NEUFELD, Helena Anna

November 3, 1926 — January 14, 2025

On January 14, 2025, our Mother and Grandmother, Helena Anna Neufeld, passed away at the age of 98 years old. She was predeceased by Albert (d. 2009), her husband of 52 years. She is survived by her children Charles (Melva), Edwin, David (Anita), Douglas (Joanne), Rhonda Sturm (Ronald), and Bonita; grandchildren Marsi Neufeld, Marshall Neufeld, Stephanie Sturm (Andrew Leach), Daniel (Anne) Sturm, Becky Sturm, Michael Sturm, Wiltosso Neufeld, Wilclair Neufeld, and Rebecca Neufeld; and her brother-in-law Ken Gibbard (the only remaining member of Mom’s generation).

She lived a full life that began in Hodgeville, Sask. in 1926 as the oldest child of seven born to Peter and Anna Bese. The family struggled through the Depression of the 1930s, having settled in Countess, Alberta before moving to the Fraser Valley of BC in the 1940s. Mom learned her homemaking skills and handcrafts, such as knitting, crocheting, tatting, and sewing from her mother who was famous for her knitted doilies. Mom played the piano and sang in church choirs. She was a skilled seamstress and worked for an interior designer in Vancouver making custom drapes in the late 1940s. In the 1950s, she worked as a secretary in an Insurance and Real Estate office in Abbotsford, BC, raising her son, Charles.

In 1957 she married Albert Neufeld and after a year of marriage, they moved to Kamloops, BC to own and operate a Texaco gas station and convenience store. The next move took them to a farm in Kersley, a hamlet south of Quesnel, BC, where they welcomed their first son, Edwin. On the farm, they raised cattle and chickens with weekly delivery of eggs into town. Next to join the family were the twins, David and Douglas. A move into Quesnel saw the purchase of the Birch Motel and the arrival of their first daughter, Rhonda, and then daughter, Bonita. The next move in the mid-1960s took them to Dawson City, Yukon, where they owned and operated the Penguin Hotel and Restaurant for a year before closing the doors of the establishment. They returned with their brood of children to Quesnel and then the next move was to Cache Creek and then onto Chilliwack. While there, Mom worked in the cleaning and fire restoration business.

Retirement then took them to live in Winfield, BC where Mom was not content to just sit around. She, and several others, created and operated an artists’ cooperative called the Okanagan Art Company on Doyle St., Kelowna which was a successful business venture that lasted for many years. Mom would sell her handicrafts, such as quilted items plus watercolour and tatted cards. She built up quite a following of loyal customers. She took up calligraphy and was awarded the Calligrapher of the Year one year for her service as the Guild’s librarian for many years. She was active in the local Legion and various other charitable and community organizations. She was an excellent cook and did a lot of catering for community and organization events. She was always knitting toques for preemie babies and quilting lap robes for charity. She continually collected items to be distributed to the homeless. Gardening was another passion and she took pride in growing her own produce and then preserving and canning it. Her love of indoor plants made one feel like she was living in a jungle!

She loved getting together with her family and friends – her nine grandchildren plus two spouses were exceptionally important to her and she was continually blessing them with gifts of her handiwork. She enjoyed travelling, whether on cruises with family members or traveling to Italy or various parts of Canada, the Caribbean, the US, and Mexico with family. She loved making memories and sharing them.

She was outgoing and couldn’t sit still – her hands were always busy with knitting or crocheting. Quilting was probably her biggest passion, and she was a member of two local guilds. Her inventory of fabrics was legendary.

In her later years, declining health prevented her from living in her Winfield (Lake Country) home and she moved to live in Chilliwack with her daughter Rhonda and her family, where she spent the last three years of her life while receiving continual care from the Sturm family. We thank them for their loving care of Mom.

A Graveside Service will be held on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, at 12:00 pm, at Lakeview Memorial Gardens Cemetery, 2850 Dry Valley Road, Kelowna, BC, with Father Edwin Neufeld presiding.

If you wish to send a condolence, post photos, or share a memory, please scroll down the page to the area called “Condolences”.