Tribute

Johan Penner Enns was born on March 9, 1939, in the home of his parents in Neuanlage, Chaco Paraguay.  He was the third child in a family of 10 children. Johan was predeceased by his  mother and father Maria and Cornelius  Enns, his sister Maria, and brother George.  May 20, 1959 Johan was baptized.  He met and married Anna Falk in their home town in 1960.  In the years that followed, their union was blessed by two sons, Diedrich, and Rudy.  Johan and Anna farmed cotton, kaffier and peanuts in Neuhoff, Chaco until 1964.  The move to Canada in April of that year to a massive snowstorm in Niverville Manitoba must have been very interesting.  

In those early days, Johan worked in a slaughter house with His brother George.  Three weeks later, he found his life's calling when he was hired by Peter Brown in Niverville to build houses.  In January of 1965 Eric was born in the Steinbach hospital.  The years to follow involved moving to Steinbach, and welcoming a baby girl Adina in 1968.

Johan being a gifted carpenter, started his own business building and installing custom kitchen cabinets. Following at trip to Paraguay in 1970, Johan experienced overwhelming depression resulting in his hospitalization for the duration of six weeks.  His diagnosis was manic depression for which he took medication for the rest of his life. While visiting Paraguay in 1978, Johan felt the tug of his homeland.  Land was purchased and items were sold and Johan, along with his wife Anna, and the two youngest children moved to Loma Plata, Paraguay two years later in 1981.  The transition from carpentry to ranching was a challenge to say the least.  Two years of milking cows, branding cattle and picking cotton proved to be enough for the Ennses, and once again they returned to Canadian soil.  The target was Abbotsford, but a lack if work brought them back to Manitoba within the next year.

The years that followed involved children getting married, grand children being born and houses being built.  Winnipeg winters brought a strong desire for balmy weather, and so in 1989 the west was once more on the radar.

The Mennonite Mecca of Abbotsford had the good fortune of becoming the home of Johan and Anna.

Johan retired and started building grandfather clocks, gifting one to each of his children.  

Johan will best remembered for his talent in being able to look at a picture and create something from a raw piece of wood.  

Unexpectedly on May 20th, Johan passed from a massive heart attack.  He is survived by his wife Anna, his sons Rick (Lin), Rudy (Betty), Eric Enns, his daughter Adina Rekrut (Marco) and his 6 grandchildren Craig (Alex), Cameron Enns, Carissa Cameron, Andrew, Caleb Enns, and Jessica Krahn (Ewart).