Retired kindergarten teacher impacted many children

By Joan Janzen

Marilyn Hering lives a quiet life in Pioneers Haven in Kerrobert, where she has many friends. She was born in Saskatoon in February of 1942 and took her elementary and high school education in the city, along with her brother. Her mom was a homemaker and her dad worked for the creamery.

After graduating from high school, she attended teacher’s college for a year, after which she began teaching in 1960. Her first classroom was at Kerrobert School, where she taught Grade 1. At Kerrobert, she boarded with a family; it’s also where she met her husband, Jack Hering. They were married in 1962, and Jack eventually began what would end up being a 37-year career in the oilfield.

Marilyn Hering was a long time board member of the Kerrobert Library and is honoured to have had a reading room named after her. SUBMITTED

The couple had two daughters, Stacey and Joanne, and now have four grandsons, Carter, Austin, Dawson and Colin.

“I began teaching kindergarten when it moved into the school system,” Marilyn said. She taught kindergarten students for the remainder of her thirty years as a teacher. “The children were so honest and very trusting,” she recalled. But they also liked to share stories with their teacher.

“I told parents, if you don’t believe all you hear, I won’t believe all the stories I hear,” she chuckled. Although Marilyn taught a lot of students, she never had her own daughters in her classroom. There were always two classes for each grade, so her own children were taught by someone else.

Throughout the years she took her students on many field trips to Saskatoon, practised for a lot of Christmas concerts, arranged a whole bunch of Easter egg hunts, gave plenty of Christmas gifts to students, receiving a load of chocolates in return.

Quite a few years into her teaching career, Marilyn attended summer school and evening classes at the U of S in Saskatoon to earn her degree. “I got my degree the year before my daughter got her degree in pharmacy,” she said.

Marilyn had taught a lot of kids over the years. “I taught Dr. Wentzel’s daughter,” she said. Dr. Mada Wentzel works at the clinic along with her father. Marilyn has a photo of every class she taught throughout her teaching career.

Another interest Marilyn enjoyed was reading and being an active board member of the Kerrobert Library. She was on the board from 1978 to 2019. “The library named a reading room after me,” she proudly stated.

In 2014 Marilyn and her husband moved to Saskatoon, residing at Preston Park Retirement Residence. After Jack’s tragic passing in 2021, Marilyn moved to Pioneers Haven in Kerrobert to be closer to her daughters, who phone or visit often. Marilyn and Jack had been married for 58 years.

Several years ago, Marilyn celebrated her 80th birthday and received a birthday greeting from the Prime Minister. The only problem was that the greeting wished Marilyn a happy 90th Birthday. “I’m waiting to receive a 100th birthday greeting on my 90th birthday,” she said, smiling.

Meanwhile, she’s enjoying her time with friends at Pioneers Haven and described the staff as wonderful. She enjoys reading good books, but she doesn’t miss cooking.