Educator, community activist.
Born at Winkler on 12 November 1939 to Aganetha Reimer (1917-2007) and George W. Enns (1916-2003), she married Daniel Walter Sawatzky (1938-2023) on 19 August 1961, with whom she went on to have two children. During her 20-year career as a teacher, at schools at Matheson Island, Moose Lake, and Mexico early in her career, and then at Winkler, her skill and interest in art and painting was the primary benefit she brought to her classroom.
After retiring from education, she opened a travel agency in Winkler called Network Travel. Outside of her day-jobs, she was an active member of her community, her church, and various organizations. She was an enthusiastic promoter of the City of Winkler and was often invited to serve as a tour guide for visitors to the area. She was a member of the Chamber of Commerce, serving on the executive in Winkler and the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce. In April 2012, she was given the Lifetime Service Award from the Manitoba Chambers.
She also assisted in the founding of the Figure Skating Program in Winkler, was a 4-H Leader in the Winkler 4H Trailblazers, acted as Parade Marshall for the Winkler Harvest Festival, and sat as co-chair of the Winkler Arts Council. As a Director of Pembina Valley Development Corporation, she continued to promote tourism and trade in the area. She served as a Sunday School Teacher, Church Librarian, and in the Pioneer Girls Program, was a Director for the Mennonite Central Committee for Manitoba, and at the time of her death was Vice Chairperson on the Governing Board of the Winkler Bergthaler Mennonite Church.
Road trips in an RV were a big part of her family life, including one that took them to South Central Belize in 1976, when roads and bridges were not built or designed for RVs. Other destinations were Mexico, Florida, Arizona, Victoria (British Columbia), and Toronto (Ontario). Meanwhile, she pursued her passion for art, as a painter, photographer, and lover of all things artistic.
She died at Winkler on 29 June 2012 and was buried in the Rosenbach Cemetery.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 7 July 2012.
“Judith Lorriane Enns,” Nickel Family Tree, Ancestry.
Obituary [Daniel Sawatzky], Wiebe Funeral Home.
This page was prepared by Lois Braun.
Page revised: 10 September 2026
Memorable Manitobans
This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.
Search the collection by word or phrase, name, place, occupation or other text:
Custom SearchBrowse surnames beginning with:
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | ZBrowse deaths occurring in:
1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026
Send corrections and additions to this page
to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.caCriteria for Memorable Manitobans | Suggest a Memorable Manitoban | Firsts | Acknowledgements
Help us keep
history alive!
