TEENIE WALL

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TEENIE WALL

April 8, 1935 - January 13, 2025

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Teenie Wall (nee Tina Hildebrand) in the early hours of January 13, 2025, at the Bethania Mennonite Care Home in Winnipeg. Teenie was the beloved and cherished wife of Siegfried (Sieg) Wall for almost sixty-five years and the treasured mother of Ramona (Glenn De Baeremaeker), Heather Peter (Steve), Sharon, Rachel (Darcy Johnston). Teenie left this world with Sieg at her side. Her daughters and partners were also honoured to share her last days and hours, often singing old favourites and reminding her of how much she was loved. Teenie was also the much-loved "Granny" of Kirstin (Kevin Wright), Dylan, and Jesse (Nikki Shepherd) Peter, and great-granny of Alexa, Deegan, Ella, and Riley Wright. She delighted in them all.

Teenie was born on April 8, 1935, in the depths of the Great Depression. She was the fifth of eleven children born to Helena and Bernard Hildebrand, a Mennonite farming couple with a homestead just outside Winkler, Manitoba. Teenie’s childhood was one of few amenities and possessions, but it was rich in emotional bonds between nine sisters and two brothers. Sibling ties remained close throughout her life, even when geographical distance kept them apart. Her youngest brother, Dan, whose passing in 2011 saddened her immensely, once shared that Teenie was like a mother to him.

In 1959, Teenie met Sieg at Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship at University of Manitoba, where she was finishing a General Degree in Arts after two years of rural teaching; the two married a year later. Their many years together were full and varied ones that took them from a St. Boniface apartment to the small town of Rosenort, back to the suburbs of Winnipeg, and eventually to their country home in Pine Ridge for a very special thirteen years. Teenie put oodles of love and work into that homestead, turning over new vegetable gardens, planting spring flowers, redecorating bedrooms, and bringing in the fall harvest, a pleasure that reconnected her once again with her rural childhood. During that time, she and Sieg developed a close group of friends who shared their faith, a group that later evolved into the small but thriving Church at Pine Ridge, leading to Teenie’s transition from professor’s wife to minister’s wife.

In 1985, Teenie was ready for a new adventure when Sieg’s work as pastor took them to Campbellton, New Brunswick, for ten years of east coast living. There, at the age of 50, she enrolled in French language classes, learned the upholstery trade, and hosted many local and out-of-town visitors in their charming historical home. Before returning to Winnipeg, she was thrilled to join Sieg and church teens on a canoe trip down the Restigouche River.

Teenie’s enthusiasm and zest for life (along with a knee-slapping laugh) were infectious. She was curious, creative, active, and a great lover and observer of nature. She had an eye for beauty and a keen social sense. Together with Sieg, she loved winning a game - and even some trophies! - whether at golf, tennis, or curling. She adored a moonlit ski out the back door of her Pine Ridge home, bird-watching at dawn, and daily river walks through Fraser’s Grove in later years.

Teenie’s Christian life was a quiet, personal one. Sieg notes, "Teenie and I always believed with deep conviction that since we are God's creation we owe it to him to live in a manner that brings honour to him. That begins as we surrender our lives to him and is completed in eternity by the power of the Spirit of God." Teenie took on the role of minister’s wife with some trepidation but filled it with her own unique flair. She excelled at it all due to a deep love for, and interest in, people and a devotion to her Maker. Helping others - whether sewing a dress, recovering a couch, plastering walls, or pulling weeds in our gardens - was perhaps one of her greatest satisfactions. Outside the home, she loved her work at the MCC Thrift Store, where she thrived on both meeting customers and making sure "perfectly good" things didn’t "go to waste."

Teenie would have turned 90 this April. Even being 89 came as a surprise to her every time she was reminded of her age. As dementia crept into her life and became more pronounced over time, especially in her last decade, her home shifted to Bethania in 2022, a heart-wrenching decision for Sieg and the family. While there were challenges and difficult moments, Teenie continued to charm those around her with her outgoing nature, interest in others, and willingness to help. In recent months, when language often failed her, she still managed to respond to our concerns for her welfare with the reply: "And what about you?"

A great gap will be left in our lives with Teenie’s passing, but we celebrate that she is now free of human suffering and has gone on to meet her Creator. We extend our sincere thanks to the staff at Bethania for the care they provided during these last difficult years.

Teenie was predeceased by her siblings, Helen Churchill, Esther Krahn, Danny Hildebrand, Jerry Hildebrand, Liz/Betty Calyn and Anne Winter; nephews, Joey Pauls and Robert Winter, and in-laws, Neil Krahn, John Cayln, Neil Pauls, Ray Dyck, Irwin and Betty Wall, Ruth and Johnny Klassen, and Cornelius Dyck. She is survived by her sisters, Mary Dyck, Agnes Pauls, Murt (Jack) Pauls, and Phyllis (George) Pauls and in-laws, Marjorie Hildebrand, Nicolle Brockie, Darlene Hildebrand, and Luise Dyck.

A celebration of Teenie’s life will take place at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, January 25, 2025 at Elmwood M.B. Church, 145 Henderson Hwy. Masks will be available for the service; if you are sick, the family asks that you join them via the livestream option instead. Mennonite faspa and open mic to follow the service.

Donations in Teenie’s honour may be made to the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba, the Mennonite Central Committee, or the charity of your choice.

In care of arrangements

Tributes: friendsfs.ca

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jan 18, 2025