Aron Froese Life Story
Dad had a spirit of adventure from the very start. Aron Froese was born in Filadelfia, Paraguay on August 17, 1937, the second son of Cornelius and Aganeta (née Kliewer) Froese. A few weeks after his birth, the family moved to Friesland, East Paraguay. This was an enormously difficult journey of over 600 kilometres involving various modes of transportation: ox-driven wagons, trains and ferries. The stress this journey must have caused for such a young family, with a young toddler and a new baby, is nearly unimaginable.
Thankfully in Friesland, the climate was more favourable, and their family settled into Dorf (village) #2. This is where Dad lived out his childhood years, attending school and Sunday School, spending many enjoyable hours with grandparents, and exploring the world around him.
From early on, his resourceful approach to life was exemplified in every endeavour he undertook, and he worked diligently at each new task given to him. As a result, his family entrusted him with an incredible amount of responsibility for the family farm. When he was 14 years old, he was hired to deliver farm goods by horse & wagon to the city of Asuncion, which, though it was the nearest city to Friesland, was still over 150 kilometres away!
When Dad was 15 years old, his family moved to Guarituba, Brazil, where they began a dairy operation. For years, Dad was a steady worker for the operation, and his family heavily relied upon him. Throughout his teenage years, he attended a local church youth group, where he participated in a variety of social events and bible studies. At the age of 17, he attended an evangelistic event hosted by A.G. Neufeld. The minister spoke of the importance of hearing and responding to the voice of God. That evening, Dad found peace in the Lord. Shortly thereafter, he was baptized.
It was here in Guarituba that he first laid eyes on Margita Boschmann. Even though they were both young, upon their first meeting Dad thought to himself, “I will marry that girl with the braids someday.” After purchasing his motorcycle, he would often conveniently show up where Margita would be and offer her a ride home. For a time, they went in separate directions. Mom went to Sao Paulo to work, and Dad sought self-employment opportunities by purchasing a “carrinho” (buggy) with a horse and moving to Boqueron. For several years, he purchased bread from a baker and sold it fresh to customers as a business venture. When Mom moved back from Sao Paulo, it became very clear to both of them that they had missed one another and wanted to be together.
In 1962, Aron & Margita married and lived together in Boqueron and Vila Guaira, both in the Parana province of Brazil. Three years later, their first of five children, Hans, was born. They thanked the Lord for a healthy baby boy and joyously welcomed their first child into the world.
It was during the first years of marriage that Dad’s health issues began to surface. At one point, doctors diagnosed a gastric ulcer, and he underwent a surgery removing two-thirds of his stomach. He continued to have stomach issues following his procedure and throughout the rest of his life. Nevertheless, God blessed him with a long life.
Undeterred by health concerns, Dad listened to his adventurous spirit and found he still had a strong desire to move to Canada. For many years, he had submitted to his family’s wish for him to stay in Brazil. But now, with his new family, he felt he had freedom to pursue his own dreams again. Through sponsorship from Margita’s brother, Peter Regier, the young family immigrated to Winnipeg in 1968, just a few months before the birth of their second son, Karl.
Once in Canada, Dad was grateful to immediately have a job working at DeFehr Furniture. During his first summer vacation, he used the spare time to work with a painting company for extra income, and was inspired to strike out as an entrepreneur and start his own painting company, A Froese Painting & Decorating. He ran this company until his retirement. For those who knew his work or worked with him, he held a reputation for his immaculate attention to detail.
Throughout these early years, the young family found a church home in North Kildonan Mennonite Brethren church, where Dad was able to volunteer and connect with friends in this new faith community. Between 1968 to 1977, three more children were born: Sigrid, Sylvia and Esther. Caring and providing for his wife and five children was Dad’s number one priority. Among the many gifts Dad gave his kids were a deep assurance of his love for them, his ‘can do’ attitude when faced with challenging situations, and his love of new discoveries.
In addition to benefiting from the countless values Dad passed along, his children also inherited his spirit of adventure. This explorer’s outlook took Dad far in life — during his first few years in Canada, he “discovered” the Canadian Rockies, and the mountains continued to call him back year after year. His children became accustomed to the annual camping and road trips to his favorite spots: Fairmont Hot Springs and Moraine Lake. Other road trip destinations included Florida, California, southern Ontario, and Vancouver, sometimes with only a few days’ advance notice…poor Mom! But for Dad, these trips were less about arriving at a location and more about the journey there. The spontaneity of taking ‘scenic roads’ or changing plans to see an attraction discovered at the last second were all part of the fun. His family has an endless fountain of fond memories to reflect on from these many trips, thanks to Dad. He and Mom revisited their prior homeland in Brazil in 1988, and made numerous trips to Australia and Minnesota in order to stay connected with family.
In time, Dad became a grandfather to 11 grandchildren. He loved engaging with the grandkids, playing dress-up, going on camping trips, and sharing coffee and donuts at Tim Horton’s.
Nine years ago, Dad was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. His health deteriorated to the point of being admitted to Donwood Manor Personal Care Home in 2017. He passed away peacefully to be with the Lord on July 27th.
The Froese family has experienced God’s grace and strength throughout the years and gives God the glory for Dad’s life and the many wonderful memories we share.
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In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Donwood Manor Pastoral Care Services. Cheques can be made payable to ‘Donwood Foundation’.
All are welcome to join the family for the funeral service on Tuesday, August 4, 2020 at the North Kildonan Mennonite Brethren Church, 1315 Gateway Rd at 10:00 a.m. with viewing prior to service. The service will align with the Provincial COVID-19 guidelines. There will be an opportunity to share your memories following the service.