Obituary of Herta Weiss

October 13, 1932 – Latvia

May 19, 2022 – Cochrane, Alberta

Herta Weiss (nee Betcher) was born on October 13, 1932, in Latvia, the second of eight children of Augusta and Rudolf Betcher. She passed away in Cochrane, AB, following a short period of illness on Thursday, May 19, 2022, at the age of 89 years.

At the time of Herta’s birth her father operated a farm in Latvia where she grew up enjoying the life within the family and community setting where she was able to attend school until the third grade. With the passing of her brother Bruno at a young age, Herta had become the oldest child in the family of seven. In 1939, the second world war interrupted her childhood and her family’s way of life when they were forced from their farm and fled westward as refugees.

When her father was conscripted into the army, Herta had to take on adult responsibilities at the age of 11 or 12, including that of earning income along with her mother, to feed the family, which included her siblings and ailing grandparents. During those years, the family was not able to stay long in any one place. They packed up the family and joined thousands of other refugees. Nine people in two horse-drawn wagons—one driven by Herta and the other by her mother. When they were able to stop, finding work in order to feed the family was an all-consuming focus. Herta and her mother often had to perform heavy manual labour for a full day, and at times payment was made in the form of a loaf of bread and ½ litre of milk each, which had to feed the entire family.

The family arrived in the relative safety of Germany. After the war had ended and they had been reunited with their father, the family eventually made plans to immigrate to Canada. Herta and her family came to Canada in 1952 on a ship called the Beaverbrae. She served in the food line during the voyage and, although she didn’t know it at the time, one of those she served was her future husband, Otto Weiss. The family ended up in Kipp, AB, working as laborers on a sugar beet farm. After fulfilling their obligations to their sponsor, the family moved from the farm to Calgary, AB, where Herta was able to attend and graduate from nursing school.

Herta worked in her field for a few years. It wasn’t too long before she met Otto Weiss, as their two families attended the same church in Calgary. The two married in December 1957, renting their first home in Tuxedo Park. Herta and Otto began raising a family right away. While Otto was establishing his painting business, Herta worked in various jobs outside the home, eventually taking borders into the busy household to help the family make ends meet.

Herta was a loving wife and nurturing mother who prayed fervently, particularly for her family. For many years on Friday nights, she and Otto hosted “praise evenings” where all who wanted to come would fill the house.  Sometimes 40+ people would gather to sing songs of praise to the Lord, someone would share from the Word of God and then prayer was raised up for one another late into the night. This was a high point of the week for Herta, Otto, and their family, as well as all those who came.

Despite the demands of raising her growing family, Herta was always ready to make room for more in her home. Whether it was close friends or those who just needed some fellowship and a meal, guests were always welcome at the table. Herta loved to bake, and she was good at it. Thursdays were her baking day, and she would often bake three or more cakes for the weekend, which made every weekend that much more special. Her tortes, pies, and assorted cakes were famous and often requested by family and friends for weddings, birthdays, and other special events. For a number of years Herta led the volunteer hospitality team (the kitchen crew) at Thornhill Baptist Church, serving thousands of meals at weddings, funerals, and other special events. She even taught classes on how to cook Chinese food in the church kitchen.

Herta’s other great passion was singing. She loved to sing in the church choir with her lovely soprano voice. Often, she would team up with her sisters to sing in duets or trios for church services and various celebrations. She would sing as she worked around the home too. It was common for her to have sheet music out on the counter so she could practice her singing as she baked. She faithfully and joyfully sang with the choir for over 50 years, well into her late eighties.

Herta leaves a wonderful legacy of faith in her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In the weeks just prior to her passing, she shared with her family the dreams in her heart that the Lord had fulfilled. She encouraged her family to dream big and trust in him. She also leaves a growing legacy through her four children, nine grandchildren, and twelve great grandchildren, with more on the way.

Herta is loved and deeply missed by her family; four children, Fred (Rene) Weiss, Ed (Marci) Weiss, Karin (Carlo) Spoletini, and Kathy (Tom) Burke; nine grandchildren, Joshua (Amanda) Weiss, Aaron (Rachael) Weiss, Michael (Melissa) Weiss, Jessica (Travis) Ager, Matthew (Jordan) Weiss, Diane (Brett) Rehman, Nicholas (Annabelle) Spoletini, Charleen (Jacub) Sliwon, and Lola Burke; and twelve great-grandchildren, Adelyn Weiss, Lily Weiss, Ayah Weiss, Ari Weiss, Jax Weiss, Kade Weiss, Knox Ager, Banx Ager, Tekx Ager, Jersey Rehman, Sixx Rehman, and Oliver Spoletini.

Besides her loving husband Otto, Herta was predeceased by her parents, Augusta and Rudolf Betcher, brother Bruno, sister Erna Numrich, sister-in-law Donna, brother in-law Heinz Weiss, and sister-in-law Elizabeth Weiss. In addition to her own family, Herta is survived by her three sisters, Benita (Sam) Strecker, Erica (Winfred) Glaser, and Inge (Helmut) Freiter; two brothers, Scotty Betcher, and Ron (Inge) Betcher.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at Thornhill Baptist Church (128 Tache Ave NW, Calgary, AB), on Friday, June 17, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. Condolences, memories, and photos may be shared and viewed here.

If friends so desire, memorial tributes may be made directly to either Hope Mission, 4869 Hubalta Road SE, Calgary, AB, T2A 7R7, www.hopemission.com, International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, P.O. Box 670, Station K, Toronto, ON, M4P 2H1, www.ifcj.ca, or Samaritan’s Purse, 20 Hopewell Way NE, Calgary, AB, T3J 5H5, www.samaritanspurse.ca

In living memory of Herta Weiss, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, Chapel of the Bells, 2720 Centre Street North, Calgary, AB T2E 2V6, Telephone: 403-243-8200.

Click Here to View Herta Weiss' Memorial Card