Emma Pankratz Funeral Service - Please click here Emma Pankratz (nee Warkentin) was born September 18, 1925 in Dundurn, Saskatchewan, the second eldest of five children, less than two years after her parents and infant sister arrived in Canada from Russia. It was also the year that the Mennonite Church in Dundurn was organized with her parents and the other Warkentin families living there playing a large role. While there was a bumper crop that year on the half section of land initially shared with eight other families, the years that followed were mostly lean. It was through the hardships of the “dirty thirties” when Emma learned how to make the most of what she had. Her upbringing made her not only resourceful and practical but an expert homemaker which she worked at passionately most of her life. Along with that, she became a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother. While German mostly was spoken at home, Emma attended public school in Dundurn, then Grades 11 and 12 at Rosthern Junior College. Her mother had passed a couple years before, so in 1946 her father moved with his four daughters to Chilliwack, B.C. Emma had already had her eye on a young man named Peter whom she had met on her family’s many trips to Manitou Springs at Watrous. The Pankratz family had also lived in the same village, Nieder Chortitza, in Russia. Peter followed her to British Columbia and there they were married on November 15, 1947. After spending the winter months at the coast, they settled on the farm of Peter’s parents 11 kms southeast of Foam Lake, Saskatchewan. A new structure which later became a chicken coop was their first home. In 1950, with 2 children already, they built a house and a complete set of farm buildings on the same yard. After the Briarmound Country school closed in 1957 where Linda and Frank were attending, Emma and Peter decided to pick up the house and along with their 4 children to become residents of the town of Foam Lake. Forget Street was a hive of activity with young, mostly large families and the Pankratz house was one of them as Emma and Peter added 3 more children to the brood. Mom was the master at organizing all the countless activities, meals and household chores. Along with that she sewed most of our clothing, maintained a massive garden out at the farm and cabin out at Fishing Lake, and participated in community events. Church, women’s groups, curling, supporting Dad’s farming and political involvement and all her children’s ventures was a juggling act. That all left Mom little time for herself during the day other than an infrequent cup of coffee with the neighbors. In the winter evenings Emma and Peter enjoyed hours of playing cards with friends, most often with George and Margaret. Mom loved playing card games with the grandchildren and they continue to play many of the games that she taught them. It was in the kitchen where Mom spent so much time and effort because she really was an amazing cook and baker. The traditional Mennonite/Russian/German dishes were her specialty. For decades, she hauled and fed harvest crews full course meals at lunch, then fresh cakes or donuts at coffee time and then dozens of sandwiches at supper time all made with homemade items. She willingly shared large batches of baking, cooking and garden produce with neighbours and family. Her preparations for family get togethers and holidays were endless, packing full the cold storage and freezers with goodies. As the grandchildren came along Grandma showered them with treats and gifts. She was such a generous person but not frivolous because she never wasted and loved to find a great sale! With most of our relatives living in B.C., there were many long trips with the Chrysler packed to the max with suitcases and kids! Many adventurous trips were taken as a family, but Mom and Dad enjoyed the peace and quiet travelling on their own by car or plane especially to the southern states. Their 25th wedding anniversary took them to Hawaii. After Dad died in March of 1992, Mom continued travelling to visit family near and far including a trip with friends out to the Maritimes. As age crept up on Mom, she slowed down somewhat to enjoy more time out at the lake at the cabin which they had replaced in 1982. She loved hosting our large family gatherings and looked forward to being out there with everyone, especially with all the grandchildren. Mom also had a great interest in holistic medicine and educated herself in the field of reflexology. She was very conscious of eating healthy and getting exercise. The best medicine as they say is laughter, and that she did! When mom started showing signs of dementia, she was able to be in her home until it became unsafe for her. She moved to Saskatoon to live at a private care home in 2009, owned and run by a dear friend. She blossomed in that environment of being around people and became the “life of the party” there! After falling and breaking her hip in May of 2017, she was unable to return to Betty’s care home and came to live at the Nursing Home in Foam Lake. It was just a block away from her home where she had lived for the previous 60 years! Mom had worked so hard for most of her life and her body was strong but tired. She turned 95 just a few days before her passing. She was so happy even in the years when she suffered from short term memory loss, until the end of June when she started failing. Mom died peacefully in her sleep in the early hours of September 22, 2020 at the Foam Lake Jubilee Home. We will miss her dearly. A life well lived, a woman who loved and was loved! Emma was predeceased by her parents Abram and Margreta (Pries), her infant brother Hugo, her sister Agatha Ratzlaff, her husband Peter, her daughter Donna Onerheim, and her grandson Blair Pankratz. She leaves to mourn, her children: daughter Linda (Murray) Rigg (Saskatoon), Jolene (Kelly) Gress; son Frank (Diane) Pankratz (Las Vegas), Brian (Alyssa) Pankratz - (Nolan, Charlie, Ty, Isley), daughter-in-law Miranda – (Gavin); daughter Joan (Derek) Turner (Winnipeg), Kara-Lee (Trevor) Bronson – (Miranda, Anders, Adelle), Brennan (Laura) Turner, Ashton (Daniel) Brudehl – (Sophia, Olivia) ; son-in-law Brian (Myla) Onerheim (Frontier), Sara (Jay) Wallace – (Brielle, Mesa, Remi), Craig (Sherena) Onerheim – (Kale, Ali, Olivia, Jace), Kevin (Haley) Onerheim; daughter Ruth (Chris) Gislason (Foam Lake), Janina (Rob) Currah – (Willow, Autumn, Hatley), Andra (Chris) Sciog – (Carson, Aren), Ry (Jesse) Gislason – (Hayes); son Eric (Allyson) Pankratz (Foam Lake), Brooke and Abby; son Brent (Rhonda) Pankratz (Foam Lake), Amber (Jeremy) Pankratz – (Cylis, Asher, Chloe), Tessa (Bryan) Pankratz – (Teagan), Mark Pankratz, LeeAnn Pankratz. She is also survived by her sisters Frieda Tiessen and Hilda (Peter) Martens, sister-in-law Sue Kehler, her nieces, nephews, and cousins. 11:00 a.m. Saturday, September 26, 2020 A Private Funeral Service will be held. Funeral Service will be live streamed on Narfason’s Funeral Chapel & Crematorium’s Facebook Page. If unable to join the family remotely please go to www.narfasons.com