Cornelia (Nellie) Lehn was born December 15, 1920 in Leonadewka, Ukraine, the youngest of five daughters of Gerhard Lehn and Sara, nee Ens. Her sister Frieda who had been her constant companion, died when Cornelia was five, a loss that affected her deeply.
Her parents with their four daughters, immigrated to Canda in June, 1926. They settled on a lonely farm near Hanley, Sask.
Her parents moved to B.C. Cornelia was baptized in the Greendale First Mennonite Church in 1941. Cornelia worked in an office in Vancouver prior to volunteering for overseas service with MCC. She spent some time with refugees in Gronau. On her return she attended Canadian Mennonite Bible College, Winnipeg; Bethel College in Newton, Kansas, and earned a masters degree in journalism at the University of Iowa. She was excellently qualified to take on the work of editor of Sunday School material for the Commission on Education of the General Conference Mennonite Church, working from Newton, Kansas. Her work took her as lecturer to promote the material on this continent, South America, and Germany. She was not only a writer, but a gifted storyteller.
Nellie was a cheerful, friendly person, outgoing, well liked and respected. She had many friends and valued them all. On her retirement, her services to the Greendale First Mennonite Church included acting as deaconess, leading women’s Bible study and being a faithful attendant at church services. She loved to sing.
Family meant a great deal to her. She was deeply attached to her sisters and to her sister Helen’s family in Saskatchewan. Her Plenert cousins, with whom she grew up became her mainstay in the last years of her life. The retirement years she spent with her sisters, Tina and Sara, seemed a miracle to her. Repeatedly she expressed her thanks to the Lord that they could be together. After Tina’s death in 2003. Cornelia suffered the trials of broken hips and lengthy convalescence, lovingly supported through it all by her sister, Sara. When Sara’s health too, began to fail, they found comfortable rooms in the Eben-Ezer Home in Clearbrook. They appreciated the Christian atmosphere in this home.
Cornelia passed away on Saturday, July 2, 2005.
She leaves to mourn, her sister Sara; step-sister Frieda; nieces and nephews and their families; her Plenert cousins; and many friends.
Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, July 6, 2005 at 2:30 p.m. at the Greendale First Mennonite Church.
Should family and friends so desire, donations in her memory may be made to MCC.