Margaret Broesky

It is with deep sadness that the family announces the passing of Margaret Broesky on Friday, June 24, 2022, at the age of 85 in the Vita Personal Care Home.

A graveside service to honour the life of our precious mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, great-great-grandmother, and dear friend will be held on Saturday, July 2, at 11:00 am at the Menisino Community Cemetery. 

A light lunch will be served at the cemetery following the service. All friends and family are welcome. If attending, please bring lawn chairs.

A Christmas gift arrived a little late on December 27, 1936, to Cornelius & Sarah Martens (nee Redekopp) when Margaret was born into this world at Sonningdale, SK. This precious bundle was the youngest of Corny & Sarah’s 9 children. Unfortunately, Sarah would not get to know her youngest child on this side of heaven as she passed away 7 days later due to complications with the birth. Margaret’s life began with a loss which shaped the way her childhood would look.  

In Sarah’s last days, she asked that her Aunt Annie take care of her newborn daughter. Peter & Anna Friesen became mom & dad to this little one, and at 2.5 years old, she lost another mom when Anna passed away. Margaret was loved and her childhood as Greta Friesen was remembered fondly as she visited the old homestead in Tisdale, SK some years ago with her daughter, Lori, reminiscing about days of playing dress-up under the trees.  

At age 11, another event changed the trajectory of Margaret’s story when Mr. Friesen moved to Paraguay. Corny, having remarried a woman with 4 sons and established his blended family, wanted to have his daughter back. Margaret stayed in Saskatchewan instead of making the trek with the family she knew. Sadly, life looked very different for Margaret in the Martens blended household. In her late teens, she pulled up her roots and ventured out east to Manitoba where her older sister, Mary, lived with her husband, Cornie Broesky. 

Living with Mary & Cornie, right down the road from Cornie’s parents, it was inevitable that the lovely Margaret would catch the eye of Cornie’s younger brother, Edward Broesky. This glowing 19-year-old bride said “I do” to her groom on May 3, 1956.  They welcomed their first son, Wilfred Brian, on November 4, 1956, but suffered a deep loss when he passed away just over a month later. The Broesky clan multiplied to eventually have 8 more children. Margaret’s pride and joy were those children. Through the trials & the triumphs, Ed & Margaret remained faithfully at each other’s side for 61 years until Ed passed away in 2017. 

Margaret’s days as a homemaker were filled with baking, sewing, and trying to keep those kids of hers in line. She worked in the sewing factory in St. Malo for many years, but one of her proudest achievements was making the decision to take her training to become a Health Care Aide at the age of 50. She graduated in 1987 and went on to compassionately serve the residents at the Vita Personal Care Home until she retired. 

Margaret was well known for her sense of humour and smart-alec comments, traits that she generously passed on to her children & grandchildren! She was always generous with whatever she had, prepared to feed an army at her house on short notice as her door was always open to anyone. Margaret thrived in a kitchen with a million things cooking and counters so full you’d just have to trust they had countertops because you’d never see them, that little house in Sundown, MB stuffed with family waiting to fill up on all that delicious cooking! Even when she was no longer able to cook, she loved time with family. One thing she could never get enough of was time with her kids. She would cherish every visit and loved the annual Broesky weekends that began in 2017. 

That little house in Sundown sometimes felt extra stuff because of her real true love... quilting. A wood quilt frame displaying a quilt in progress was often taking up all open space in the living room. Those quilts were her masterpieces! The less room she had, the more of it would be given to store fabric and sewing supplies! Throughout the years, each member of her family and many friends have been gifted a little piece of her legacy in those beautiful quilts.  

In 2013, Margaret moved to an apartment in Shady Oaks in Vita, MB, about a year after Ed suffered a stroke that required him to be moved into the Vita Personal Care Home. She made dear friends among the staff at Shady Oaks and made their business her business... in a good way! 

She joined the Compassionate Quilters group to use her skills to create quilts for those who suffered the tragedy of house fires and others in need. This group of like-minded quilters brought her great joy as they went on fabric shopping trips and sewed together up until Margaret’s stroke in 2017.  

While Margaret’s body slowly declined after her stroke, her mind stayed sharp and she was feisty & stubborn as ever. In recent months, the decline sped up and Margaret went into the hospital in April. It was determined that the one thing she never wanted was inevitable, she would have to move to a care home as her body was no longer strong enough to remain living on her own. On June 14, 2022, Margaret moved into the Vita Personal Care Home. Just before the sun rose on June 24, 2022, she was called home to be with Jesus. 

She was predeceased by her husband, Ed; one son, Wilfred; one grandson, Malachi; two sons-in-law, Rick & Billy, four sisters, and one brother. Margaret leaves behind to cherish her memory her children; Jim (Annie), Donelda (Russ), Daniel (Wendy), Mark (Margaret), Eleanor, Lori (Jim), Brian (Bridgette), Scott (Terri-Lee); 20 grandchildren, 44 great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great-grandchild; 2 sisters, Mary & Agnes, and 1 brother David.