ANNE NIKKEL, beloved wife of John Nikkel, of Coaldale, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family, on Thursday, December 23, 2021 at the age of 83 years.

Annie Nikkel – mother, sister, daughter, grandma, great-grandma, pet mama, gardener extraordinaire – what a ‘spicy’ lady. She was born south of Swift Current in the small village of Cortez, Saskatchewan on August 10th, 1938 as the second youngest of 16 children; predeceased by eight brothers and four sisters. Left to celebrate her life is her husband John Nikkel, brother Harry (Marilyn) Heinrichs, sister Gerta Friesen, and sister Sally Wiebe, daughter Shirley (Barry) Schmidt, daughter Jane (Owen) Rapuano, son Jerry (Alison) Nikkel, son Jim (Diane) Nikkel, son John (Kim) Nikkel, and daughter Bonnie (Randy) Matson, and many special nieces and nephews, but favourites will not be specially named.

She spent much of her childhood on a little farm outside of Barnwell, and was responsible for learning how to cook for the family with her mama. She was an avid supporter of many charities and programs including Operation Christmas Child, where she put together over 100 boxes for many Christmases. She had a very generous heart and was always searching for ways to help those in need. As a young child, she loved to sing her heart out with her sister Gerta and relax on a swing. As time went on, she continued to swing and held many heartfelt conversations with her grandkids there. She was an avid follower of Christ and believed it was her calling to share his message. Sometimes this meant $1 to each bible verse memorized to her grandkids, but this also meant they would not forget!

Annie thought it was important to speak up if she did not agree with something and would stick up for the underdog. She was known for being honest and outspoken, but she did it with everyone’s best interests in mind. She made it her mission to get the entire extended family together for Easter and Christmas, where she utilized her excellent culinary skills for her family to enjoy. Although not her favourite treat, she always had a ‘secret’ closet full of John’s candy that the grandkids could steal from once per visit (she kept the Toffifees for herself).

A sincere thank you to all of the support that homecare provided, as well as to Christina Robertson and Jinky Barrios for excellent care.

A Private Family Funeral Service will be held on Thursday, December 30, 2021 at 11:00 A.M. with Pastor Gary Burke officiating. The Service will be live streamed and may be accessed via Anne’s obituary on the Cornerstone website.

Anne will be laid to rest in the Coaldale Mennonite Cemetery.

We kindly request that, in lieu of flowers, a donation be made to her favourite charity, World Vision (worldvision.ca), or a charity of your choice.

 

To send a condolence, please visit www.cornerstonefuneralhome.com

• Date : 2021-12-23
• Location : Coaldale, Alberta