Mary Loeppky

After a life surrounded by and committed to family, Mary passed away peacefully at Royal University Hospital on February 16 after a period of ill health.

Born in the Hanley district to John and Maria Kroeger, Mary had many a tale of her and her 5 siblings trying to one-up each other with stories at the farm dinner table as kids. Her elementary school years were spent at the rural one-room Gilead School. She did secondary school by correspondence until attending Rosthern Junior College for Grades 11 and 12, graduating in 1951.

After graduation, she moved to Saskatoon and attended Saskatoon Business College before embarking on a career as a legal secretary. She met John Loeppky at a dance in 1953, and they married in 1955. They went through life together, and it would be hard to find a photo album without both of them together for the following 61 years. Sherry joined the family in 1956, Marvin in 1961, and Lisa in 1967. Mary successfully juggled work, family, and the Church as she and John moved between Saskatoon and Regina following his career path. They relocated to Saskatoon in 1991, moved to Warman in 2011, and Mary returned to Saskatoon and moved to Bethany Manor in 2017 after John passed away. Her last stops were at the Warman Mennonite Special Care Home and Oliver Lodge.

In her first retirement, Mary, with help from John and others from Grace Mennonite Church, established the Self Help Crafts store in Regina in their basement, and it grew to have its own storefront location. After moving to Saskatoon, she rejoined the workforce for a few years, then assisted in the Mennonite Thrift Store, and undertook many roles at First Mennonite Church. Mary was a fixture at the yearly MCC sale for many years and helped support the Mennonite Historical Society of Saskatchewan.

Mary loved to garden and supplied the family with homegrown vegetables. She took weeds as a personal insult, and when coming to visit, would pick weeds on her way to your door.

She was a strong believer in education throughout her life. She supported John going to trade school to establish his career and, many years later, took classes at the University of Regina and obtained a Certificate in Administration (Accounting) in 1981. Mary loved cooking, sewing, crocheting, knitting, painting, and many other crafts. There was no home renovation task she was not willing to tackle.

Mary lived in Saskatchewan her entire life, but loved to see the world beyond the Prairies, although many summers, they camped very close to home with the Regina Gofers trailer club. We have many fond memories of family camping trips. She and John travelled throughout North America, with a 6-week trip to the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Alaska being a highlight. They also travelled to Europe many times. Mary often spoke of her trip to Southeast Asia to see where the crafts were made that were sold in the Self Help Crafts store. Her last major trip was to Ukraine in 2010 to see the community where her family lived prior to emigrating to Canada.

Her commitment to documenting the family’s genealogy was another long-term passion. There may not be many last names in the Mennonite name book, but Mary knew all the relations and could tell you at the drop of a hat why you belonged at a family reunion.

Never afraid of adventure, Mary’s photo albums are filled with family, friends, and travels, though she was often behind the camera rather than in front of it. Her house was always filled with love, stories, and an abundance of Mennonite food. She doted on her grand and great-grandchildren, as well as any animals in the general vicinity, with a tremendous amount of love. Family was all-important, and she rarely missed a family reunion. There were many trips to Kelowna to see Sue and Jake and to La Crete to see John’s family. When her health started to fail, she often said she would like to make the trip one more time. To ensure that the extended family stayed together, she and John ran a yearly Loeppky Noodle Soup Supper from 1995 to 2019. People travelled from near and far for this event. Mom had a great sense of humour and loved writing and presenting her Low German poems and skits at family events.

Those left to mourn her include her sister Helen, sisters-in-law Agnes, Barb, and Roberta, and children Sherry, Marvin (Ann), and Lisa (Jerry). They are joined by her grandchildren Andrea (Shaun), Jeff (Rebecca), Stacey (Waleed), Katelyn (Derek), John (Karlee), Catherine, and Julia (Oscar); as well as her great-grandchildren Zoe, Noah, Hannah, Elizabeth, William, Alexa, Micah, Gavin, Brooklyn (Mason), Nina, Zola, and Mya. Numerous relatives and friends will also cherish her memory. Mom was always there for all of us and will be deeply missed. We are thankful that she lived a full life and that she is free from her many ailments.

Mary was predeceased by her parents, John and Maria, husband John, son-in-law Raye Low, siblings Henry, Sue, Abe, and Dick, brothers-in-law Jake and Tony, and sister-in-law Jean.

A funeral service will be held on Saturday, February 21, 2026, at 11 AM at First Mennonite Church, 418 Queen Street, Saskatoon, with lunch afterward. Interment to follow at Hillcrest Cemetery. Viewing is to be held on February 20, 2026, at 7:30 PM at Cherished Memories, 591 Centennial Drive N. Martensville.

If you are unable to attend her service, please click the following link for livestream:

https://event.forgetmenotceremonies.com/ceremony?c=08d06018-3cbd-4280-b816-3bb0e9bc4359

Mary’s family would like to thank the staff of Saskatoon Home Care, Bethany Manor, the Warman Mennonite Special Care Home, Oliver Lodge, and the 6300 ward at RUH for their dedication to her care.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Mennonite Central Committee.

Martens Warman Funeral Home is honoured to be entrusted with Mrs. Loeppky's care and arrangements.