Tribute

Gertrude was born to David and Gertrude Penner on January 5, 1932 in Winnipeg, MB.

She moved with her family to Sardis, B.C. when she was fourteen-years-old. At the age

of fifteen she accepted Christ as her Saviour, and was baptized at the age of seventeen.

She was a member of the Greendale MB Church until her marriage to John Willms in

1955, when they transferred to Matsqui MB Church.

John and Gertie were dairy farmers in the Mt. Lehman area until 1972, when they

moved to the Fort St. John area with their four children, Ken, Lorne, Shirley, and Scott.

Here they had a grain farm and raised beef cattle. They enjoyed the fellowship of the

North Peace MB Church and were actively involved in several areas of ministry.

Gertrude’s favourite ministry was teaching a class of two-year-olds in Sunday School,

which she did for almost twenty years. They were always involved in hospitality, and

especially so after they semi-retired and left the farm in 1993 to live in Fort St. John.

Another enjoyable aspect of Gertie’s life was being a member of the North Peace

Horticultural Association and growing a beautiful flower garden, besides participating in

and arranging annual garden tours and flower shows at the North Peace Fall Fair.

In 2005 John and Gertie retired to a condo in Abbotsford. Gertrude passed away on

January 2, 2024. Gertrude was predeceased by her husband, John Willms, her parents,

David and Gertrude Penner, an infant sister Charlotte, brother Victor, and sister Eleanor.

Family that celebrates Gertrude’s life are her sister Helen (Bill) Kuehn, sister-in-law

Alice Penner, brother Wally (Julia) Penner, and brother-in-law Rudy (Christine) Willms,

Gertrude’s children Ken (Joyce) Willms, Lorne (Heather) Willms, Shirley (Glenn)

Roszmann, Scott (Kathy) Willms, Gertrude’s grandchildren Kirk (Ashley) Willms, Becky

Willms, Oliver (Jana) Willms, Elissa Willms, Justin (Joanna) Roszmann, Kimmie

(Jeremy) Cameron, Steven (Allie) Roszmann, Rachelle (Josh) Stobbe, Chelsea Willms,

Chantelle (Caleb) Wiebe, and great grandchildren Bruin, Shepherd, Wynn, Finley, Alora,

Emilia, Calvin, Zachary, Gracie, Lily, Benjamin, Jason, Ethan, Clay.