April 20, 1926—January 4, 2007
Mary was the fourth child born to Aron & Justina Riediger and their first child to be born in Canada. Her home was in Blumenort, Sask. where she lived until the family moved to B.C. in 1945.
When she was 10 years of age, Mary knew she was a sinner and needed to be saved. At an evangelistic meeting she gave her heart to the Lord. Many Scripture verses were meaningful to her.
Mary had the gift of caring. She worked in the Vancouver General Hospital until her retirement, first as a ward assistant and then in the lab. She enjoyed her work immensely. She loved to help people and knew just what to do when someone needed her. When her mother had terminal cancer, Mary took a leave of absence from work to look after her at home until the day she died. Also, after her sister Helen had a stroke, Mary took the initiative in seeing that her needs were always met.
In the end, it was cancer that spread through her body and finally took her life. Last week Thursday evening she passed away in her sleep, shortly after telling the nurse with a smile that she was fine and in no pain.
Several times in the last week of her life, Mary asked her sister Justina to read the Daily Bread devotional to her. The day she died, the reading was called “Our Dwelling Place.” The verse of a song that accompanied the devotional was especially appropriate:
Someday my earthly house will fall—
I cannot tell how soon ‘twill be;
But this I know—my All in All
Has now a place in heaven for me.
Mary was predeceased by her parents, brother Peter, sister Helen, and a brother and sister in infancy. She leaves to mourn one brother Aron (Helen), three sisters Justina, Tiena, & Elizabeth (Henry) Esau, one sister-in-law Irene, and nieces and nephews.
The viewing will be held at the Woodlawn Mt. Cheam Funeral Home at 7:00 pm on Friday, January 12. Interment will take place at Little Mountain Cemetery on Saturday, January 13, at 9:30 am. This will be followed by a Memorial Service at Central Community Church at 9:00 am. Donations to the Gideons would be appreciated in lieu of flowers.