Tribute

Berta Klassen was born in Fernheim, Paraguay, on July 31, 1934, shortly after her parents and some older siblings arrived in Paraguay having escaped Russia in the late 1920s. Berta had six siblings, all brothers. She was the favourite sister!

Faith In Jesus Christ was an important part of her entire life; her dad was a church leader in the community. Berta was baptized in 1949 at the age of 15. Her mom passed away in 1956 when Berta was only 22 years old.

In 1960, Berta married Peter Klassen, and a few years later they embarked on the adventure of moving to Canada. What was at first supposed to be a one-year trip turned into a lifetime as they made Canada home, arriving in early 1964 and experiencing snow for the first time in their lives.  Shortly after arriving in Canada, Berta began working for the Bentall family as a full-time housekeeper. When Leonard, their only son, was born in 1972, she reduced her working hours, but she ended up working for several generations of the Bentall family for over 40 years, continuing even after she retired to Abbotsford, though on a very part-time basis. The relationship with the Bentall family was very special and important to Berta.

In 1995 Berta and Peter welcome Bonita into the family. Berta so appreciated her daughter in law and enjoyed helping out Leonard and  Bonita as she was able to.

After her husband of 42 years passed away in 2002, Berta moved to Abbotsford in 2003. Shortly thereafter Jonathan and Adriel arrived on the scene, and she often said that her grandsons gave her renewed energy for life. She loved to spend time with them and loved giving gifts.  Family was important to her, whether related by blood or simply by choice. Her table was always willing to accommodate anyone to join the family for a meal.

Berta was getting frail due to a failing heart valve, and she moved to Tabor Court Assisted Living in 2017. This was a great place for her to get the support she needed. She started participating in exercise classes in her mid-80s. In 2019, her heart valve was failing, and she very nearly passed away, but thanks to a TAVI procedure to replace her valve, she ended up with six more years. In March of 2025, after having what was likely a heart attack of some kind, and spending almost 4 weeks in the hospital, she spent the last twelve weeks of her live in the Convalescent Care Unit of Menno Hospital. This was a real gift to us as a family. She stepped up her exercise program, adding weights into her routine. She got a renewed zest for life, visiting with others, reading books, and enjoying the meals in the dining room. She loved her time at Menno Hospital and shared that her preference would be to stay there. A bonus blessing was that  Leonard could stop by a few times on most work days just to say hello and visit for a short while.

In the last week of June, Berta had another heart episode. She remained in good spirits and had a good visit with Leonard at supper time on Thursday. And then on Friday morning, June 27, 2025, she peacefully fell permanently asleep and went to be with Jesus.

Berta was small in stature but had a huge heart. She exemplified hospitality and compassion for others. She was generous. She loved giving gifts to her children and grandchildren. And she will be missed. But we rejoice in the hope of a reunion in eternity. Her favourite scripture passage was Psalm 23 which she still had memorized.

As a family, we are very grateful for the many calls and texts of support. We encourage you to share your memories of Berta. In lieu of flowers, a donation to Menno Place – https://www.mennoplace.ca/give would be greatly appreciated.