Meckelborg Memorial Fund

Ignaz and Josepha (nee Holtvogt) Meckelborg were born in Germany in the early 1900s. As a young man Ignaz left his family in Germany and moved to Canada with his older brother to farm in Anaheim, Saskatchewan. Josepha immigrated to Canada with her mother and siblings around 1927. Ignaz and Josepha married in 1935 and were blessed with 11 children. They retired from farming in 1965 when Ignaz became the first Superintendent of the Nipawin and District Regional Park. The couple also kept busy with a big garden, flowers and community activities. Josepha was diabetic and passed away in 1981. Several months later, Ignaz suffered a stroke and passed away in 1982.
Their sincere faith, ideals of caring for others and being generous with what they possessed were values passed on to their children. Embodying the values of Ignaz and Josepha, the Meckelborg Memorial Fund was created at Saskatoon Community Foundation in 1982. Annual income from this family fund provides annual grants to charities working in the areas of diabetes and cancer. One of Ignaz and Josepha’s daughters, Annette Weiler, volunteered as Secretary for the Saskatoon Community Foundation from 1977 to 1990. Annette and her brother, Jerry Meckelborg, were the Foundation’s first donors to make deferred gifts of life insurance in 1982. Proceeds from the life policies will further support the Meckelborg Memorial Fund. Four of Ignaz and Josepha’s children presently live and work in Saskatoon and the Meckelborg Memorial Fund continues to grow through the support of their children and grandchildren. The solid ‘foundation’ that Ignaz and Josepha provided for their family is now reflected in the efforts of the Saskatoon Community Foundation to provide for the needs of others in the larger community. “Happy are they who have kept the word with a generous heart, and yield a harvest through perseverance.”

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