Obituary of Eva Andres

Andres, Eva - Passed away peacefully at Willoughby Manor on February 19, 2024, at the age of 97.  Beloved wife of the late William (2010).  Dear mother of Rick (Anna), Elsie (Wallace) Clement, Reg (Cheryl), Fred (Patricia), and Sandra Hildebrandt.  Proud grandmother of 17 grandchildren and 30 great-grandchildren, and another on the way.  Survived by many nieces and nephews. Predeceased by her siblings Tina, John, Susan, and Vera and son-in-law Peter Hildebrandt.

Visitation will be held at Bethany Mennonite Church, 572 East & West Line, Niagara-on-the-Lake on Friday, February  23, 6-8 pm.  Funeral Service will be held at Bethany at 11 am on Saturday, February 24.  Interment at Niagara Lakeshore Cemetery to follow.

Memorial donations may be made to MCC or charity of your choice.

Life Story of Eva Andres

Eva was born on April 8, 1926 in a small northern Ontario town at CN rail Mile 103 that would later be known as Reesor, Ontario. Eva was the second of five children born to parents John William Rempel and Katharine Alexander Kutz. Sisters Katharine “Tina” (1924) and Eva welcomed their brother John (1932), and sisters Susan “Susie” (1933) and Vera (1934) into the family over the intervening years.  In 1937 the family moved to southern Ontario, first to Vineland, and then to a farm on Wall Road in Niagara-on-the-lake.

The family attended the Niagara United Mennonite Church where Eva was baptized, grew in her faith and quickly caught the attention of Bill Andres in the Young People’s group. They were married on November 18, 1945 and began their married life on the Taylor farm on Creek Road. One day Bill came home and told Eva he had bought a small farm (without consulting her) on what was then known as the River Road, near Queenston. In 1949 they moved into “The Camp”, a barn located on the adjacent Larkin Farm, which had been used as wartime housing for Farmerettes, until they could build their own house on their new farm.  The family home on the Parkway expanded with the needs of a growing family. Rick was born in 1948, followed by Elsie in 1949, Reg in 1950, Fred in 1957 and Sandra in 1963.

There was always plenty of work for everyone on the farm, tending and harvesting sweet and sour cherries and peaches. Eva was actively involved in the harvest for many years, gradually phasing out her participation only when the children and grandchildren became more involved.

While Bill pursued his interests in politics, it was Eva who kept the home fires burning.  Although she dutifully accompanied Bill on his political activities, her heart was in her home, where she enjoyed entertaining family, friends and acquaintances. Who can forget her cherry pancakes, rollkuchen and watermelon, the paska, mountains of Christmas cookies and her very special wedding cakes, all lovingly made?

When the grandchildren visited, they always went home with a full cookie tin – or maybe two. Eva didn't believe in limits on her cookies or who was graciously welcomed to her table. Her door was always open and her freezer was always stocked with treats that she could pull out with a moments notice for any expected or unexpected visitors. Eva's open door and warm embrace made her an adopted Grandma to many kids in the neighbourhood and wider community.

Eva also enjoyed needlework, doing embroidery in the winters.  Later she took up quilting and made multiple quilts for all of her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and special friends. In summer, Eva enjoyed her gardens, planting out many annuals, which blossomed into a kaleidoscope of colour every summer.

After Bill passed away in 2010, Eva continued to to enjoy the comforts of her home until increasing frailty necessitated a move to Willoughby Manor in 2020, just days before the pandemic lockdowns. Here she adjusted well in spite of the restrictions and limitations on visitations in the early months of the pandemic and quickly came to think of it as home.

In the fall of 2023, Eva's health and strength began to decline more rapidly, until God called her home on February 19, 2024. She slipped away peacefully, surrounded by the love of her family and her faith.

Eva is survived by her children, Rick (Anna), Elsie (Wallace) Clement, Reg (Cheryl), Fred (Patricia), and Sandra Hildebrandt, 17 grandchildren and 30 great-grandchildren and another on the way.

Also survived by brother-in-law John Berg, sister-in-law Helen Rempel, numerous in-laws in the Andres family and many nieces and nephews; predeceased by her siblings Tina (2011), John (2019), Susan (2022), Vera (2023) and son-in-law Peter Hildebrandt (2013).