Obituary of Magdalene Janzen

Magdalene (Maggie) Janzen passed away at West Lincoln Memorial Hospital (WLMH) in Grimsby on May 21, 2024. She was only weeks away from her 90^th birthday.

Maggie was born on June 14, 1934 to Peter and Katharine Dyck in New Hamburg, Ontario.  She was the youngest of 5 siblings. When she was a young girl, the family moved to Virgil, Ontario.  Maggie lived in Virgil until she married John Janzen in 1956 and moved to Grimsby, Ontario. John passed away in 1999.

Maggie became a registered nurse and worked briefly in WLMH in Grimsby.  She stopped working to raise a family.  Maggie and John had 3 children, Robert (Kathy) Janzen, Susan (David) Green, and Becky (Bill) Gordon.  At her passing, Maggie had 12 grandchildren, and 21 great-grandchildren.

Maggie and John had a strong faith in God and wanted their children to share that same faith.  They both participated in a church plant in east Hamilton as a way to share Jesus’ gospel.  They were very strong supporters of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) throughout their lives, working with MCC as volunteers and also contributing financially to the work of MCC.  They believed that supporting MCC was a good way to translate their Christian faith into service for others.

Maggie was extremely devoted to her husband John. Together, they were dedicated to raising their family in Grimsby and giving their children many opportunities.  Camping trips with a pop-up trailer were a highlight of many summers. There were many trips throughout southern Ontario, to the Canadian Maritime provinces, and a 7-week trip to the west coast of Vancouver Island. There was even a canoe trip to David Lake in Algonquin Park!

Later in life, there were trips with siblings to many places.  After John retired from his teaching career, Maggie and John spent 2 years working for China Educational Exchange in Ya’an, Sichuan Province, China.  They had a harried trip home at the time of the 1989 Tiananmen Uprising but decided to return to China the next year. 

Maggie loved flowers and birds.  She was happiest when she could see beautiful flowers and listen to birds singing.  Her favourite flower was lily-of-the-valley. Her favourite bird was the cardinal.  She also loved watching little children play!

Some of the things we learned from Maggie were, to take pleasure in the simple things, say thank you (twice), pray about everything, be quick to laugh, keep a treat in your pocket for the trip, add a chocolate to your breakfast, and be nice to those you meet.

In Maggie’s final years she lived in the Orchardview Apartments in Vineland, Ontario.  In her final weeks she had a 9-week stay in WLMH in Grimsby.  In both places, a common comment from the staff was “We’ll miss her when she’s gone.  She was our favourite!” What a lesson for us all!

Maggie will be buried on Monday May 27 in a family service.  At 2 pm that same day, there will be a brief celebration of life in the Vineland Chapel at Tallman Funeral Home, 3277 King St. Vineland.  This will be followed by a social gathering in theTallman Fireside Room.