Reta (Gingerich) Bender

Reta (Gingerich) Bender was born in 1931, the daughter of Allan and Mattie (Erb) Gingerich. She had two younger siblings. Reta grew up on a farm north of St. Agatha in Wilmot Township. Deitsch was the language of her family. She attended the public school in Josephsburg and the St. Agatha Amish Mennonite Church. In 1950 Reta married Anson Bender, an electrician from East Zorra-Tavistock. They lived in Baden. Reta, her siblings, and their spouses spoke Deitsch throughout their lives and made a great effort to teach it to their children. Anson and Reta were blessed with one son, Jim. Until Jim started school, the first language of the home was Deitsch. Anson died in 2004. In addition to her love of gardening, Reta was a gifted seamstress and well known dressmaker in the community. Reta and Anson were members of the Steinmann Mennonite Church where Reta was active in the sewing circle and the food committee. She has retained a keen interest in Deitsch and was an enthusiastic supporter of the Wie Geht’s Tavistock project and other efforts to maintain and promote the language.