Katherine Koehn passed away peacefully into the presence of her Lord at Chilliwack on January 12, 2003. Katherine was born in Orenburg, USSR on August 22, 1914, and in 1929 moved to Canada with her parents, Isaak and Katarina Braun, brothers, Ike and John, and sisters, Mary and Susan. The family settled in Yarrow.
At age 15 Katherine went to work in Vancouver, and during this time she learned to speak and write in English. While attending a Baptist Church in Vancouver, Katherine came to know the Lord Jesus Christ as her Saviour. She was later baptized in Greendale, and became a member of the Greendale Mennonite Brethren Church.
Katherine married David Koehn in 1933, and three sons were born to them, Hank, Verne and John. After living in Sardis for many years they moved to Chilliwack in 1954. Katherine became a member of the Broadway Mennonite Brethren Church where she and Dave worshiped for 21 years. In February 1971 their son Verne was tragically killed in a logging accident. Following Dave’s death in April 1975, Katherine joined with other family and became a member of the Chilliwack Alliance Church, where she attended regularly until her health began to fail.
Katherine is survived by her sons, Hank (Lil) Koehn, and John (Shirlee) Koehn; daughter-in-law Shirley A. Koehn; eight grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her sisters, Mary Braun and Susan (Norm) Sawatsky; and sisters-in-law, Anne Braun, Kay Koehn, Elsie Enns, and Annie (Jake) Hendricks; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Special thanks to the staff of Chilliwack Lifestyles for their loving care and concern and thanks also to the staff of the 4th Floor of the Chilliwack General Hospital who provided excellent care and treated her with consideration and dignity. Thanks also to Dr. Dodds for his care throughout her illness.
A Celebration of Katherine’s Life will be held on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2003 at 3 p.m. at Henderson’s Funeral Chapel, Chilliwack, with reception to follow in the Tea Room.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the charity of your choice.
“Weep not that I have died, but rejoice that I have lived.’’