Memorable Manitobans: Pearl Werbenuk (1911-2004)

Hotelier, bartender.

Born at Poplarfield on 7 October 1911, daughter of Justine Zasitko (1894-1948) and John Fuz (1885-?), she married John Werbenuk (1905-1995) in 1927 and they had four children. After farming for several years, she and her husband moved to Fraserwood in 1944. There they owned and operated the Tourist Hotel for 31 years, and she became the first woman bartender in an all-men’s beer parlour in Manitoba. She was known for her good cooking, sense of humour, and genuine hospitality offered to hotel patrons, family, and friends. She died at Gimli on 17 September 2004 and was buried in the Fraserwood Community Cemetery.

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Fraserwood Tourist Hotel (Fraserwood, RM of Armstrong)

Sources:

Obituary [John Werbenuk], Winnipeg Free Press, 14 February 1995.

Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 20 September 2004.

“John Fuz,” Ledohowski Family Tree, Ancestry.

This page was prepared by Lois Braun.

Page revised: 7 March 2021

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

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