REINHILD “RAE” WIGAND (née Mariak), of Lethbridge, beloved wife of Peter Wigand, passed away peacefully with her family by her side at St. Michael’s Health Centre – Palliative Care Unit, on Wednesday, March 20, 2024 at the age of 79 years.

Besides her loving husband of 53 years, Peter, Rae is survived by her daughter Christina Wigand (Wally); sons Peter (Coral) Wigand, Robert (Angela) Wigand; six grandchildren; and sister Erna Seidel.

Rae was born in Germany on March 4, 1945, and immigrated to Canada with her parents and siblings in 1952. They saw Canada as a land of opportunity and, like many immigrant families after the war, didn’t have much more than the family they came with and a willingness to work hard to make a new life. The family began their life in Canada in Diamond City and then eventually moved to Calgary. Rae and her family spent much of her early days in Forest Lawn. Rae was the youngest in her family growing up with her parents, sisters, nieces, and nephews who, in many respects, were more like sisters and brothers.

Rae often spoke about the weekends spent with her nieces Gilo, Doreen, and Karen at the ranch outside of Bergen, aka ‘Paradise’. She talked about how any time music was playing they would wrangle nephews Norman, Gary, Peter, and Andrew to dance. She shared memories of picking Saskatoon berries at Glenmore Park to help the family make Saskatoon berry wine, and how they would skate in the backyard on the rink her dad would make for the family.

After graduating from Forest Lawn High School, Rae worked at a bank in Calgary and even spent a six-month term working at the Banff branch. She moved back to Germany for a time to work with her sister, Annelise, at the Deli she ran with her husband. In the late 1960s, Rae met her future husband, Peter, by way of a blind date. They married on October 10th, 1970 and spent the next four years in Calgary, starting a family of their own with the birth of their first son, Robert, in 1972.

1974 was a big year for Rae and Peter; not only did they have their daughter, Christina, but they moved to Picture Butte and purchased Rae Motors and Farm Supply from Bill and Elsie Rae. Bill and Elsie became good friends and were known by her kids as Onkel Bill and Tante Elsie (Uncle Bill and Auntie Elsie).

As their business grew, so did the family with the birth of their second son Peter in 1977. In the early 80s, Peter and Rae decided to sell the business, move to the Enchant area, and start farming. They sold the business to the family. Rae once again had extended family close with her niece Doreen and what would become a growing family of four energetic and adventurous boys, Steven, Kevin, Michael and Dan. They all meant so much to Rae.

From hoeing sugar beets in Diamond City to shoveling grain, driving grain trucks, swathers, and whatever else was needed on the farm, Rae was no stranger to hard work.

In her later years, Rae welcomed her grandchildren: Zachary, Taylor, Jamie, Rylee, Adam, and Evan.

The strong family bonds continued throughout Rae’s life, through regular family get-togethers, reunions, weddings, and the all-important Oktoberfest. These occasions always involved copious amounts of good food, German music, dancing until the early hours of the next day, and even a ‘little bit’ of schnapps along with a lot of laughter.

Rae loved family, dancing, traveling, cooking, baking, gardening, and most of all, sharing these loves with her family. She was famous for many of her German dishes like käsekuchen (cheesecake) and tortenboden (German fruit flan) and cherished handing down her recipes to her grandchildren.

Most of all, Rae loved family!

The family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the St. Michael’s Health Centre – Palliative Care team for their loving care.

A Funeral Service will be held at CORNERSTONE FUNERAL HOME, 2825 – 32 Street South, Lethbridge, AB, on Monday, April 1, 2024 at 1:00 P.M. with Patrick Siedlecki officiating.

Following the Funeral Service, Rae will be laid to rest in Mountain View Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Rae’s memory to St. Michael’s Health Centre – Palliative Care Unit, 1400 – 9 Avenue South, Lethbridge, AB, T1J 4V5.

 

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

• Date : 2024-03-20
• Location : Lethbridge, Alberta