Tribute

Gerhard Wiens was the youngest son of four boys born to Abram and Suse Wiens; In addition, he had three step sisters and one step brother. He was living in a generation where families were destroyed and separated by the civil unrest in the Ukraine and Soviet Russia, followed by the second world and the advance of Communist Russia. His parents both died tragically; father of starvation and mother in a train accident. Two of his brothers (Jacob Epp and Abram Wiens) died in the second world war, three sisters (Lena, Tina and Suse) and one brother (Johan) died in Germany after having spent years in the Soviet Union, and Heinrich passed away in Winnipeg in 2015.

After his marriage to Luise Friesen in San Lorenzo (the MCC refugee camp) in Paraguay in 1947, they spent ten years in the Chaco. In 1957 they immigrated to Winnipeg where the Friesen family lived. In 1965, they moved to Kelowna and then finally in 1995 to Abbotsford.

Gerhard Wiens, together with the Grace Baptist Church in Kelowna established Mexico Mission Foundation (1983), now known as Multi Nations Missionary Foundation.  What started as a passion to evangelize the Mennonites of Mexico has become a vehicle for many people to serve in humanitarian programs and evangelistic outreaches in Mexico and the Ukraine, India and Guatemala, Kenya and Belize, Bolivia and Brazil, and in many other countries?

The last few years of his life with deteriorating health was spent in Tabor Home where he was loved and cared for by a dedicated staff.   A special thank you to the extraordinary loving care provided by Vi Fast-Wiens during the last few years of Dad’s life.

survived by his family:

Helmut (Alice Ediger), George (Susan Leigh), Will, Jake (Mary Cassel), Henry (Nettie Funk),

Rudy (Wendy Hamm), Walter (Elaine Wiebe), Alfred (Janice Kopp), Martha (Alfred Janz), and

Helen (John Peters).

34 grandchildren, 69 great grandchildren, 2 great, great grandchildren