Margareta H. Neumann was born July 15, 1931, in Bredenbury, Saskatchewan, the 14th of 16 children. She was only one year old when her parents moved to Gem, Alberta.

     Growing up in Gem, Margaret remembers the important role that family, church, and school played in her life. She also remembers that the war years were challenging years due to their German heritage. At age 14, the family moved to Greendale where she recalls that life became easier, due to the simple amenities now available.

     After completing grade 8 at age 15, Margaret quit school and attended Bible School in Yarrow for two years, which she regarded as enjoyable years. Sister, Hilrie, joined her for the second year, both living with their sister-in-law, Helen Neumann. In her second year, Margaret took a three-month course in sewing with a Mrs. Quapp, a highly-regarded teacher. Margaret enjoyed these years, getting to know new people and learning a craft that would be put to good use in later years—sewing for five daughters and teaching sewing at M.E.I., and also at the Abbotsford Adult Night School.

     At age 18, Margaret moved to Vancouver and found a job at Woodwards, as an ‘elevator girl’. She enjoyed this work, and the daily contact with people every day helped to overcome her shyness of meeting new people. It was at this time that brother John, encouraged her to attend night school to work at completing high school. Since she wasn’t a teenager any longer, she decided to accelerate her education by returning to Chilliwack High School where she completed grades 12 and 13 in one year. That meant long hours of hard work, but the results, after writing government exams, were good.

     Choosing a profession was the next step, and it didn’t take long to decide on a teaching career. Three brothers were already teachers, so Normal School was her choice. Not only did she earn her teaching certificate, but also met her husband-to-be, Henry Klassen, known to all as “Sam”. They found time to date and were engaged within six months, and married that same year—August 22, 1954.

     Margaret and Henry began their first year of married life teaching in Vancouver. It was also there that their first child, Kathleen Margaret, was born. Two years later, Henry received a call from M.E.I., his alma mater, offering him a teaching position, which he kept for 30 years. The job offer resulted in a move to Clearbrook, where Margaret and Henry continue to live to this day.

     Those 30 years were probably the busiest years of their lives. Four more daughters followed Kathy—Karen Janet, Cheryl Lynn, Lori Ann, and Jeanette Marie. Raising five girls, teaching part-time at M.E.I., as well as teaching Sunday School, Pioneer Girls, and speaking at numerous church functions were busy but enjoyable years. Henry and Margaret were Charter members of the Bakerview Mennonite Brethren Church.

     Upon the construction and opening of Abbotsford’s Sevenoaks Shopping Mall, and partly motivated by the need to earn money to pay for five weddings, Margaret left her teaching position at M.E.I. and returned to the employ of her first employer—Woodwards Department Store. Only this time, it was not as an ‘elevator girl’.

     In 1987, Margaret and Henry were presented with a new challenge—to teach English in China. Under the sponsorship of the Mennonite Brethren Conference and the Mennonite Central Committee, they were sent to Chongching, China, for a two-year term, 1987—1989. The assignment was cut short due to the student democracy demonstrations in Beijing, which resulted in the Canadian government urging all Canadians to leave the country. It had not been easy to be so far away from family, exacerbated by poor communications and three family funerals—Hank’s mother and brother, and Margaret’s sister-in-law, Kay Neumann. Nonetheless, they enjoyed their two years in China and considered them as “icing on the cake” of their teaching careers. 

     Upon their return to Abbotsford in 1989, they accepted an assignment to teach E.S.L. at the Bakerview M.B. Church, and Margaret assumed the position of manager of the MCC Thrift Store in Clearbrook.  This was the beginning of many years of volunteer work with MCC—at their relief sales and the thrift store. Henry taught for another 15 years at the Matsqui Correctional Institution in Abbotsford, after which he fully retired. Margaret continued to volunteer at the Thrift Store for a number of years.

     “Through 62 years of marriage, God has been our constant guide and help in good and difficult times. We learned to live one day at a time, and truly found ‘His faithfulness is new every morning’. Life has been good.”

     Margaret and Henry enjoyed many years of spending time together with their children and grandchildren—being helped by them, and watching them all grow spiritually and happily into their older age. In 2016, Hank experienced health issues, which hospitalized him several times. His health gradually deteriorated, and at the age of 85, he passed away.  Margaret continued to live in her condo in Abbotsford, and then made a final move to an Assisted Living arrangement, where she passed away on October 8, 2020, at the age of 89.

     Margaret and Henry’s direct descendants number 31 (2023).