Mary Braun

Maria (Mary) Braun (nee Klassen)
January 11, 1927 – June 4, 2022

Mary Braun (nee Klassen) passed away after complications from a brief illness at Gimli Community Health Center on June 4, 2022. Left to mourn are her daughters, Sharon (Vern), Brenda (Bruce); daughter-in-law, Sandy; her grandchildren, Corey, Kristin, Jeff, Jeannine, Kevin, Katrina, Ellen, Michael, Carly, and their partners; her great-grandchildren, Ross, Colin, Dominick, Brandon, Noah, Nora, Abby, and Lumina; as well as many nieces, nephews and friends. She was predeceased by her husband of 60 years, Abram, and their son, Ken.  

Mary was born on January 11th (or 12th, depending on who you asked) in 1927, in Rosenfeld, Manitoba, where she grew up with her 15 brothers and sisters. Mary had a zest for life and viewed any adversity with a positive and stoic approach that was truly inspirational.   

A consummate storyteller and conversationalist, with a wonderful memory, Mary delighted in sharing many amusing anecdotes about growing up with her siblings and parents, her time spent playing baseball, which she excelled at, her many adventures living in Toronto with Kay, John, Mary and Jimmy, the many jobs she worked at over the years, her travels to Ontario and the west coast with her husband and her children, life on their hobby farm in Tyndall, her eerie, preternatural ability to communicate with and train animals, her battle with cancer and her triumph over a terminal diagnosis over 40 years ago, as well as her retirement years in Selkirk, and all of the friends she made along the way. 

Well into her 90s, Mary was up for almost anything, including attending concerts with her grandchildren, dining out with her family, and vacationing at the lake house in Kenora. She valued her independence, and until she was admitted into the hospital at the beginning of May, she managed all her own affairs and maintained her home. Mary always enjoyed keeping busy, she was always up for a game of cards, checkers or crokinole with her grandkids, and spent many days bowling, gardening, painting, knitting, and visiting. She enjoyed doing the Free Press jumble in the evening, watching sports, especially the Jets and her Blue Jays, and always kept up-to-date on current events and the lives of her children and grandchildren. Mary never forgot someone’s birthday or an important event. She made every occasion fun for her family, making door prizes, celebrating BOTH of her birthdays, shaming everyone in the annual Christmas amaryllis growing competition, and baking and cooking - on request - the favourites of her grandchildren; her coconut cakes, sour cream cookies, waffles and lasagna were world class, or world Klass(en). 

Mary loved her family and was enduring in her support of their every endeavor. She was never judgmental and always looked forward to the postcards and calls from their many adventures around the world. She gave her grandchildren her wit, kindness, and stoic approach to life, although all of them would admit that they have not yet mastered the latter.   

Her great sense of humour and her joking personality attracted many friends and admirers. 

Everyone who met Mary liked her, it was impossible not to. She will be greatly missed.

See you in the movies, grandma!   

A private family celebration of life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to CancerCare Manitoba.

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