Editorial:

In her memoirs, my grandmother, Justine Sawatzky, writes about how, as a child, she visited the cemetery in Rosenthal each Saturday with her grandmother, Maria Pauls. Oma Pauls sat quietly on a bench near the graves of her husband and two children, deep in thought, while young Justine ran about picking flowers and reading the inscriptions on the stones. Justine was buried in Maclure Cemetery in 1986. I think she’d be happy to know that there are now weeping willows and benches, flower gardens and shrubs at Maclure Road Cemetery, and that families still wander around and read the inscriptions on the stones and wonder about the people buried there.

In this newsletter, we’ve featured graveyards and gardens. We will be continuing this theme for the summer issue and would like to present stories of garden seeds or plants introduced to Canada by Mennonites. Articles or personal stories on this topic would be most welcome.

Feedback from our readers is also encouraged. We’d like to thank Mary Martens of Wynnewood, PA who wrote “Your little pamphlet is a great idea. Many Canadian born Mennonites might find it interesting to know the history of our people. How peaceful and self-sufficient we had arranged our lives. Then came the horrible revolution, Communism, destruction, starvations, and death. I often think of it at my old age (93) when I can’t sleep at night. I found the article on Platt-deutsch informative but I don’t like the sound of it. We spoke it at home. I like the High German much more or better.”

lbp

MHS BC’s Spring event: Maclure Road Cemetery Tour, May 21, 2006

The Maclure Road Mennonite Cemetery tour will take place May 21, at 2:30 p.m. followed by a funeral Faspa and short memorial service at Bakerview Mennonite Brethren Church (2285 Clearbrook Rd.) at 5:00 p.m.

Participants will meet at a designated site between Road Two and Three in the cemetery where family members and friends will read short biographies of some of the people buried here. Later, there will be time to visit these clearly marked graves, or to wander through the cemetery. Maps and lists of those buried here will be provided. We recommend that participants bring lawn chairs for use during the presentations.

To get to the Cemetery from the freeway, take the Highway 11 exit (92) to Abbotsford/Mission. Follow the signs to Highway 11. Turn right on Maclure Rd.

Faspa tickets are $5.00 and may be obtained at the archive office.

Future Events

May 21 Annual General Meeting of the Mennonite Historical Society of BC will be held at 5:30 at Bakerview Church,   following the Maclure Road Cemetery Tour (see above).  All members and those interested are invited.

June 11   An evening of Hymn singing followed by coffee and platz.  Arnold MB church, 7 P.M.    A collection will be  taken to further the work of the Society.

October 14  Annual fundraising banquet at Eben-Ezer Mennonite Church.  Speaker: Harvey Dyck

February 17, 2007  Quilt show and story telling; lecture by Ron Matthies (former MCC director)