Tribute

Hilda Thiessen, aged 74, passed peacefully on Thursday, in the evening, into heaven’s glory on July 25, 2024. We are so thankful for the staff who cared for her over the 18 plus years she was at the Trillium.  She was predeceased by her parents, George (1963) and Irene Barkman (1999), her husband Lawrence Thiessen (2004), sister Doris Turnbull (2009) and brother-in-law Neville Turnbull (2012).

Hilda was born May 24, 1950, being the 5^th child of 6 in our family. We lived on a farm on Matsqui prairie where we raised some dairy cows and a large vegetable garden. We always had a large vegetable garden both on our property and tended some other gardens as well. This kept us all busy throughout the summers.

Hilda enjoyed school and had a favorite teacher, Mrs. Irene Tracey with whom she kept in touch with throughout her lifetime. She was a great encouragement to Hilda and always encouraged her to be her true self, even if others didn’t always understand her.

She loved the outdoors, helping herd up the cows when it was time for them to be milked. She told us of an incident in which her dad got mad at her and her sister for some mischief they got into. She had cut the binder twine around a bale of hay which probably created a bit of extra work to clean up.

Hilda loved meeting new people and would talk to almost anyone and spread good cheer along the way.  In 1971, she was with a group of musicians who were singing at the local Abbotsford General Hospital. It was there that she also met a friendly young man who became interested in her.  They both liked music and enjoyed being together. So, on August 27, 1971, they got married and made their home in Abbotsford. They lived in several different locations. She always liked to get acquainted with her neighbors to enjoy a cup of tea occasionally. They had 33 years of marriage together.

After 33 years of marriage, in 2004, her husband Lawrence Thiessen contracted a brain tumor which required surgery. It seemed to go into remission but unfortunately it came back. In October 2004, Lawrence was released from his suffering.

After her husband passed away in 2004, it became apparent that she needed more care and should not stay on her own. So, on November 5, 2005 she moved to the Trillium and spent the last fifteen years of her life at the Bevan, Trillium Village in Abbotsford, BC. She was a ray of sunshine wherever she went, sharing her love and a helpful hand to those who needed help.  She always was ready to offer encouragement to those who needed it. As time passed, she experienced a lot of health problems but despite these trials, she always tried to love and trust in the Lord. She was very close to my mother and many times they would read the Bible and pray together.

She could be quite humorous at times. When she would call us and it came time to say good-bye we would say our first “good-bye” and she would respond and this went on several times back and forth before we actually hung up our phone. Before my mother died, she told me to keep an eye on Hilda, and Hilda in her wisdom suggested to Roy that he should keep his eye on me!

On our last visit before she went into her last week of illness, she was bright and cheery, seeming to be enjoying herself although she tired very quickly. I went one more time which was my last time with her, though she was quite heavily sedated, she seemed to know that I was there. It took great effort for her to speak any words, so I sang a few verses of “Jesus Loves Me”, and she would join in on part of a line in the chorus. I believe her mind was clear to the end. She knew where she was going, she knew and loved the Lord and would give out copies of “Our Daily Bread” to some of the residents who seemed interested.

We will miss her but are glad that her strong faith in the Lord sustained her and we will meet again.