Irene Peters

Irene Peters

April 27, 1922 – October 11, 2026

It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of Irene Peters (née Willms) on October 11, 2026, at the age of 104. She was born to Elise (Goossen) and Henry Willms in Halbstadt, South Russia on April 27, 1922 in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution during a time of civil unrest. She immigrated to Canada with her parents in 1924 as part of a large wave of German-speaking Mennonites who fled Russia in the 1920s.

Her childhood was one of economic hardship but an abundance of love and cultural enrichment in the family home, steeped in German culture and listening to classical music and the opera. As an adult, she fulfilled her lifelong dream and became a teacher, beginning her career at a two-room school in Bothwell, Manitoba. She then married John Peters in 1945. She continued teaching and later became a professor at the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba.

She loved travel, literature and singing, and was devoted to her children and grandchildren. She is survived by her three children, six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, as well as sisters, nieces and nephews. The family is grateful for the care she received at Bethania Mennonite Personal Care Home. The funeral is Monday, October 19, 2026, at 11 a.m. at First Mennonite Church, 922 Notre Dame Avenue, Winnipeg. In Irene’s memory, donations may be made to the Mennonite Central Committee.