921. She was the fourth child of a family of six and had one sister and four brothers. As with many others in the builder generation, times were difficult and her family eked out a living by farming land that was neither rich nor fertile.
The Mennonite culture she was born into had little value for education, so she never had the opportunity to expand her horizons in that way. Families of that era were led mostly by strong fathers who were dominant in their approach to life.
She had to walk many miles to school every day, and it can probably be said that this created a steely resolve in her to survive the most challenging times. In retrospect, I see that this was a generation of survivors, and I sometimes wonder how different things would have been for Agatha had she been raised in an environment where she could have thrived.
Agatha was a leader in a time when the culture had little value for female leaders, and this became most evident in her family after the passing of her husband Peter in July 1975. His sudden death left her in a challenging situation. Of her seven children, six had already left home, and with the support of her family she sold her home on Second Street North and purchased a new home on Fifth Avenue.
It was here, and some years after the passing of her husband, that Agatha came to the end of herself. To that point, she had been dutiful in how she lived, but she was not at peace. Fear had been her dominant emotion throughout life, and in these difficult years she lost her passion for life and expressed a willingness to die.
In the early 1980s, her family encouraged her to meet with a counsellor to try to come to grips with her lack of zest for life. The counsellor encouraged her to consider how she could reach out to others and encourage them in their own journeys. And so began a journey of love and care for others that has been a hallmark of her life to this day.
In the 35 years since, you would never meet Agatha without being encouraged with a simple hug and a friendly reminder that you are special. It mattered little if she knew you well or whether you were family; she was aware that everyone had value and she expressed that generously. She was ever grateful for the full and meaningful life God provided her and she always expressed a desire to continue to grow in her love for others.
Agatha is a mother of Niverville. She has lived and loved far beyond the confines of her biological family or church family. So many others have been beneficiaries of her love and care.
In late September 2015, Agatha had a stroke, which was followed by two additional strokes. This left her weak and without the use of her left side. I remember standing by her bedside at St. Boniface Hospital, and when asked if she was ready to pass on, she simply said, “I am not done yet.” It took weeks of difficult challenges, but her goal of coming back to her home in the Niverville Credit Union Manor was satisfied six weeks later.
Today she has regained the use of her left side and is able to navigate with the use of a walker.
From Agatha’s perspective, her life seemed to end when she was 58 years old. She was ready to die. Yet 37 years later, facing a difficult recovery, she said that she wasn’t done yet. Something shifted in her belief about herself. She became more aware of the greatest gift of all—and it all began with reaching out to see others as God saw them. In reaching beyond herself, in simply loving people, she found the peace and joy of a fulfilled and meaningful life.
Agatha is my mother, and as a family we celebrated her 95th birthday this month. We are so grateful for the meaningful expressions of her love and care for us.
