Early Life

Sister Germaine Zentner was born on the family farm ten miles from Langenberg Saskatchewan, the ninth child in a family of ten. Although she was the last surviving member of the six girls and four boys who grew up there, the farm remains in the family and Germaine kept in touch with numerous family members scattered across North America.

Education

Like many first generation Canadians at the time, her first days at the country school meant learning to speak English. When it was time for High School she went to Lebret where our Sisters taught in the village school and provided a much needed opportunity for many young women from rural communities to receive a high school education.

Novitiate and Teaching Career

Germaine entered the RNDM Novitiate at Sacred Heart College in Regina and made first vows in 1957. Her long teaching career began suddenly right after first profession! She was sent to Winnipeg to replace a Sister who was ill and unable to teach the grade four class at St. Edward’s School!

Sioux Lookout

With help from the Sister Principal, other staff members, the children themselves and a summer school course, she did so well that she was sent off to Sioux Lookout for the next two years to continue to teach children in grade four. She said it was a good experience, as when she finally got to Brandon Teachers College in 1960, she knew more of both what she didn’t know and what she needed to know.

Brandon Teacher’s College

She attended another session at Brandon Teachers College in 1962. Many summers were devoted to Summer School classes at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay as well as in Saskatoon and Regina and many evenings and weekends to Correspondence classes to qualify to teach in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario.

Last Year of Teaching

The last year Germaine taught she was Team Teaching a special class with Sister Audrey Schnell. As they were leaving the school one day, they passed a boy who was waiting for his little sister who was in their class. The two children always walked home together. As the Sisters drew near the boy called out to them:

“I SURE WISH I COULD BE IN SCHOOL WITH YOU OLD TIMERS!”

What a fitting endorsement to thirty-five years of classroom teaching!

Missionary Activities

Germaine’s missionary activities also took her Sandy Bay, a remote Community in Northern Saskatchewan for five years and to Oxford House, an even more remote, fly in Swampy Cree Community for many summers. She also is fondly remembered in Cotabato City and Manila for the more than a year she spent in the Philippines. She attended a Tertianship in Rome, spent 6 months in Israel and attended several other Spiritual Life sessions during her life. Everywhere she went she added more friends with whom she often continued to keep in touch.

Community Life

Community life provided Germaine with the opportunity to do what she did best, connect with people! She had a way of entering into others’ lives right where they lived whether with Sisters, students, Staff, families, parishioners, fellow choir members or other people she met in her daily living. Whenever she went on a course she returned with an address book full of new friends and contacts and she kept them, some for a time, others for a lifetime.

Versatility

Germaine was very versatile. She was a student, a teacher, a Principal, and she looked after the accounts in many of the communities where she lived. She was a homemaker, Community leader, cared for the sick and elderly and spent five very precious years at Kramer Home with the residents there. It was her daily walks with Penny, the dog at Kramer Home that got her involved with recycling. She became our very own bottle and can lady! The outcome, literally thousands of dollars sent to the Missions.

Many Unique Gifts and Talents

She had many gifts and talents and had the ability to draw others into her projects. Not only did she knit toques scarves; mitts and slippers for people in need during the winter, but she also inspired others to find wool and start knitting too. If there was a walk to raise money for Alzheimer, Diabetes, or some other Charity or a Bazar she managed to either get others to join her or start a new group of their own.

Germaine’s unique gift was the way she was able to be with others. Each one felt and knew that they were special….and they were….each one. This was brought to light as word spread of her illness and death. We received messages from people around the word whose lives she had touched… Each with their own story of how Sister Germaine had made their life brighter or happier or in some way more God filled and they were grateful.

Last Months

She met her own last months and days as she had lived. She rejoiced in her family and cheered on a young nephew as he tried to take his first step. She thanked her niece for remembering her love of cats and for mailing her a stuffed one to cuddle. On the day of her death she said goodbye to the Sister who and been visiting her and then quietly went to her new life while sister was on her way home from the hospital.

Thank You God for giving Germaine to us.