nee Derksen
Maria Zacharias (nee Derksen) of Clearbrook, BC, born January 18, 1924 in Berwalde, Ukraine, passed peacefully into the presence of her Lord and Saviour, Jesus on Friday, March 18, 2011 at 12:18 AM at Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre.
She is lovingly remembered by her family and friends. She was predeceased by her parents, Gerhard and Maria (Harms) Derksen , her husband, Nickolaus Zacharias, her brother George Derksen and her infant brother, Peter. She is survived by her sister-in-law (late brother George’s wife) Liese Derksen, late brother George’s children, George (Marlene) Derksen, Helen Larson, Walter Derksen, Arthur (Charlene) Derksen, Dorothy Koop, Harold (Sarina) Derksen, her sister Anna Kowtek and her children Morris Kowtek, Earl (Trish) Kowtek, Bernie (Jill) Kowtek, and Bonnie McCarty, her sister Christa Bonde and her children Ruth (Greg) Haggerty and Peter (Anna) Bonde, her sister Erna Richert and her children Rita (Ferdinand) Siebert, Elly (Helmut) Hoeckh, Rudy (Tamara) Richert, and Adina (Jim) Rosenau, and her brother Jakob and his children Jay Derksen and Jeff Derksen, her children Anna Rempel and Nikolaus Zacharias, her grandchildren Andrej (Helena) Rempel, Viktor (Maria) Rempel, Arthur (Luise) Rempel, Harry (Sonja) Rempel, Anna (Robert) Goenner; Elisabeth (Jakob) Schroder, Eugene (Lydia) Zacharias, and many well-loved great-nieces, great-nephews and great-grandchildren.
A celebration of life for Maria will be held at Ebenezer Church, 2051 Windsor Street, Abbotsford at 1:00 pm on Thursday, March 24, 2011. If desired, donations in memory of Maria to the Mennonite Central Committee would be gratefully accepted in lieu of flowers.
The family would like to thank all medical professionals and friends for their kindness and compassion towards Maria, especially her faithful neighbour, Karen Brown, many friends and neighbours in her apartment building, and her trusted friend Eileen. Maria will be deeply missed by all of us but we celebrate because we know that she accepted God’s gift of a ticket to heaven, not based on her merits but because of His suffering, loving kindness, grace and mercy.