November 12, 1927 - March 9, 2020
It is with much sadness and great love that we announce that on March 9th our devoted mother and grandmother Gisela Herbert went home to Jesus to join her beloved husband Mark. Gisela will be greatly missed by her daughter Mariane, her son Mark, her son-in-law Iain Adamson and her grandchildren: Chantelle Adamson and fianceÌ Connor Hasegawa, Derek Adamson and Lucy Herbert. She also leaves behind her sisters Mary Aspeleiter and Susan Buerger, countless nieces, nephews, and generations of younger members of the family, to whom she was equally important.
Gisela was born in Sokolovac, Yugoslavia in 1927 to Josef and Gisela Sitter. The family was forced to flee their home on November 12, 1944 to avoid imprisonment. Along with others, the family walked to Hungary and then was shipped by train to Bavaria where they remained until they came to Canada in 1948. They settled in Richmond British Columbia.
In 1949, Gisela met the love of her life, Mark Herbert and they were married in 1950.
Gisela's family was part of the early farming families of Richmond. The son in-laws eventually joined in. Although the work was hard, there was much love among the family. Countless stories are recalled by the children of the family's love and devotion, as well as the hilarious moments of life on the farm. Life changed drastically for Gisela when she lost her beloved Mark to a heart attack in 1988. Her great sorrow often weighed her down, but never shook her great faith. Gisela believed in the power of prayer and threw herself into helping others to recognize this as well. She was instrumental in establishing the Charismatic Movement within the Catholic Church of the lower mainland. Gisela held many prayer groups in her homes in Richmond and South Surrey, and helped to establish the first charismatic prayer group in the White Rock/South Surrey area Catholic Church. She was known as a prayer warrior to all and never turned away anyone who phoned her for prayers. Even though Gisela was not able to attend church at the end, her faith remained unshakable, her last words being "remember Jesus".
If there was anything more important to Gisela than the church, it was her family, in particular her grand children. Nothing made Omi happier than being surrounded by them all. She loved them more than she could ever express and was so proud of them.
Her funeral will be held on March 27 at 11 am at Good Shepherd Church in South Surrey. The family recognizes that there are a great many people who want to attend her funeral to pay their respects. Given the current health crisis and ever changing guidelines for numbers gathering, we ask that the funeral be attended by family members only. The last thing Gisela would want is for anyone to jeopardize their health for her. The family is planning to have a celebration of life for Gisela in July when, hopefully, many of the restrictions have been lifted. Your understanding would be greatly appreciated.
In lieu of flowers the family asks donations be made in honor of mom to Semiahmoo House Society 15306 24th Avenue Surrey B.C. V4A 2J1. Gisela had much respect for the services they provided for special people, like her grandson Derek.