Caleb resident, Margaret Deiner
By Joan Janzen
Margaret Deiner has been a resident at Caleb Village for approximately five years. Her apartment is decorated with souvenirs from her extensive travels. She has visited Toronto, PEI, New Brunswick, Florida, Nashville, Disney World, Alaska, Switzerland (her dream come true as a fan of the book ‘Heidi’), and Aruba. Margaret explained that Aruba is an island six miles wide and 18 miles long, located 30 miles north of South America.
She was born on July 16, 1933, in Rosetown, where she attended a country school. After her marriage, she and her husband lived on a farm before moving to Mariot, north of Rosetown, where her husband was the municipal foreman. Their children were ages 6, 5 and 3 when her husband was tragically killed in a farm accident. Margaret was also pregnant with their fourth child.
It was a traumatic time. Because the family lived in a municipal house, they had to vacate their home by the end of the month. “I didn’t have a house to live in, had $10, three kids, and was expecting the fourth,” Margaret said. “In a flash, my whole life changed. The kids became my focus. I wanted to give them as normal a life as possible with one parent. I took one day at a time.” She said it was her faith that carried her through every day.
She and her family moved to a house on her in-law’s farm, where they lived for four years before moving to Rosetown. Ten years later, she moved to Saskatoon, where she was employed at an accounting office, and then worked at Eaton’s for 22 years until the store closed.
Margaret met her future husband in 1978 at square dancing, and they married in 1982. In 2016, Margaret moved to Pioneer Haven in Kerrobert after her husband required long-term care. Margaret had family living in Kerrobert and resided there until the sad passing of her husband of 33 years.
Now, Margaret is quite content living at Caleb Village. “The staff are phenomenal, which makes such a difference,” she said. “We’re all part of one big family, both residents and staff.”
