KAETE SUDERMANN

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KAETE SUDERMANN Katharina (Kaete) Sudermann passed away peacefully on January 18, 2017, at Bethania Mennonite Personal Care Home at the age of 90. Kaete was born on August 7, 1926 in Blumenort, Ukraine. She was the youngest of three daughters. Her parents were Kornelius and Katharina Sudermann (Schulz). As a family they experienced many hardships during the period of collectivization and persecution. In January, 1937, Kaete's father was taken by the Communist regime and was never heard from again. The Second World War brought further difficulties and upheaval. In September, 1943, Kaete and her family were evacuated to Germany by the retreating German army. She and her family remained in Germany until February, 1947, when the MCC (Mennonite Central Committee) helped them to travel to Paraguay with hundreds of other Mennonite families aboard the "Volendam". The pioneer years in the jungles of Paraguay were not easy for this family of women. When her sister Mary went to study to become a nurse and her oldest sister Helene got married, Kaete was left with her mother and grandmother to manage the homestead and care for her young nephew Rudy. On March 9, 1955, Kaete, along with her mother, her sister Mary and her nephew Rudy, arrived in Winnipeg. Here they were able to start a new life together. They lived on Ingersoll Street in the West End for many years. From there Kaete walked to work at Sunshine Uniform Supply for 35 years. She was a dedicated and well-respected member of the staff. She had a reputation for paying meticulous attention to detail and being very precise in everything that she did, whether at work or at home. During her holidays and after her retirement, Kaete enjoyed travelling to many destinations throughout North America and Europe with her sister Mary. She also enjoyed reading, especially historical fiction, and spent many hours sewing, knitting and embroidering beautiful pictures for family and friends. In her seventies Kaete was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis. She met this challenge with determination and perseverance. Her quiet, unassuming faith in God was her source of strength. She and her sister Mary maintained their independence, and supported and cared for each other until Mary, who had osteoporosis, fractured several ribs in 2010, and ended up in long term care. After a lifetime spent living with her sister, Kaete struggled to cope on her own. She remained at Concordia Village until the summer of 2014 when her health deteriorated and she moved into long-term care. She spent several months at Misericordia Health Centre (Cornish 6) before transferring to Bethania Mennonite Personal Care Home in January 2015. Kaete's extended family is very grateful to the staff in both facilities for their compassionate care. Kaete will be lovingly remembered by her nephews and nieces and their families: Rudy and Sharyn Suderman, Hilda Heinrichs, Helene Kampen, Renate and Wolf Hein, Walter and Dorothea Kampen, and Art and Nadine Kampen. The funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m., Thursday, January 26, 2017, at Klassen Funeral Home, 1897 Henderson Hwy. Interment in Green Acres Cemetery. Memorial Donations may be made to the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC). GREEN ACRES Funeral Home and Cemetery Hwy #1 E at Navin Road, Winnipeg, MB (204) 222-3241 Condolences may be sent to www.greenacresfuneralhome.com

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jan 24, 2017