Elsie Coolen

Elsie Coolen passed away on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, at the age of 88 years. 

Elsie Coolen was born on July 28, 1934, in Fernheim, Paraguay. Her parents, Louisa and Abraham Jacob Dyck were Mennonite refugees from Russia. Elsie was the youngest sister to Helen and Abe.

When Elsie was 16, her family was able to immigrate to Canada to join other family members who had sponsored them. Her parents purchased a berry farm in Abbotsford.

Elsie married Eduard Bauch in 1954, and they had four children, Richard, Dora, Bernie, and Ted, and lived in Vancouver until 1965.

Elsie and Ed then took over her parents' farm in Abbotsford and had a successful strawberry, raspberry, and chicken farm. Ed and Elsie were very active in the Clearbrook, MB church, and served in various capacities, including ushering, and serving at funerals.

The children married and soon eight grandchildren brought joy to Elsie and Ed.

In their retirement, Ed and Elsie enjoyed travelling to Yuma, Europe, South America, and various tropical locations. They built a home in Winfield, BC, and spent their retirement fishing, gardening, and entertaining family. Elsie cross-stitched many pictures, and knitted sweaters for almost every family member, including some of the dogs.

They moved back to Abbotsford around 1998. Ed started to suffer from the effects of dementia in 2005 and passed away in 2010. Elsie later met Chester Coolen and was married and moved to Alberta in 2014. They enjoyed six happy years together until Chester passed away suddenly in 2020.

Elsie moved back to BC and stayed with Bernie and Elena, and later, Ted and Laverne. That fall, she was diagnosed with a benign, but growing tumor which was affecting her balance and strength. It was too late to be operated on or treated, so it was decided that the family would support her through the ongoing symptoms.

She stayed in BC until the summer of 2022 when she came back to Alberta to stay with Dora and her family. When Elsie's needs became greater, she moved to Agecare Walden in south Calgary where she enjoyed living out the rest of her days. She passed peacefully into the presence of her Lord on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, after 1 1/2 days in the South Campus hospital in Calgary.

Elsie's faith in the Lord did not waiver, and she was looking forward to going to the House of the Lord and meeting again with the loved ones who had gone before her. Her prayer and hope was that her family would be united, and join her one day in Heaven.

She leaves to mourn, her children, Richard (Jan), Dora (Don Hall) Peña, Bernie (Elena), and Ted (Laverne).  She was loved by her grandchildren, Greg (Jane), Cory (Olivia), Ray Hall, Dieter (Sabrina) Bauch, Andrew (Kristina) Bauch, and Theo and Taylor (Leo) Bauch; ten great-grandchildren, Kin Bauch, Jaydie Cherry, Josiah Cesaire-Hall, Carter and Caleb (with Mom Amanda Davidson), Dax Bauch, Ethan, Nyree, Owen Enns-Bauch, (with their grandmother, Mary Bauch), and Abby Bauch. Elsie also grew a special relationship to Chester's girls, Christine and Michelle, and their daughters, Emily and Cassidy, Miranda, and Adryanna (with great-grandchildren Lucas, Charlotte, and Eliza). Elsie was also predeceased by her son-in-law Donald Hall; her grandson Jonathan Hall; as well as her siblings, Helen (Emil), and Abe (Rose).

Special thanks also to the staff and admin of Agecare Walden for providing gentle and thoughtful care and to Francisco Muñoz who was a constant support to Dora, and to Elsie in her final months.

A Celebration of Life potluck, party, and tree-planting will be held at Dora's home in Foothills on Saturday, May 6, 2023, at 2;00 p.m. A Memorial service will be held at Clearbrook Mennonite Brethren Church (2719 Clearbrook Rd, Abbotsford, BC V2T 2Y9) on Saturday, May 13, 2023, at 2:00 p.m., with Pastor Walter Wiens presiding. Please contact the family to RSVP.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Elsie Coolen, please visit our floral store.