Obituary of Marianne Pauls

Marianne Pauls (nee Zwittag)

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Marianne Pauls on Saturday, August 14^th at the age of 95 years. Our dear Mama, Oma and Uroma died at St. Joseph’s Health Centre, Guelph quietly in her sleep. Marianne was born in Maehrisch Neustadt (Czechia) to Karl and Anna (nee Hausner) Zwittag in 1925. She grew up in this Moravian town but, after the war (1947), emigrated with her husband Jacob Pauls to Paraguay on the Volendam. Three children (Annelie, Karl Peter and Heinz Werner) were born in Paraguay; Annelie’s untimely death at four years old left a lasting wound. After nine years the family moved to St. Catharines (1956) where Marianne lived out the majority of her life and flourished.

Jacob, her beloved “Jasch” was the great love of her life and she dedicated herself to their joint prosperity and comfort. Family and church (St. Catharines United Mennonite) were, for many years, the center of her world. She was a consummate homemaker, raised two sons and held positions of service and leadership in the church. Marianne taught German School, served as co-Deacon with Jacob and was the treasurer of the Maria Martha Verein for over a dozen years running. She also performed the secretarial work, wage free, for Lincoln Machine Shop, the family business. Hosting gatherings of family and friends was her special gift, supported in large part by her baking and cooking talents. Besides German, her mother tongue, and fluency in English, Mama had a working knowledge of Czech and Spanish as well. Post retirement Marianne and Jacob volunteered with MCC for two years to aid in the resettlement of the Soviet Union “Umsiedler” in Germany. She wrote the story of her life in an autobiographical memoire, self-published in 2018, which she dedicated to her beloved offspring.

Marianne is survived, and will be profoundly missed, by her sons and their spouses Peter and Ella and Henry and Ingrid. She will be lovingly remembered by her grandchildren and their partners Joseph and Connie, Katie and Brad, Jacob and Suzie, Simon and Kim and Peter. She will live on in her eight great-grandchildren: Chloe, Anna, Noah, Paige, Finn, Judy, Elliott and Joanne. Marianne was predeceased by her beloved husband Jacob, daughter Annalie and brother Karl and is survived by nieces (Marianne and Renate) and extended family.

A private interment service will be held at Niagara Lakeshore Cemetery on Wednesday, August 18 at 2:00 pm. A Live Stream memorial service for friends and family is scheduled for 11:00 am on Monday, August 30 at the Vineland Chapel of Tallman Funeral Homes, 3277 King St., Vineland. Please click here to view the Live Stream on Monday, August 30 at 11:00am

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to Silver Lake Mennonite Camp or Mennonite Central Committee would be appreciated by the family. Special thanks to her friends in St. Catharines and the staff at Pleasant Manor in Virgil and Arbour Trails in Guelph for the care and support of Marianne, especially after the death of Jacob in 2011.