Karin (nee Schreiber) Spangehl

It is with deep sadness that we mourn the peaceful passing of Karin Spangehl on March 11, 2021.  Karin was the beloved wife of Ed Spangehl and mother of Marita Bray, Werner and Mark Spangehl and grandmother to eight beautiful grandchildren.  Karin was in her 100th year of life. 

She will be incredibly missed by her loving family, always the priority of her life.  She leaves a legacy in her resilience, strength of character, and vitality. She will be remembered for her love of learning, her warm beautiful smile and genuine kindness, but also for her huge garden salads with the honey dressing, black currant jelly, marble cakes, Frankfurter Kranz torte and Pflaumen Kuchen!

Karin was born Katharina Maria Schreiber in Gross-Zimmern (near Frankfurt), Germany on Dec. 4, 1921.  She trained as an operating room nurse, and during the Second World War, she witnessed tremendous hardship, misery and sadness. She left Germany on Dec. 31,1951, because – in her words – the country was a pile of ruin and rubble.  She could not see a promising future there and her quest for adventure drove her to seek opportunity elsewhere.

In 1953, after answering a call for nurses at St. Peter’s Hospital in Melville, she moved to Regina, where she met Erhardt, a German immigrant from East Prussia. The stars aligned and in 1954, Karin and Ed were married in Regina, where she worked as an RN for four more years, until the birth of her first child.  Although she loved her career and always retained her progressive values, she devoted the rest of her life to the attentive, focused care of her family and home.  The joy of her life were her three children to whom she imparted her appreciation of literature, music, theatre and dance, the importance of nutrition and fitness, and of striving for excellence in academics.  Her love of Germany, German culture and language, was also passed down to her children.  Well into her late 90’s, Mom could still recite an epic poem by Friedrich Schiller.

Throughout her life, Mom found strength and comfort in her Catholic faith. She was an independent thinker and well informed on the issues of the day.  Dinner table discussions were lively as our parents shared their different perspectives.  The support she provided to her husband allowed him to build his business without any worries on the homefront.  She ran a busy household, with never an idle moment.  When the work was done, she found time to knit or sew, and in later years, tend to her flower and vegetable gardens, cross-country ski, or swim.  Reading, however, was her preferred past time.  She was a gracious host and loved having “Kaffee und Kuchen” with family and friends.  She spent many hours processing garden produce and preparing delicious meals for her loved ones.  When her youngest child was in his teens, she returned to nursing for a short time, but then gave it up to provide bedside care to her mother-in-law.

Her passion for life-long learning, nutrition and wellness left a significant impact on her children and grandchildren.  She was an eager student at the Seniors Education Centre for over 20 years and well into her late 80’s. Her favourite classes were Great Books of Western Civilization.

Mom enjoyed many trips back to the homeland to visit her family and relatives with whom she was very close, but she was always glad to come back to the open skies of Saskatchewan. The Qu’Appelle Valley reminded her of the Odenwald landscape, and in 1975, the family cottage at Katepwa Lake was purchased. Mom’s happiest times were at the cottage when all eight grandchildren could be there with her.  Our parents enjoyed gardening on a large scale and gladly shared their garden produce with many friends.  Living at the cottage for about 5 months of the year was an integral part of their lives for the last 20 years.

Mom was an excellent role model, leading a well-rounded life and teaching us to the end, to accept our frailty with dignity and without complaint.

Our dear friend Carollyne Zeviar, who met Mom two years ago and expertly helped with her care, encapsulated Mom’s lasting attributes succinctly: “Oma has touched my life with her strength and compassion, her humour and kindness, her patience and resilience and her abundant love for her wonderful family.”

Karin is survived by her husband of 66 years, Erhardt (Ed) Spangehl, daughter Marita (Ken) Bray of Regina, son Werner (Vivian) Spangehl of White Rock, B.C., son Mark (Kathie) Spangehl of Scottsdale, Arizona, eight grandchildren: Katrina, Carl (Christina) and Madeleine (Chris) Bray; Victoria (Eric), Madeline (Maxim), Peter (Adria) Spangehl of B.C., and Felica (Andy) and Joe (Katya) Spangehl of Arizona.  Karin is also survived by three nieces, one nephew and their families in Germany.

A private Celebration of Life and interment will be held in the summer at Katepwa Lake.

Those wishing to make a donation in Karin’s memory, may wish to consider one of her charities: Operation Smile; to see the tribute page, please click
https://secure.operationsmile.ca/site/TR/OneSmile/mySMILE_DIY_TR?px=1201462&pg=personal&fr_id=1130

Or:  Hope and Healing, Doctors without Borders, World Wildlife Fund Canada.