Obituary for Sonia Wiens
The Remarkable Life of Sonia Wiens
We begin in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine…
Sonia Wiens was born Zoya Sergeivena Radzievskaya, on January 17,1934 in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, to Antonia Shevchuk, and Sergei Radzievski and lived in the city on the Dnieper River until she was seven. Her first language, Russian, is what her parents spoke at home and in the community. Zoya learned to speak Ukrainian as well. She remembered being a little girl there, seeing her grandparents, getting pulled under water by a wave that would stop her from ever wanting to swim. She was proud that her mom used to work in a bank and that she had a younger brother, Alexander, born in 1937.
Then next on to Heilbronn, Germany……
During the invasion of the Ukraine by the German army in 1939, Zoya’s father, Sergei, was killed. Later on, in 1943 her mother remarried Hans Huebert. Being a Mennonite, he was enlisted in non-fighting service in Heilbronn, Germany, with the German railway. The family moved by train to Heilbronn and the story told was that it took them 9 months to arrive, as they were sent back from each border several times. Antonia had two children with Hans in Heilbronn, Antonia Huebert in 1944, and Lydia Huebert in 1945. Zoya went to school for 5 years, became “Sonja”, and learned to speak, read, and write in German. She would recall how a teacher made her feel embarrassed as a new language learner, and how a Russian neighbour would tutor her in the evenings in the railway barracks where they lived. Sonja’s mother would trade their father’s cigarettes for chocolate with the American soldiers. Sonia's love of chocolate bars remained for her whole life. She would recall hiding in the basement while the Americans dropped phosphor bombs on the city of Heilbronn, killing 33,000 people.
On to Encarnacion, Paraguay….
After WW II ended, Sonja left Germany with her family in 1948 from Bremerhaven on the Vollendam II ship and arrived a month later in Buenos Aries, travelling to live on the Vollendam Mennonite colony in Paraguay. Her step-father Hans became ill with tuberculosis soon after and the family moved to Encarnacion where he passed away in 1951. Sonja’s name changed again in Paraguay, as the “j” in Spanish doesn’t say “y”. She told the story of being greeted as “Songcha”, and her strong dislike for it, and changing it then to S-o-n-i-a. Her mother, Antonia, worked long hours as a sausage maker and later opened her own sausage making business where her children worked with her. She was a single mother and provided well for her children but also expected them to work diligently alongside her. Sonia began to work as a live-in nanny for the Kegler family in Hohenau from 1949-1951 to help support her mom and family. She looked after the Kegler’s 4 children, Eitele, Roland, Marlene, and Ingrid. In 1951 at age 17, Sonia met her future husband, Heinrich (Henry) Wiens, who was 25, eight years her senior. He worked at a hardware store, Ferretería Peterson, in Encarnacion. Sonia told the story of how a friend of his brought him to her door in a rainstorm to introduce them. She called it “Schicksal - destiny - that they met. Henry was born in 1926 in Einlage, a Mennonite colony, across the Dnieper River from Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine where Zoya was born. Two people from literally the same area separated only by a river, falling in love thousands of kilometres across the world. They courted for two years and were married on July 25, 1953. Soon after they had daughter, Elisabeth on April 17, 1954. On March 6,1956 their daughter Ingrid was born. The family rented a house in Encarnacion where Henry later opened his own photography business, “Foto Wiens”. Sonia told many stories of her life in Paraguay to her family and friends and would speak often about her meeting Henry or working as a nanny, but the conversation would inevitably end with her saying how grateful she was that they came to Canada.
And then finally on to Winnipeg, Canada…
Henry was happy with their life in Paraguay, but Sonia convinced him to move to Winnipeg, Canada in 1958 to join his sisters Tina and Anna and their families already living here. She always said that Canada would provide many more opportunities for her children that they could not have in Paraguay.
Sonia, Henry, Elisabeth, Ingrid, and Henry’s elderly parents, Elisabeth and Heinrich boarded a plane with suitcases in hand and arrived in Winnipeg a few days before Halloween. They first stayed with Henry’s sister, Anna’s family on Mountain Avenue. Sonia often talked about working at Salisbury House on Pembina Highway to help pay off the debt they had made travelling to this new country.
In 1959 Sonia moved her family to a lower level 3 room duplex suite just 3 houses away at 346 Mountain Avenue. Henry was to come home that evening and discover that they were now residing in a different home. Sonia’s strong will and determination was evident throughout her lifetime as she made decisions to improve the quality of her family’s life.
In 1960, Sonia’s sister Antonia was brought to Canada and joined the family in their very small accommodations. The family kept growing with the arrival of a son, Henry Alexander, on March 19,1961. As the family was now six strong, including Antonia, the family had a house built at 131 MacAuley Crescent and moved there in July,1962. Henry Sr. worked as a machinist as sole income earner, and Sonia was busy “day and night” cooking, cleaning, sewing, shopping, and raising children. A fourth child, son Roland Constantin was born on November 20, 1962, followed by fifth child, son Richard John on December 10,1965. They enjoyed taking trips to the beach with extended family and friends. Sunday visits at her home or the homes of friends and family were a common occurrence over the years. A table of delicious food, much laughter and joyous times were always a consistent theme.
Sonia learned to sew and made winter jackets and clothing for her children, duvet covers and pillowcases, and hand stitched full-sized, queen-sized, and baby quilts. Henry would sketch the designs and Sonia would sew. She learned to crotchet, likely from a friend of the family, and went on to crotchet many, many, afghans for her family and friends.
Sonia cooked for seven people seven days a week and baked on the weekends too, nourishing her family with everyone’s favourites: Russian cabbage borscht, homemade perogies, meat cabbage rolls with a whipping cream sauce, homemade pizza, thick juicy hamburgers, meatballs and spaghetti, roast chicken and potato salad, roast beef with roasted vegetables, steamed cabbage with meat, Napoleon Torte, Paska, Zwieback, Streuselkuchen, Pflaumenplatz, coffee cake, bundt cake, and so, so, many kinds of cookies especially at Christmas time which included Lebkuchen and Spritzgebaeck. Gardening and canning were a must for a large family, and she and Henry had a big garden. Sonia canned pickles, beets, watermelon, peaches, pears, ikra (a type of carrot relish), a baked eggplant spread, strawberry jam, and apple juice for many years.
Her children have fond memories of Mom going shopping for Christmas presents with Dad’s Christmas bonus cheque; of her buying fabric by the pound to sew her family’s clothes; of Mom hiring a painter to paint the house as Dad worked so many long hours, 6 days a week. They remember how on Sundays Mom would sleep in and Dad would make breakfast. Memories of Mom always falling asleep on the couch or staying up late sewing or baking for her loved ones.
Staying connected with friends and family was so important for Sonia. She visited her mother Antonia, brother Alex, and sister Lydia, and many friends in Paraguay 12 times after moving to Canada. Sonia loved to travel and would make trips to Germany, travelling to Holland, and England as well. They also vacationed with their friends who they met in Paraguay but had moved back to Germany, Ursula and Carlos Reinecke, spending time in Alicante, Spain, dipping her feet in the ocean. Henry and Sonia loved travelling to Hawaii. They travelled Western Canada with friends and visited her niece Julie Westbrook, husband Ken and family in Michigan, and Pete Wiens and wife Melinda and their family in Tennessee. When Henry passed away Sonia continued her love of travel visiting her friend, Wera in Australia, whom she met as a young girl in Heilbronn, Germany. Sonia also visited her birthplace Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine and was reunited with her cousins who were found through a Mennonite church connection.
Although she didn’t email, text, FaceTime, or Snapchat, Sonia always stayed connected with the people she loved. In every country Sonia lived in, she learned the language; Russian, Ukrainian, German, Spanish, and English. Her “go to” language was German, but Sonia would use all her languages calling friends and family around the world.
We always laughed that she had been an MTS customer for more than 60 years and that they should be paying her for her loyalty! Sonia loved to talk and shared often with people about her language savvy. She was once asked by a cousin at a dinner party, while visiting in the Ukraine, after sharing her language abilities, “Which university did you attend?” She replied, “Dearest cousin, the world was my university!”
Sonia could read and write in German, and asked husband Henry to write in Russian to her mother in Paraguay. Sonia attended adult education classes to learn to read and write English. She loved reading and would always have a few German romance novelettes on the go. Sonia loved television and movies, not only for entertainment, but to keep current with the news, and especially the weather. It also played a huge role in helping her learn fluent English.
Zoya, Sonja, Sonia, Mom, Oma, Great Oma, you will be dearly missed by your five children, 12 grandchildren, and 21 great-grandchildren who you were so proud of:
Elisabeth Wiens, (Stephen Arnold/ Ilise Greenberg, Emily, Samuel), (Liane Arnold/Andrew Glabush, Blake, Elena); Ingrid Wiens/ Richard Miller (Curtis Newton/ Sarah Kehler, Carson Krause); Henry Wiens/ Sharon Christenson, (Deanna Christenson/ Cory Halbert, Ashton, Makayla), (Sean Wiens/ Nicole Pociuk, Luxx, Maverick, and Nora), (David Wiens, Beckham); Roland Wiens/ Carol Winberg (Afton Wiens/ Breven Gawley, Everly, Aislynn), (Shanna Wiens/ Michael Atkinson, Easton), Richard Wiens/ Sheila Koppanyi, (Michelle Montford, Hazel, Emmett), (Miranda Wiens, Benjamin, Theodore), (Jared Wiens/ fiancée Melissa Gilbert)
She was predeceased by her father Sergei Radievski (1939), stepfather Hans Huebert (1951), brother, Alexander (1977), husband Heinrich (1992), mother Antonia (2004), sister Lydia (2006), sister Antonia (2019) and grandson Ricky (2022).
Your teachings of love, respect, caring, support, family, persistence, nurturing and laughter will be in our hearts always and in all ways.
Thank you for always sharing with us your words: “So wie du in den Wald reinrufts, so schallt es zurueck.” – meaning …That which you call into the forest, will echo back to you.
In her final days, with her family around her, Oma prayed with us and thanked God for her full and long life and prayed that her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren would have the same good graces.
May you be remembered…
Mom, Oma, Great-Oma
as someone who cared for others
always and in all ways.
We love you!
We begin in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine…
Sonia Wiens was born Zoya Sergeivena Radzievskaya, on January 17,1934 in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, to Antonia Shevchuk, and Sergei Radzievski and lived in the city on the Dnieper River until she was seven. Her first language, Russian, is what her parents spoke at home and in the community. Zoya learned to speak Ukrainian as well. She remembered being a little girl there, seeing her grandparents, getting pulled under water by a wave that would stop her from ever wanting to swim. She was proud that her mom used to work in a bank and that she had a younger brother, Alexander, born in 1937.
Then next on to Heilbronn, Germany……
During the invasion of the Ukraine by the German army in 1939, Zoya’s father, Sergei, was killed. Later on, in 1943 her mother remarried Hans Huebert. Being a Mennonite, he was enlisted in non-fighting service in Heilbronn, Germany, with the German railway. The family moved by train to Heilbronn and the story told was that it took them 9 months to arrive, as they were sent back from each border several times. Antonia had two children with Hans in Heilbronn, Antonia Huebert in 1944, and Lydia Huebert in 1945. Zoya went to school for 5 years, became “Sonja”, and learned to speak, read, and write in German. She would recall how a teacher made her feel embarrassed as a new language learner, and how a Russian neighbour would tutor her in the evenings in the railway barracks where they lived. Sonja’s mother would trade their father’s cigarettes for chocolate with the American soldiers. Sonia's love of chocolate bars remained for her whole life. She would recall hiding in the basement while the Americans dropped phosphor bombs on the city of Heilbronn, killing 33,000 people.
On to Encarnacion, Paraguay….
After WW II ended, Sonja left Germany with her family in 1948 from Bremerhaven on the Vollendam II ship and arrived a month later in Buenos Aries, travelling to live on the Vollendam Mennonite colony in Paraguay. Her step-father Hans became ill with tuberculosis soon after and the family moved to Encarnacion where he passed away in 1951. Sonja’s name changed again in Paraguay, as the “j” in Spanish doesn’t say “y”. She told the story of being greeted as “Songcha”, and her strong dislike for it, and changing it then to S-o-n-i-a. Her mother, Antonia, worked long hours as a sausage maker and later opened her own sausage making business where her children worked with her. She was a single mother and provided well for her children but also expected them to work diligently alongside her. Sonia began to work as a live-in nanny for the Kegler family in Hohenau from 1949-1951 to help support her mom and family. She looked after the Kegler’s 4 children, Eitele, Roland, Marlene, and Ingrid. In 1951 at age 17, Sonia met her future husband, Heinrich (Henry) Wiens, who was 25, eight years her senior. He worked at a hardware store, Ferretería Peterson, in Encarnacion. Sonia told the story of how a friend of his brought him to her door in a rainstorm to introduce them. She called it “Schicksal - destiny - that they met. Henry was born in 1926 in Einlage, a Mennonite colony, across the Dnieper River from Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine where Zoya was born. Two people from literally the same area separated only by a river, falling in love thousands of kilometres across the world. They courted for two years and were married on July 25, 1953. Soon after they had daughter, Elisabeth on April 17, 1954. On March 6,1956 their daughter Ingrid was born. The family rented a house in Encarnacion where Henry later opened his own photography business, “Foto Wiens”. Sonia told many stories of her life in Paraguay to her family and friends and would speak often about her meeting Henry or working as a nanny, but the conversation would inevitably end with her saying how grateful she was that they came to Canada.
And then finally on to Winnipeg, Canada…
Henry was happy with their life in Paraguay, but Sonia convinced him to move to Winnipeg, Canada in 1958 to join his sisters Tina and Anna and their families already living here. She always said that Canada would provide many more opportunities for her children that they could not have in Paraguay.
Sonia, Henry, Elisabeth, Ingrid, and Henry’s elderly parents, Elisabeth and Heinrich boarded a plane with suitcases in hand and arrived in Winnipeg a few days before Halloween. They first stayed with Henry’s sister, Anna’s family on Mountain Avenue. Sonia often talked about working at Salisbury House on Pembina Highway to help pay off the debt they had made travelling to this new country.
In 1959 Sonia moved her family to a lower level 3 room duplex suite just 3 houses away at 346 Mountain Avenue. Henry was to come home that evening and discover that they were now residing in a different home. Sonia’s strong will and determination was evident throughout her lifetime as she made decisions to improve the quality of her family’s life.
In 1960, Sonia’s sister Antonia was brought to Canada and joined the family in their very small accommodations. The family kept growing with the arrival of a son, Henry Alexander, on March 19,1961. As the family was now six strong, including Antonia, the family had a house built at 131 MacAuley Crescent and moved there in July,1962. Henry Sr. worked as a machinist as sole income earner, and Sonia was busy “day and night” cooking, cleaning, sewing, shopping, and raising children. A fourth child, son Roland Constantin was born on November 20, 1962, followed by fifth child, son Richard John on December 10,1965. They enjoyed taking trips to the beach with extended family and friends. Sunday visits at her home or the homes of friends and family were a common occurrence over the years. A table of delicious food, much laughter and joyous times were always a consistent theme.
Sonia learned to sew and made winter jackets and clothing for her children, duvet covers and pillowcases, and hand stitched full-sized, queen-sized, and baby quilts. Henry would sketch the designs and Sonia would sew. She learned to crotchet, likely from a friend of the family, and went on to crotchet many, many, afghans for her family and friends.
Sonia cooked for seven people seven days a week and baked on the weekends too, nourishing her family with everyone’s favourites: Russian cabbage borscht, homemade perogies, meat cabbage rolls with a whipping cream sauce, homemade pizza, thick juicy hamburgers, meatballs and spaghetti, roast chicken and potato salad, roast beef with roasted vegetables, steamed cabbage with meat, Napoleon Torte, Paska, Zwieback, Streuselkuchen, Pflaumenplatz, coffee cake, bundt cake, and so, so, many kinds of cookies especially at Christmas time which included Lebkuchen and Spritzgebaeck. Gardening and canning were a must for a large family, and she and Henry had a big garden. Sonia canned pickles, beets, watermelon, peaches, pears, ikra (a type of carrot relish), a baked eggplant spread, strawberry jam, and apple juice for many years.
Her children have fond memories of Mom going shopping for Christmas presents with Dad’s Christmas bonus cheque; of her buying fabric by the pound to sew her family’s clothes; of Mom hiring a painter to paint the house as Dad worked so many long hours, 6 days a week. They remember how on Sundays Mom would sleep in and Dad would make breakfast. Memories of Mom always falling asleep on the couch or staying up late sewing or baking for her loved ones.
Staying connected with friends and family was so important for Sonia. She visited her mother Antonia, brother Alex, and sister Lydia, and many friends in Paraguay 12 times after moving to Canada. Sonia loved to travel and would make trips to Germany, travelling to Holland, and England as well. They also vacationed with their friends who they met in Paraguay but had moved back to Germany, Ursula and Carlos Reinecke, spending time in Alicante, Spain, dipping her feet in the ocean. Henry and Sonia loved travelling to Hawaii. They travelled Western Canada with friends and visited her niece Julie Westbrook, husband Ken and family in Michigan, and Pete Wiens and wife Melinda and their family in Tennessee. When Henry passed away Sonia continued her love of travel visiting her friend, Wera in Australia, whom she met as a young girl in Heilbronn, Germany. Sonia also visited her birthplace Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine and was reunited with her cousins who were found through a Mennonite church connection.
Although she didn’t email, text, FaceTime, or Snapchat, Sonia always stayed connected with the people she loved. In every country Sonia lived in, she learned the language; Russian, Ukrainian, German, Spanish, and English. Her “go to” language was German, but Sonia would use all her languages calling friends and family around the world.
We always laughed that she had been an MTS customer for more than 60 years and that they should be paying her for her loyalty! Sonia loved to talk and shared often with people about her language savvy. She was once asked by a cousin at a dinner party, while visiting in the Ukraine, after sharing her language abilities, “Which university did you attend?” She replied, “Dearest cousin, the world was my university!”
Sonia could read and write in German, and asked husband Henry to write in Russian to her mother in Paraguay. Sonia attended adult education classes to learn to read and write English. She loved reading and would always have a few German romance novelettes on the go. Sonia loved television and movies, not only for entertainment, but to keep current with the news, and especially the weather. It also played a huge role in helping her learn fluent English.
Zoya, Sonja, Sonia, Mom, Oma, Great Oma, you will be dearly missed by your five children, 12 grandchildren, and 21 great-grandchildren who you were so proud of:
Elisabeth Wiens, (Stephen Arnold/ Ilise Greenberg, Emily, Samuel), (Liane Arnold/Andrew Glabush, Blake, Elena); Ingrid Wiens/ Richard Miller (Curtis Newton/ Sarah Kehler, Carson Krause); Henry Wiens/ Sharon Christenson, (Deanna Christenson/ Cory Halbert, Ashton, Makayla), (Sean Wiens/ Nicole Pociuk, Luxx, Maverick, and Nora), (David Wiens, Beckham); Roland Wiens/ Carol Winberg (Afton Wiens/ Breven Gawley, Everly, Aislynn), (Shanna Wiens/ Michael Atkinson, Easton), Richard Wiens/ Sheila Koppanyi, (Michelle Montford, Hazel, Emmett), (Miranda Wiens, Benjamin, Theodore), (Jared Wiens/ fiancée Melissa Gilbert)
She was predeceased by her father Sergei Radievski (1939), stepfather Hans Huebert (1951), brother, Alexander (1977), husband Heinrich (1992), mother Antonia (2004), sister Lydia (2006), sister Antonia (2019) and grandson Ricky (2022).
Your teachings of love, respect, caring, support, family, persistence, nurturing and laughter will be in our hearts always and in all ways.
Thank you for always sharing with us your words: “So wie du in den Wald reinrufts, so schallt es zurueck.” – meaning …That which you call into the forest, will echo back to you.
In her final days, with her family around her, Oma prayed with us and thanked God for her full and long life and prayed that her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren would have the same good graces.
May you be remembered…
Mom, Oma, Great-Oma
as someone who cared for others
always and in all ways.
We love you!