Maria "Mary" Peters Hiebert

1943 - 2021

Maria "Mary" Peters Hiebert, beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, died on January 4, 2021 after a brief illness. Mary Hiebert was born in the Mennonite village of Talbach Campo 1C in Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua Mexico on July 29, 1943. She was the first surviving child, along with her twin sister Susana, to William and Anna Peters, both born in Saskatchewan, Canada. Mary loved being a part of a large family that included five sisters--Susana, Anna, Margaret, Helen and Eva--and three brothers--Abraham, William and David. Mary immigrated from Mexico to Reedley, CA in 1972 and raised 5 children there. She was the center of her children's lives and will be terribly missed.

Though shy with strangers, Mary quickly befriended everyone she met. She loved to laugh, and she told many of her own and her mother's jokes and stories. Her three great hobbies were gardening and cooking and baking for her children and friends. On her two-acre property in Reedley, Mary took care of over 200 rose bushes and dozens of varieties of flowers, trees, fruits and vegetables. For many years, Mary loved birds and raised finches, cockatoos, parakeets and chickens. She shared the chicken eggs with her children and friends in Reedley and loved to make egg noodles for soup. She loved cooking and baking for her family and friends, especially making traditional Mennonite foods such as Schabelzuppe, Zwiebach, and Verenika. She brought flower bouquets and peach cobblers to her neighbors the Huertas and dropped off flowers, cookies and cakes at her auto mechanic's and to her friend Julie at the Reedley Flower Shop, her hair stylist Lisa, her friend Kim at the feed store and to her elderly friends at the Sierra View Home. So many people benefitted from her generous soul and loving heart.

In the fall of 2019, Mary moved in with her daughter Ann in Fresno. Before her recent decline in health, she enjoyed a happy year of gardening and baking and playing with her bird, Polly, and Ann's dogs, Boo and Coco. Every Saturday, she enjoyed local produce her daughter Margaret brought her from the farmer's market, and she often sent zucchini and persimmon bread to her son John in San Francisco. Mary loved weekend trips to the coast with her children, making candles and sharing recipes with her daughter Eva, and long conversations about gardening with her daughter Trudy. She helped raise her grandchildren and took pride in their growth and accomplishments. She planned on recovering from this illness and visiting her best friend Anna Letkeman in Texas in the spring. She loved talking on the phone, and she called her children every day, family in Mexico and Canada, and friends all over the States every week, and they will miss talking and laughing with her. Though she will be sorely missed, Mary's strong Christian faith tells us she is in Heaven with her parents and Jesus, and she is continuing to love and take care of us all. Her memory is a great blessing to so many.

Mary is survived by her children Ann Wiebe, Trudy Woo and husband Darren, John Hiebert, Margaret Hiebert and husband John Fitzer, Eva Zimmerman and husband James. Mary was predeceased by her son Jacob who died in infancy and her twin sister Susana. Mary is survived by siblings Anna, Margaret, Helen, Eva, Abraham, William and David and their partners and children. Mary's grandchildren are Joshua and his wife Whitney, Nicholas & Julia Wiebe, Garlin and Mattea Zimmerman and William "Billy" Fitzer. Mary's great-grandchildren are Sophie, Eloise and Jude Wiebe.

A private graveside ceremony will take place on January 14th 2021. Please send remembrances to Yost & Webb Funeral Home or donate to the American Heart Association in Mary's name. The family wishes to thank you all for your thoughts, prayers and support in this difficult time