ELIZABETH MARLENE TRINKIES (FEHR)

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ELIZABETH MARLENE TRINKIES
(nee FEHR)
January 21, 1940 - May 23, 2019

Elizabeth Trinkies (nee Fehr), born January 21, 1940, passed away peacefully on Thursday, May 23, 2019, at the age of 79, surrounded by her family.
She is survived by her husband of 57 years, Gerhard Walter Trinkies; sons, Gary (Sandra), and James; grandchildren, Ashley Chamberlin (Mark), Aleks (Courtney), Jennifer (Steven), Jaryn (Jared), Amber, and Brett; six great-grandchildren, her brothers, Abe and Dave; and many nieces and nephews.
A Celebration of Life will be held Friday, May 31, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. at Birchwood Funeral Chapel, 162 PTH 52W, Steinbach, MB.

Arrangements by:
BIRCHWOOD FUNERAL CHAPEL
1-204-346-1030 OR 1-888-454-1030
www.birchwoodfuneralchapel.mb.ca

Publish Date: May 29, 2019

ELIZABETH MARLENE TRINKIES
(nee FEHR)
January 21, 1940 - May 23, 2019

Elizabeth Marlene Fehr was born January 21, 1940, in Winkler, Manitoba, to Isaac Fehr and Justina Reimer. Betty had four sisters and five brothers. She grew up in the Steinbach/Grunthal area. When she was 21 years old, she met the man who was to be her husband in St. Pierre-Jolys, Manitoba. She was working there as a seamstress and he was a tailor, and they soon decided to sew the fabric of their lives together. On December 23, 1961, Elizabeth married Gerhard Walter Trinkies at the Church of the Cross Lutheran Church, a ceremony presided by Reverend Ratz and witnessed by her mother Justina and her stepfather. The newlyweds settled in their first married home on Young Street in Winnipeg, and then shortly thereafter bought their first home on Wallasey Street in St. James. They welcomed their first son, Gary Ward Trinkies, on October 11, 1962. Two and one half years later, they welcomed their second son, James Walter Trinkies on June 2, 1965. When the boys were school aged, Betty and Walter decided to try out country life, and moved their family to a rural property near Morden, Manitoba. Always the artist, the house in Morden gave Betty the opportunity to paint murals of scenery and nature on the walls of their home. Betty had always loved art and decided to take a painting class. She did not last long in the class, as she had natural talent and did not feel like her art should be limited to someone else's vision. She continued to paint nature and wildlife scenes, many of her paintings continue to be treasured by friends and family to this day. Once their sons graduated high school, they decided to move life back to Winnipeg. While renting an apartment on Taylor Avenue, Betty got a job at Woolco, later renamed Walmart, where she would work until she retired.
1991 saw the marriage of Gary and Sandra, which coincided with Betty's introduction to grandparenthood. Betty loved spending time with her grandchildren. She has six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren in total. Gary's children: Ashley Chamberlain, her husband Mark and children, Victoria and Isaac; Aleks Trinkies, his wife Courtney and their daughters, Olivia and Abigail; Jennifer Elizabeth Trinkies, her husband Steven and children, Raya Elizabeth and Rhett, and Jaryn Trinkies and husband Jared. James' children are Amber and Brett. For the next several years, Betty could be seen spending her spare time baking, painting, fishing, gardening with and loving her family.
In the past two years, Betty's health began to decline, and she spent a lot of her time in and out of the hospital. The active life Betty had enjoyed became increasingly difficult to maintain. In April 2019, after a six week stay in the hospital, Betty went to live at Gary and Sandra's home in Niverville so that she could spend her remaining time being surrounded by the very people her life had revolved around for so many years. For the last five weeks of her life, Betty saw her husband and each of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren on a daily basis. Betty spent most of her recent evenings watching Disney movies with her family.
On May 23, 2019, she spent her evening surrounded by family and she went to sleep for the last time. She has now been reunited with her parents, three of her brothers and all her sisters. Betty's time on this earth is now finished, but she has left everyone who knew her with a legacy of compassion, love and art. On the evening that Betty passed away, the family found a note she had written, addressed to them, that said; "There are a lot of budding artists in my family. Keep it up, okay? We are all artists in different ways. You are the BEST, each in your own way. Love you all."
A Celebration of Life will be held Friday, May 31, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. at Birchwood Funeral Chapel, 162 PTH 52W, Steinbach, MB.

Arrangements by:
BIRCHWOOD FUNERAL CHAPEL
1-204-346-1030 OR 1-888-454-1030
www.birchwoodfuneralchapel.mb.ca

Publish Date: May 28, 2019

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on May 28, 2019, May 29, 2019