Obituary of Ivarene (Rene) Joyce Eigler

January 14, 1932 – October 30, 2019

A long time ago, in a land far, far away, a baby girl was born to an excited couple. Her name became Ivarene Joyce Chambers. She was born on January 14, 1932.  She was a sister to two brothers, Wally and Frank. She grew up on a farm,  and would rather be outside with the animals and her brothers than inside doing housework. The farm was near Ewart, Manitoba. She met Albert Eigler and they married February 26, 1949 in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

After briefly living in Winnipeg, she and Albert moved back to farm life and started raising a family. They had ten children, Larry, identical twins Albert and Allen, Susan, Robert, David, Debra, Wendy, Katherine and Caroline.  They also came to have twenty-five grandchildren, and thirty great grandchildren.  Their first home was an old grainary that they renovated. Eventually, they bought an old train station which became their home near Virden, Manitoba. Here they started a new life with farm animals, a large greenhouse, and a tree nursery business.

Her food garden was huge. She was always busy with the children, preparing food, preserving garden produce, caring for farm animals, and being the “organizer” in the family business. She taught her children and grandchildren to work hard and to have fun too! Many pranks and jokes were shared.

They made several moves from Virden, which led eventually to Grande Prairie.

Her strength was incredible. Coffee and meals, snacks and love were available to any who stopped in. Her home was “Grande Central Station”, as she was always a hospitable woman. She shared her wealth of knowledge about growing plants, gardens, and trees.

She became one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in her twenties, when she was busy with several little children. Her faith in her God, Jehovah, kept her strong through the rest of her life. She was always ready to gently share her beliefs with anyone who would listen. She taught her children to love each other, to love Jehovah, and to love life in all it’s forms. She could be seen late at night, reading the Bible or studying after a busy day. Her faith was inspiring.

Even though she struggled for a couple decades with Alzheimer’s, she had such a happy personality. We will miss her incredible sense of humor, her love and laughter.

We’ll see each other again, “Just Around the Corner”!

A Memorial Service for Ivarene will be held at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 10135 128 Avenue, Grande Prairie on Monday, November 4^th at 1pm with a luncheon to follow at the Sexsmith Civic Centre, 99 Avenue, Sexsmith.

Care entrusted to Bear Creek Funeral Home 780 830 7742 www.bearcreekfuneral.com