Mrs. Petra Readner

God saw her getting tired, and a cure was not meant to be, so He put his arms around her and whispered “Come be with me.” With tearful eyes we watched her suffer and saw her slowly fade away, Although we loved her dearly, we couldn’t make her stay A golden heart stopped beating, our Dear Petra put to rest God broke our hearts to prove to us, He only takes the best. Petra Readner (Guse) was born in Krefeld-Fischeln, Germany, on December 22, 1960 to Herta and Emanuel Guse. Petra was the middle child, having an older brother, Juergen, and was followed by younger sister, Karla. Petra lived with her family in Germany until the age of 9 when they immigrated to Canada by ship and arrived in Halifax on January 22, 1969. From there, they made their way to Edmonton, Alberta where they eventually settled in the south side near Harry Ainlay High School. Petra made the transition to Canadian life rather quickly, having cousins who helped her during her school days. She graduated in 1979 from Harry Ainlay High School. Her favorite subjects were home economics and shopping at Southgate Mall. During her early working career, Petra worked for McDonalds on 51 Avenue. Her main goal was to keep her brother Juergen stocked up with Big Macs and fries as he frequently drove her home after her shifts. Petra worked at numerous jobs in Edmonton including being a manager for Put-Ons and running an embroidery machine. On November 22, 1981, she committed her life to Christ and was baptised at Southside Pentecostal Church, where she remained a faithful member for many years. During her teenage years, Petra enjoyed going out to the Barrhead area where she spent time on her cousins’ (Blums) family farm. Her love of the outdoors and no fear of getting dirty served her well as she met a farm boy from the Gibbons area by the name of Keith Readner in 1982. Their relationship blossomed into marriage on July 23, 1983. Petra and Keith made their first home in the Millwoods area and soon found themselves blessed with a baby boy, Jordan in 1985. Jordan was closely followed by Chelsie in 1986. In 1996 they relocated to Sherwood Park and resided there until they finished their dream home and moved to the Kootenay region of B.C. in 2013. Petra was never idle. Her love for crafts, gardening, and helping others were trademarks of her personality. Many new mothers received one of Petra’s handmade photo albums and she could always be counted on for decorating, whether for Thanksgiving, Christmas or a ladies’ function. Petra could get almost any plant to grow; she had two green thumbs. Through her hard work and dedication she had an award winning back yard. She was known in the area as the “Plant Lady”. Petra went on frequent missions trips where she helped at Starehe Children’s Orphanage and water projects in Asia and Ecuador. Her life truly modeled faith with works. She was committed to serving Christ. In October of 2012, Petra was diagnosed with a rare form of Parkinson’s disease called Progressive Supranuclear Palsy. As her illness progressed, it slowly transformed her outgoing and vibrant character. However, she met the daily challenges without complaining and with a positive outlook. Many people were touched by her courage and strength during the time she was afflicted. Her infectious smile and warm, outgoing personality will be missed by all those who interacted with her. She will be dearly missed, but never forgotten. She chose to always “Be Happy”. We, the family of Petra Readner, thank you for coming to pay your respects and to celebrate the home-going of one of God’s children. Your presence brings comfort to each one of the family. For the prayers and love shown to us we say “Thank you and God bless you.”

Mrs. Petra Readner

December 22, 1960 - November 5, 2015