COLUMN: Tales from the Gravel Ridge – Roll-call at Rosengard School #2168

There was a time, during the 1940s when my sister Anne answered “present” when her name was called in the morning, and again in the afternoon during roll-call at the Rosengard School. The school was closed in due course, which means, of course, that calling the roll was no longer part of the daily routine. Anne, however, never stopped learning during the 90 years of her life.

Anne was born in her parental home in Rosengard on Jan. 13, 1936, during the Great Depression of the 1930s, which according to Britannica, “… was the longest and most severe depression ever experienced by the industrialized Western world, …”. Needless to say, my family, arriving in Canada in 1929, felt keenly the astronomical effects of this worldwide state of affairs. They had already experienced numerous setbacks before leaving the Mennonite village of Schoeneberg, now Smolyane, in Ukraine in December, 1928. These challenges included the First World War, the Russian Revolution, civil war, and anarchy, along with famine and epidemics, followed by being robbed on the train enroute to Moscow. A new life in Canada beckoned them.

Our mother, Katarina Falk always had many household and family activities to which she needed to respond daily. I think our mother had learned early in her life that in order to achieve what needed to be done, she had to be organized, and perhaps equally importantly, she needed to evaluate how to do what needed doing, and at the same time remain composed. It was within that scenario that our sister Anne, and we her siblings, heard from our mother the stories of her early life. Our mother was, all the while, darning socks or possibly knitting a new pair, or mending clothing.

My sister lived in Rosengard during her early life, and even though she no longer attended the Rosengard School, some of those classmates remained her lifelong friends. So too did numerous friends and co-workers she came to know over the years. Anne was kind and considerate throughout the 90 years of her life, and had a unique capacity for working under a range of circumstances. It can truly be said of her that those who associated with her, be it in a work environment, or in a serving capacity in her church, as well as in neighbourly interaction, came to view Anne as a friend.

During the early years of her marriage to Bill Thiessen, when their children were very young, Anne became friends with her French Canadian neighbours in St. Vital, Manitoba. She and they were somewhat linguistically and culturally diverse. In addition, her neighbours worshipped within a Roman Catholic context, while Anne and Bill and their family practised their faith within a Mennonite setting. Anne and Bill left Winnipeg for the west coast decades ago, but the friendship with their St. Vital neighbours remained strong. The women knew that neither language nor culture separated them, and there was no doubt in their minds that the God they worshipped loved them all.

Anne celebrated her 90th birthday on Jan. 13, 2026, together with her immediate family, members of our extended family, and numerous friends.

On Feb. 22, 2026, we spoke with one of Anne’s sons, who advised us that his mother’s life hung in the balance the night before, but that he was certain that she was up for a telephone conversation with us.

When we called Anne, she immediately answered her phone, and we had an upbeat and articulate conversation with her, after which Anne made a distinct point of wishing us well, and also extended those wishes to our children. She made mention that only short weeks ago, our son Jonathan and partner Crystle visited her, bringing pastry, and Jon offered to make tea in her suite, which she so appreciated.

Early on the morning of Feb. 23, 2026, Anne, in the presence of her children, drew her last breath.

We are reminded of the verse in the Book of Chronicles: “We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, …”.