Dorothy Penner

Obituary of Dorothy Penner nee Hildebrand

Dorothy Penner of Altona passed away on July 11, 2026, at Eastview Place at the age of 96. She was predeceased by her husband Herman in 2008, granddaughter Rebecca in 2019 and her daughter Esther in 2020.

Dorothy Penner leaves behind, from her seven siblings and their spouses, her youngest sister Betty Banman and her sister-in-law Ruth Hildebrand.

She will be remembered by her son-in-law Merl and Twyla Giesbrecht with granddaughters Heidi and Hannah; son Harvey and Bonnie Penner with granddaughter Kristi and Brett Huber with great grandson Jackson, great-grandson Keaton and great-granddaughter Charlotte; with grandson Graeme and Stephanie Mulholland with great-granddaughter Madi and great-grandson George; with grandson Josh and Lonni Penner with great-granddaughter Jaedyn and partner Julius Gross with great-great-grandson Lawson and great-grandson Liam, great-granddaughter Claire and great-grandson Roman; son Waldo and Laurel Penner with grandsons Harrison, Gareth, Riese and William; daughter Phyllis and Carl Giesbrecht with grandson Dawson and Kaylee Giesbrecht and great granddaughter Taliah with grandson Mason Giesbrecht and fiancé Claudia Dyck and grandson Joel Giesbrecht

Dorothy was born on December 25, 1929, to Bernhard and Susanne Hildebrand of the Kronsgart School district. Dorothy was the sixth of 8 children, with Tina, Helen, Ann Susan, Mary, (Dorothy,), Harry and Betty as her siblings.

Dorothy went to school till grade 8 and then helped on the farm. Later she had a job in the Morden Tabor Home and took seasonal work in St. Catherines, Ontario.

She married Herman Penner of Rosenfeld on September 18th, 1960. Together they raised 4 children – Esther, Harvey, Waldo and Phyllis. They lived for a brief time in the Mountain City district and in Winnipeg and then moved to the Rosenfeld farm in 1962. Dorothy gave herself to gardening, canning, cooking and raising the children. She made clothing. She helped with managing the hatchery business and processing the milk from 3 cows. She did her part to support the farm by managing the house and household.

Dorothy enjoyed teaching Sunday school and singing.

After Herman’s passing in 2008, she moved to Altona in 2009, purchasing a house on 8th AveNE. There she managed a much smaller garden and enjoyed sharing its produce and welcoming visitors. In April of 2026, Mom was hospitalized for an infection, and the difficult decision was made to move to Eastview in June. On July 10, Dorothy suddenly declined in health and quietly slipped into eternity on July 11th with her 3 children and family around her.