David Edward Wiesner

David Edward Wiesner was born in Morris, Manitoba to immigrant parents – Edward and Amalige Wiesner – on December 7th, 1941 (coincidentally, the same day Pearl Harbor was bombed).   He was the youngest of three siblings, with Doris and Violet being his two older sisters.   

While growing up on a modest farm often meant going without and stretching every dollar, David would always look back on his childhood with fondness.  He enjoyed the opportunity to work and play alongside of the many cousins, uncles, aunts and neighbours who lived nearby.  He especially loved being able to work with and ride their horses.

David – along with his other family members – was actively involved at Emmanuel Baptist Church, where he put his faith in Christ, was baptized, and played in the brass band.  One summer, David memorized 200 Bible verses in order to secure a bursary to Summer Camp, since his parents did not have the funds to send him.  

For his elementary education, David attended a one-room, rural schoolhouse from Grade 1 through to Grade 8.  For High School, David attended Morris School.  Though he didn’t see much need for school, at the encouragement of his sister Doris, he graduated in 1965. 

At the age of 20, David decided to leave the farm in Morris, in order to begin his training as an RCMP officer in Regina, Saskatchewan.  Upon “passing out,” he was first stationed in Regina and shortly thereafter, in Broadview, Saskatchewan.

As Divine providence would have it, David first met MaryJane while on highway patrol.  MaryJane’s parents – Wilfred and Doris Cossette – were in the midst of a move to Broadview, but their car had two burned out headlights.  When David pulled them over, he noticed a cute brunette in the back seat.  Later that evening, David “happened to” stop at the same restaurant as the Cossettes, and offered to help them move into their new home the following day.  Shortly thereafter, David and MaryJane began dating.  This ultimately led to their engagement on February 14th, 1965 – and then their wedding in Esterhazy, Saskatchewan on September 25th, that same year.

After serving in the RCMP for 6 years, David and MaryJane decided it was time to transition back to farming.  In a newspaper ad, they noticed a farm for sale in the Municipality of Shellmouth, between the villages of Dropmore, Manitoba and MacNutt, Saskatchewan.  After purchasing it from the Pope family, David and MaryJane moved to the farm – during a blizzard – on October 31st, 1968.

Together, David and MaryJane had 5 children: Troy (Sept 4th, 1967), Wanda (Oct 23rd, 1969), Scott (Sept 18th, 1971), Grant (Dec 22nd, 1974), and Ryan (Feb 6th, 1978).  Their main town became Roblin, where they began attending the Roblin Evangelical Mission Church, and the children began attending school.

On their mixed farm, they harvested crops of wheat, oats and alfalfa, and – for a number of years – ran a small dairy operation.  In an effort to be self-sustaining, they planted a huge, one-acre garden and raised their own poultry and beef.  With an affinity for age-old farming practices, David made use of workhorses as much as possible – including such tasks as: hauling in bales and firewood, tilling the garden, raking hay, and plowing snow.   The farm proved to be a wonderful place for David and MaryJane to raise their family, as it instilled such important values as cooperation, family unity, and a good work ethic.

The only thing more important to David than farm life was Church life.  In fact, the Roblin Evangelical Mission Church became the Wiesner family’s second home.  Some of the ways David used his gifts to serve include: teaching Jr. and Sr. High Sunday School, helping to lead the Youth Ministry, and serving on the Elders Board. 

Of course, one of David’s greatest passions was music.  In addition to leading congregational singing, in 1976, David started up a Brass Band ministry, where he helped dozens and dozens of young people learn how to play and perform with brass instruments.

Five of those young people were his own kids, and together – over the years – they were asked to play at countless venues as “The Wiesner Brass.”  Leading these two brass groups required David to arrange and transpose countless songs – all by hand, with virtually no formal music training – which took many hours.

In addition to playing instruments, David also encouraged his family to sing together – both on stage and in the car – which also proved to knit the family closer together.

While David would have never claimed to be the perfect Christian husband or father, his faith was extremely important to him.  One way this manifested, was in making family devotions – including Bible reading and prayer – a high priority.  And despite his modest income, David demonstrated generosity by giving all he could to support his local church and global missions.  In terms of his character, David was known to be a man of high integrity, who: put the needs of others before his own, stood by his convictions, stayed true to his commitments, and was loyal to a fault.

In the spring of 1977, Dave began working as a Peace Officer at Asessippi Provincial Park.  Asessippi proved to be a place where many family memories were made including: swimming at the beach, hiking through the woods, splashing in the creek, hosting barbeques, and enjoying treats at the concession.  While farming and serving as a Peace Officer – at the same time – was taxing for David, you never heard him complain about his heavy workload.  After working at the Park for 30 years, David officially retired on Sept 16th, 2007.

David continued to farm until the Fall of 2012, when he and MaryJane sold the farm and purchased a home in Roblin.  After battling many health challenges, David was transferred into the presence of Jesus on the evening of January 31, 2025.

David is temporarily leaving behind:

His beloved wife, MaryJane, to whom he was married for 59 years;

His 5 children: Troy (married to Lorilee), Wanda (married to David Cyril), Scott (married to Nori), Grant (married to Corrie), and Ryan (married to Andrea);

His 20 grandchildren, His two sisters: Doris (married to Raymond), Violet (married to Ernie) and their families.

In the sure and certain hope of the coming resurrection, our family looks forward to seeing Dad again.  We are comforted by the fact that his time of suffering is now over, and that he is – at this very moment – in the very presence of Jesus – Dad’s Lord, Saviour and King.