Celebration of Life For: Wayne D. Kroetsch
Celebration of Life at a later date
Wayne D. Kroetsch, 88, of Morden passed away Wednesday, November 13th at Boundary Trails Health Centre. He is survived by his wife Lorraine, 1 daughter, 2 sons and their families.
The celebration of life for Wayne D. Kroetsch will take place at a later date.
Donations can be made to the Pembina Valley Humane Society or a charity of your choice.
Arrangements by Wiebe Funeral Chapel, Morden.
WAYNE KROETSCH
In the early hours of November 13, 2024, Wayne Kroetsch peacefully passed away, held close in the love of his family. Leaving to mourn is Wayne’s beloved wife of almost 55 years, Lorraine Kroetsch (nee Stiff), daughter Nikki Bergstresser, husband Kevin, granddaughters Amy Layne and Emma Grace, son Jason Kroetsch, wife Anna, granddaughter Serra Lorraine, son Curt Kroetsch, grandsons Carter Reid and Nolan Kennedy and their mother Jennie, Curt’s wife Jennifer and her daughter Logan.
Wayne was predeceased by parents Edward and Esther Kroetsch, sister Rosalind, brother Barry, sister Darlene, sister Suzanne and great niece Annika Ginther.
Born Easter Sunday on April 12, 1936 in Walhalla, North Dakota, Wayne grew up on the Kroetsch homestead in the Pembina Valley. It was on the 320-acre valley homestead where Wayne spent his formative years. During this time, his lifelong love of flora and fauna began to grow. Many stories have been told of adventures in his beloved valley and special family times spent together.
Wayne attended a one room country school in Point Douglas School District No. 1475. Walking to school through snowstorms, he often recalled taking his horse to make the journey a little shorter. An 18-year-old teacher gave Wayne his first year of formal education in grade one, instilling in him a love for learning that never diminished. When Wayne was a teenager, he left the school system to help support his family. Working many long hours at the Morden cannery contributed to Wayne’s strong work ethic. With the value of education always in the back of Wayne’s mind, he went back to high school attending Morden Collegiate as a mature student, all while continuing to work a job at night. Wayne graduated in a class of 13 students.
A love of learning and sharing of knowledge led Wayne to teachers’ college. From there, he taught in several one room schools and the school in Darlingford. Wayne then moved on to teach grade seven in Morden. It was at this time he met the love of his life, Lorraine Stiff, who was also teaching junior high. A school romance! Wayne and Lorraine married in Pilot Mound on March 28, 1970. Lorraine’s parents, Don and Florence Stiff, had a special bond with Wayne over a shared love of flowers, gardening and feeding the birds.
Building a house out in the country, Wayne and Lorraine raised their three children, Nikki, Jason and Curt. Between school and taking classes, much of Wayne’s spare time was spent nurturing his large garden filled with rows of gladiolus flowers and copious amounts of produce that was canned and preserved to enjoy during the winter months. He loved taking his family on hikes in the woods behind the house and impressed his children when he caught a fish by hand from the Dead Horse Creek that flowed behind their property.
Not only did Wayne love to teach and inspire, it brought him joy to mentor other educators. Continuing on in his pursuit of learning, Wayne headed back to university through Winnipeg and Brandon, taking a plethora of courses over the years to support his various roles as administrator of Morden Elementary School and eventually Coordinator of Support Services for Western School Division. Wayne led countless committees and represented the school division in various provincial educational programs. He had a heart for giving children opportunities to learn and meet their individual needs, recognizing not all students learn in the same way. Wayne believed all learners should have a right to thrive in their education. In between various administrative roles, Wayne missed being in the classroom, leading him to take a position teaching grade three across the hall from his sweet Lorraine. Teaching together again was something Wayne treasured.
Wayne believed in giving back to the community and served on numerous committees. One close to his heart was the Tabor Home Fundraising Committee. He was humbled in 2014 to receive the Morden Volunteer of the Year Award. He believed each person has a responsibility to contribute to the betterment of their community, if you see a need for change, be that person who is willing to step up and take action.
In retirement years, Wayne did not fully retire. He developed programs for Red River College and oversaw the distance educational assistants’ program and supervised student teachers. Eventually, Wayne began to step back from the busy. One of Wayne’s most meaningful titles became the role of Poppa. He cherished moments with his precious grandchildren. Wayne loved to scrapbook and make albums for the grandkids and give homemade cards for every occasion that always included a meaningful message or poem he wrote. Writing and researching family history was also a passion. Wayne read and read and read, this time it was purely for pleasure and not work related. Several trips out to BC with Lorraine to visit his daughter and her family was also a source of fun and adventure.
How does one sum up a life of 88 years onto a page of print? You can’t. There’s countless stories, connections, and journeys that lie between the paragraphs of these words. It is a story of a man who lived his life with strength, determination, courage, compassion and kindness. This world is better and a little more gentle, because he was in it. So, when you think of Wayne Kroetsch, know that he loved and lived with all his heart.
Wayne’s family would like to thank the Kowalski and Hatley families for loving their neighbours in the most practical ways throughout the years doing yard work, snow shoveling, soups, baked treats and the occasional wrangling of gophers. Your kindness has filled our hearts.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Pembina Valley Humane Society or another charity of your choosing.
A Celebration of Life will occur in the upcoming spring.
In remembrance of Wayne, feed the birds, plant some flowers and pause to breathe in the beauty around you.
The gift of you will be
Felt in the gentle spring breeze
Seen in a flower’s blossom
Heard in the bird’s morning song.
For it is in these, we keep
Treasured reminders,
You will always be close by.