Abe Giesbrecht

Abram “Abe” D. Giesbrecht, age 98, passed away on Friday, March 24, 2023 at the Cypress Regional Hospital, Swift Current, SK.  Abe was born March 11, 1925 to David P. & Helena (Klassen) Giesbrecht near Hochfeld, SK. 

Abe’s original desire was to be a farmer, but he ended up living in the city and working diligently at CP Rail, Sinclair’s, Dominion Fruit, and Western Grocers until he retired in 1989.

Abe married Sara “Sadie” Hiebert from Lac Pelletier region in 1950. They were happily married for 68 years before Sadie passed away in 2019. Together, Abe & Sadie built a house in Swift Current where they lived for 57 years before relocating to a nearby condo in 2013. Their home always served as a hub of hospitality and good food for family and friends. Sunday nights meant “family suppers” — a tradition that has continued for over 30 years.

Abe’s hobbies included watching sports (especially the Blue Jays and the Leafs), collecting thousands of business cards, reading, scrapbooking obituaries of people he knew, testing the limits of his paper shredder, and in his younger years, gardening and woodworking.

Abe & Sadie enjoyed nothing more than playing Rap and Contract Rummy with family and friends over a cup of coffee or glass of wine. They travelled extensively — Hawaii, Jamaica, Cuba, Mexico, Queen Charlotte’s Island, Niagara Falls, and Vancouver Island. Of all the things Abe accomplished, his family was his greatest pride.  He always had fun teasing his grandchildren and nicknamed them all Jake.

After Sadie passed away, Abe found it lonely living alone, despite family and friends faithfully visiting and providing meals, and he decided to move to Willow Creek Manor. However, he only tolerated the covid isolation policy there for four hours before insisting on returning home. Deb had been coming frequently from Alberta to help her dad but decided to move in to provide care, meals, and companionship for him. The family is grateful she did this for three years. When the time had come for Deb to leave, Abe returned to the Manor on February 4 of this year, where he was warmly welcomed and managed to adjust better than the first time. He made himself at home and could be found every day napping on the loveseat in the front entry until his stroke on March 22.

Abe was predeceased by his wife, Sadie Giesbrecht; his son, Anthony “Tony” Giesbrecht; and his siblings, Helen, Peter, Anna, David, Mary, and Elizabeth. 

Abe is survived by his daughter, Debra Beaulieu; his sons, Thomas (Patty) Giesbrecht, Terrance (Penny) Giesbrecht, and Theodore Giesbrecht; and his many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Abe was a kind and godly man, who was loved by so many.

The Funeral Service for Abe Giesbrecht was held on Saturday, April 1, 2023 at 2:00 pm from Community Baptist Church, Swift Current, SK with Rev. Joell Haugan officiating. “Old Rugged Cross,” “In Christ Alone,” and “Amazing Grace” were sung by the congregation, with Sandra Rempel serving as pianist. The eulogy was given by Leann Hildebrand. I Thessalonians 4:13-14 was read by Susan Peters and Psalm 23 was read by Susan Wiebe. Tributes were given by Dana Giesbrecht, Patty Giesbrecht, Penny Hiebert, and Paulina Giesbrecht. A photo presentation was given by Abe’s family. The ushers in the church were Dave Dyck and Burt Rempel.

The service was recorded and is available to view below, as is the service card. Because of licensing, parts of the video will have no audio.

The Public Interment Service was held prior to the Funeral Service from Hillcrest Cemetery, Swift Current, SK with Cody Hildebrand, Levi Hildebrand, Peter Hildebrand, Dale Richards, Clayton Steinley, Ryan Szaroz, Graysen Giesbrecht, and Jaxon Szaroz serving as Pallbearers.

In memory of Abe Giesbrecht, donations made to Willow Creek Manor would be appreciated by the family.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Abe Giesbrecht, please visit our floral store.