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Winnipeg Free Press

‘She was one tough nut'

In 1951, Loni Pahl crouched inside the hold of a transport ship, feeling the Atlantic Ocean swell and shrink beneath her. The boat, although seaworthy, was less than watertight and a layer of the frigid water pooled at her feet. At her back was a spectre of war-torn Europe, while ahead lay the promise of a better life in Canada. Pahl, 22, was among a group of other emigrants seeking safe passage within the confines of the dank ship. While she surely felt fear and uncertainty, she displayed courage, compassion and resilience — the qualities upon which she built the foundation of her life. SUPPLIED Loni Pahl and Ed Bettcher on their wedding day in 1959. They were childhood friends who reconnected and fell in love in Winnipeg. It was the beginning of a journey that spanned nearly a century and thousands of kilometres, from her birthplace in Sergejufka, Poland (now Ukraine), to her new home in Winnipeg. Along the way, she fell in love, raised three children and formed a lifelong friendship with a fellow expat she met on that boat. Loni Pahl Bettcher, born Dec. 9, 1929, died April 11. She was 95 years old. Her friends and family remember her wit, wisdom and willingness to put others before herself. 'I don't know what happened, we just looked at each other and we were connected,' said friend Alice Ratschinski, describing the moment — now more than 70 years ago — when she met Pahl at a marine port in Bremerhaven, Germany, before they departed to Canada. 'She was such a funny girl, and so helpful, and we got along so well.' Ratschinski, who was born in Ukraine, quickly learned she had much in common with her new friend. They were involved with the same German Baptist church, which had arranged for their travel to Canada, and were both raised on farms. Ratschinski fought through tears of joy and sorrow during a sprawling, 50-minute interview with the Free Press. She was Pahl Bettcher's best friend, and later, her neighbour inside the 25-storey apartment building that overlooks downtown Winnipeg. She described how they would drink coffees and speak German together in the mornings, before taking a stroll through the nearby parks and into neighbouring St. Boniface. SUPPLIED Pahl Bettcher with her eldest, Connie, sometime in the early 60s. 'We always found something to talk about… always happy, always cheerful. Sometimes we had something that was serious and we both cried for a while and kept on going,' Ratschinski said. It was Ratschinski who remembered how the cold waters of the Atlantic seeped through the hull of the ship in the early days of their journey together. The constant rocking of the waves, and later, of the train that carried the women from St. John's, N.L, to Winnipeg, did not agree with Ratschinski's stomach. She spent several weeks feeling nauseated and dizzy. Despite being three years younger, Pahl quickly adopted the role of caregiver. 'She carried my puke pail wherever I went. She never got sick and I had so much trouble,' Ratschinski said, laughing. 'She was more mature than I was, in one way.' Pahl's maturity was hard fought. Unlike many of the estimated 187,000 people who fled from Europe to Canada with their families after the Second World War, Pahl made the journey alone. She had been orphaned at a young age, said her middle daughter, Cindy Bettcher. Pahl Bettcher's mother, Holdine, died of tuberculosis when she was only four years old, while her father, Albert, perished three years later in a house fire. By that time, Albert had remarried Olga Bettcher, who raised Pahl as her own until she left to live with other relatives in her teenage years, Cindy said. SUPPLIED Pahl Bettcher with her three daughters, Connie, Nancy and Cindy. The girls often had matching haircuts. Pahl didn't know it then, but Olga's younger brother, Ewald (Ed) Bettcher, would one day become her husband. The childhood friends reconnected decades later in Winnipeg and married in 1959. Together, they raised three daughters, lived in at least seven different homes and supported each other through the trials and tribulations of building a new life in Canada. 'She was one tough nut,' Cindy said. 'She had a remarkable ability to roll with life and whatever it gave her and move on. She was amazingly resilient and, despite all the hardships, she was optimistic.' After arriving in Manitoba's capital, Pahl took a job as a housekeeper and repaid her debt to the German church that sponsored her immigration. She later baked cakes at Jeanne's Bakery and worked in a bakeshop and deli at the former Eaton's department store on Portage Avenue. She supported her husband in his various entrepreneurial ventures throughout the years, which included a car wash, gas station and T-shirt shop. Inside the home, Pahl Bettcher cooked, cleaned, kept an eye on the kids and helped manage the family finances — always setting aside a weekly donation to the church. She worked just as hard as Ed, who always held multiple jobs and spent his spare time cleaning offices, painting and fixing up rundown houses, Cindy said. 'They epitomized the belief that by working hard, you build a better life.' Ed died in 1989, shortly before Pahl Bettcher turned 60. SUPPLIED Pahl Bettcher, sometime in the mid-80s, smiles after telling a joke to husband Ed. Humour and fun were cornerstones of their relationship. She later moved into Fort Garry Place, where she remained for 27 years. Pahl Bettcher once joked she was 'living the good life' in the 600-square-foot suite, two doors down from her best friend, Cindy said. 'To say that she lived a fairly nomadic life was an underestimation,' Cindy said. 'Home, I think, became in her later years defined by family and deep relationships. It was always definitely about people.' Pahl Bettcher's commitment to personal growth, philanthropy and independence continued throughout those years. Her pursuit for adventure saw her take trips throughout Canada and the U.S., travel with groups of friends to Hawaii and ventured back out to sea for a Caribbean cruise. Even in the twilight of her life, Pahl Bettcher maintained her sense of humour and optimism, Cindy said. 'She enjoyed being a little naughty and a little bratty. In moments where she was feeling comfortable and safe, that would kind of poke out. We had many good laughs about that,' she said. Cindy, who moved from Winnipeg to Windsor, Ont., after she retired about nine years ago, spoke with Pahl Bettcher by phone nearly every day. 'One of the first questions was, 'What's the weather?' and, she took great pleasure when it was warmer in Winnipeg than it was in Windsor,' Cindy said. Tuesdays A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world. Back in Ratschinski's apartment, several volumes of photo albums are spread out on her living room table. SUPPLIED Pahl Bettcher on a coffee date with her daughters circa 2016. She gasps and smiles as she flips through the pages, particularly when she encounters pictures that include Pahl Bettcher. In one monochrome photo, Pahl stands with Ratschinski's bridal party on her wedding day in August 1954. Pahl took great pride in being Ratschinski's maid of honour, she says. 'You can be from different countries, from different areas, but you can still be the best friends,' Ratschinski says, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. Tyler SearleReporter Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press's city desk. A graduate of Red River College Polytechnic's creative communications program, he wrote for the Stonewall Teulon Tribune, Selkirk Record and Express Weekly News before joining the paper in 2022. Read more about Tyler. 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