Rebecca Ruth Thiessen was born to John and Lillian Friesen in the house of her Grandpa and Grandma - John and Rebecca Schartner - at Crooked Creek, Alberta, on May 23, 1942. She was named after her grandma. She quietly passed away on April 29, 2026, at Grande Prairie Hospital in Grande Prairie, Alberta, at the age of 83. She was surrounded by children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, who lovingly held her, whispering words of encouragement, and giving her permission to go be with Jesus and Dad. Her death was caused by a brain hemorrhage.

Her Mom and Dad were pioneers in the Crooked Creek community, being among the first people to settle there. She spent her childhood and adolescence living in Crooked Creek and Abbotsford, BC, and also spent time with her parents as they served as missionaries in Little Red River and Fort Vermillion, Alberta. On the confession of her faith, Mom was baptized on April 19, 1954, and became a member of the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite.

Mom married our Dad, Wilbert Thiessen, in Crooked Creek on June 4, 1961. They had six children in seven years. This was a bit of a feather in their hats, and it made for busy times. In 1987, they moved to Neilburg, Saskatchewan, where they resided until 2019, after which they returned to Crooked Creek and took up residence at the Ridge Valley Seniors’Home. From there, they moved to Hythe, Alberta, where Dad passed away in 2025. Mom remained there, living in the Hythe Pioneer Home until her passing. We were pleased when, just over a week before she left us, her brother Robert moved into the lodge.

Mom was a tender-hearted person who freely expressed her love. She had a ready smile and was very hospitable. We know she faced times of struggle in life, with the commitment of raising a family, health issues, and supporting Dad’s ministry, but her faith remained strong, and she came through victoriously.

She loved to garden, cook, sew, and keep house. She had a well-stocked room in the basement we called “the vegetable room,” with bins of potatoes and carrots, and shelves with gleaming rows of home-canned jars. There was her famous “Schartner” style cooking that included the donut recipe still in high demand. Looking back, we took for granted so much that seemed to effortlessly appear.

We remember picnics, meals in the field, homemade cheese and “Glums”, homemade clothes, and never-ending rows of potatoes that needed weeding and hilling. Cleanliness was next to Godliness, and a neatly made bed in the morning was a requirement.

She loved to sing and was a poet at heart. We anticipated her annual Christmas poems, which she sent to family and friends, expressing her love for our Saviour and her thankfulness for the gift of salvation.

She left us suddenly and unexpectedly, but she had recently expressed her desire to go home. In recent church revivals, she expressed her feeling that she didn’t have long left in this world. Though we will miss her dearly, it somehow feels right that she has moved to her new home.

Those left to lovingly remember her are her six children, Roland and Wanda, Fern and Glen Wohlgemuth, Glenda and Galen Loetkeman, Lester and Ruth, Jerry and Tami, and Darla and Fred Goossen. She has twenty-nine grandchildren and thirty-four great-grandchildren. Surviving her are two brothers, Harvey and Maggie Friesen, and Robert Friesen, two sisters, Virginia Friesen and Roberta MacKinnon, and four sisters-in-law, Viola Thiessen, Olive and Wayne Klassen, Lillian Thiessen, and Marion and Keith Isaac.

Preceding her in death are her husband, her parents, one sister, one grandson, one granddaughter, parents-in-law, five brothers-in-law, and four sisters-in-law. 

Funeral Services will be held at Rosedale Church of God in Christ, Mennonite in Crooked Creek, AB, on May 5, 2026, at 10:30 a.m.

If family and friends so desire, in lieu of flowers, memorial tributes may be made directly to the charity of the donor’s choice.

Condolences, memories, and photos may be shared and viewed with Rebecca's family here.