Judith Hope (Stenberg) Drebert-Hart

In Loving Memory of

Judith Hope Drebert-Hart

1949 – 2026

Judith Hope Drebert-Hart, of Westerose, Alberta, passed away peacefully at home on Sunday, April 5, 2026, at the age of 76.

Judith is survived by her children, Gerald (Naomi) Drebert, David (Adrianne) Drebert, Jonathan (Tahra) Drebert, and Amanda Reimer; and her 15 cherished grandchildren: Meadow, Blake, Maelle, Marlea, Lexi, Caiden, Brin, Avery, Renae, Jacob, Elijah, Anna, Maja, Ezra, and Levi.

She was predeceased by her father and mother, Gerald and Esther Stenberg; her first husband, Rod Drebert; her second husband, Murray Hart; and her son-in-law, Bruce Reimer.

A funeral service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 7, 2026, at Faith Covenant Church, Breton, Alberta.

For those unable to join us in person, the service will be streamed live at www.faithcovenantchurch.ca

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are gratefully accepted by:

Covenant Bay Bible Camp

Online: covenantbay.ca/judy 

Mail: Box 13, Site 4, RR1, Westerose, AB, T0C 2V0

or

Faith Covenant Church

Mail: PO Box 57, Breton, AB, T0C 0P0

E-Transfer: bfccdonate@gmail.com

Eulogy for Judith Hope Drebert-Hart

My name is Amanda Reimer and I am Judy’s 4th, youngest, and favourite child, or at the very least, her only daughter. I am honoured to be here today and to have been given the opportunity to speak about my mom in this way. She was an incredible lady, and I’ll admit, it was a daunting task trying to encompass her very full life into just these few words, but, as most of you know, and have probably experienced on more than one occasion, she was very difficult to say ‘no’ to. Somehow, this remains true, as preparing and presenting her eulogy was a final ask of me. So here I am and I’m going to give it my best try! And in all seriousness, it is truly my privilege to be up here, so thanks, mom, for trusting me with this.  

Judy Hope Stenberg was born on July 21, 1949, in Sioux Falls County, Wisconsin, to Gerald and Esther Stenberg. She was the second of their 5 daughters, joining older sister Carol and later welcoming her younger sisters Bonnie, Sharon, and Darlene, all of whom we are honoured to have here in attendance today.  

Being raised in a pastor’s family, she grew up in a few different locations over the years. She spent grade school in the redwoods of Eureka, California, then had to adapt abruptly to blizzards and snow drifts for jr. high in Waterloo, Iowa, and then spent her high school years in Pennock, Minnesota.  

In recalling Judy as a child, her sisters, whom she remained close with, immediately smile, laugh and easily recall many happy and funny stories. There has always been much love shared among these 5 women. Not surprisingly, as a child, Judy was much like she was as an adult. She had big energy, knew her own mind (thank you very much), wasn’t afraid to march to her own drum, was fun, charismatic, and sometimes even a bit mischievous. One particular story that demonstrates Judy’s personality from an early age was when she moved from California to Iowa at the age of 12. Being in the 7th grade, albeit a difficult time to move, she had decided that she was old enough to decide that she wouldn’t be going to school again…she had different plans for her life, and she wasn’t interested in making new friends or finding a place to fit in again, so for way too many days in a row she would walk to the end of the street, “miss” the bus, and return home. She got in trouble from the school, and from her parents, but it didn’t matter - she had made up her mind. Eventually, the discipline and tough love of her parents won out, of course, as she did eventually return to school, but it took a unique level of discipline not experienced before or since in that household, and foreshadowed a strong spirit that would remain with her, and serve her well, her whole life.  

Judy was described as always being popular and surrounded by many friends. She was also athletic, a cheerleader, actually (which blew my mind when I learned that). But despite her athleticism her sisters also recalled a favourite story of when Judy began to wear high heels as a teenager. She wore them 3 Sundays in a row, loudly and proudly marching down the stairs after church to her bedroom…and 3 Sundays in a row, was humbled as she fell down those same stairs. Her sisters couldn’t hide their giggles and she was frustrated enough with herself to give up on high heels for a long while after that.

As I said, Judy did eventually return to school, and she graduated from high school in Pennock, Minnesota in 1967. The year after that was the first time she headed up to Canada as she attended Covenant Bible College in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Following this she attended Rochester Junior College in Rochester, Minnesota, graduating with her nursing degree in 1971.  

It was during these summers of her university life that she was first invited to be a part of Covenant Bay Bible Camp and took on the role of camp nurse. It was here that she met and eventually fell in love with the Camp Director, Rod Drebert. I say “eventually fell in love with” because I remember my parents telling me the story of how they got together and, whether this is exactly how it happened or not, this is how I remember it. The story goes that the first summer of Judy being up here, they hit it off and at the end of that summer they agreed to date “long-distance” through that next school year and then they would reunite the following summer again at camp. Well, it was a good plan, but, as was explained to me, it didn’t last very long. My mom claimed to write a few letters to my dad but correspondence soon stopped from my dad. So, in somewhat typical Judy-fashion, my mom figured that things had fizzled out - “easy-come easy-go” one might say, so she began to see and date other people through the remainder of that school year. So you can imagine her surprise when, arriving via train for her next summer at camp, she was met at the train station by not only her friend Ray Enarson, as she had arranged, but by Rod Drebert who immediately greeted her with a big hug AND a big kiss! She was delighted but confused and asked, “Rod, what are you doing?!” and he said, “well, I’ve really missed you! What do you mean?” to which she said, “but we’re not even dating…you only wrote me one letter this whole year!” to which he, in typical Rod-fashion, replied, “Yeah…but it was REALLY long!” So the joke became that my dad dated my mom a year longer than my mom dated my dad. :) 

Fortunately, they figured things out and they were married on August 4, 1972. They moved to Winfield, Alberta, where Rod was already a teacher, Judy began her nursing career, and they became involved in this church, Faith Covenant, here in Breton.  

They welcomed their first child Gerald in 1974, followed 2 years later by their second son, David, and three years after that their third son, Jonathan in 1979. Finally, in 1985 they were surprised, though I like to think delightfully so, by the arrival of a daughter. Our home was a busy one during our growing up years, and a happy one. Our parents taught us the value of hard work, as implemented first by our regular and very non-negotiable “Saturday Chores” which, as a working mother myself, I have a brand new understanding of and appreciation for. 

Another thing we learned growing up were the values of inclusion and equality; more often than not when we had birthday parties as kids, we were told to invite our entire class - it was more work for her, of course, but it was far more important to ensure that no one felt left out.  

Also, our home was one that was always open. I can’t remember a single holiday or even a Sunday dinner where there weren’t a few “extras” around our table. It was a known “yes” that our door was open to anyone in the community, especially kids or young people, that needed a soft place to land for a meal, a night, or even a period of time to live if necessary. She particularly loved hosting Covenant Bible College students for Thanksgiving or Easter weekends when they needed a “home away from home” and a place to feel cared for. Somehow, as her sisters often noted, she could host without it being much of a stressor for her - it was a lot of work sometimes, for both my mom and dad, but it didn’t bother them, they took it in stride as they believed so strongly in inviting people to simply “come, eat, rest, and know you are loved”. Judy and Rod were married for 31 years until Rod’s death in September 2003.  

Our parents also taught us the importance of helping, giving, and serving… and Judy also valued good leadership, so she often combined these values and her strong leadership skills by volunteering for many MANY boards and committees over the years, but especially focusing on ones with compassionate purposes. She served her community as an eager parent council member, community health and wellness advocate, community retreat center board member, and passionate addictions help champion. In her church Judy served faithfully in many roles over the years including locally as a Sunday school teacher, secretary, treasurer, search committee member, worship leader, piano and organ player, and board member, but also in the broader Canadian Covenant Church community when she served in several roles on the Executive, Covenant Bible College, and Church Growth and Evangelism boards. Covenant Bay Bible Camp also was a ministry she cared deeply about supporting, mostly from the background, but occasionally in the forefront when needed, most memorably as a surprisingly beloved cabin counsellor for a week of senior high camp at the age of 62. 

In addition to being the mother, wife, community member, and executive as outlined in these stories, she was also a celebrated nurse and administrator. She began her nursing career in Rimbey and Breton hospitals in the 1970s, then, after returning to school while (impressively and crazily) still working and raising a family, she eventually moved into administration. She held several leadership roles and eventually became the Director of Long Term Care at Rimbey hospital in the mid 1980’s. From here she worked for many purposeful years in different leadership roles such as Director of Care for Rimbey and later as site leader for 4 surrounding rural hospitals. At work Judy was known for being a good leader, wise, encouraging, hard working, decisive, and, as she would say (both about her work and her driving style), “I’m not aggressive, I’m assertive!”. Jokes aside, she was always motivated by the desire to do what was good, right, and best. She was a fighter when a fight was needed and she wasn’t afraid to push for change when it was necessary, even when that wasn’t the easiest road to take. She was proud to finish her career by advocating and raising funds for, designing, and project-leading the building of a new hospital in Rimbey, an impressive feat, indeed. Personally, she has shaped my framework for care-giving more than anyone else. I first heard the term “patient-centered” from her when I was a teenager as she encouraged me to take my nursing aid course…later, as I became a physiotherapist I would often go to her for guidance and advice, and ALWAYS, no matter what the issue, whether it was with a patient, a family member, a colleague, or even a business question, she would always ask me “what is best for your patient?” and guide me towards the best thing to do. I continue to try and emulate her in this way in my career. After 40 years working in healthcare, Judy retired in June 2011.  

After retiring, she moved from her home in Winfield to the lakehouse on Pigeon Lake. It was here she enjoyed some of her happiest years. She hosted countless meals and vacations for family and friends, spent and treasured the most time with her 15 beloved grandchildren, and very importantly, met Murray Hart whom she married in January 2009. She and Murray spent 14 wonderful years together until his death in 2023. Together, Murray and Judy enjoyed nothing more than hosting and showering generosity on family, friends, and neighbours. Judy cherished her years at the lakehouse, especially many hours on the back deck enjoying her beautiful giant flower pots and cozy deck furniture while looking out at the water, often on the phone to one family member or another. She valued her independence here and was determined and happy to be able to live out the final days of her life in her home. 

From Meadow,

And now, since I get the privilege of the microphone, I hope you’ll allow me one last closing personal reflection on my mom.  

There are many, many descriptors that would apply to my mom, as you have already heard, and there are many more there isn’t time to touch on. But I would be remiss if I failed to speak specifically about how loving my mom was. This is how I, as her daughter, will remember her. Author Timothy Keller writes about the desire to be “fully known and fully loved”. He explains it as “the fundamental human longing for unconditional acceptance, where one is truly seen - flaws, fears, and all - yet cherished regardless” and that to experience this kind of love is both rare and transformative. My mom gave me this kind of love. She wasn’t perfect in how she showed it sometimes, we didn’t always see eye-to-eye, which created some challenging times however, mom loved me unconditionally. Besides my spouse, she knew me better than anyone else - flaws, fears, and all - yet cherished me regardless. Keller goes on to say, and I agree, that being loved like this is a lot like being loved by God, and I know helping me (and all of us) to know God was the most important thing to her. I trust that I’ve been able to show her at least some of that same love in return. She gave me the gift of letting me know her better than most - I was allowed not only a deep experience of her kindness, wisdom, and love, but also a rare glimpse into seeing her flaws and her fears…and I definitely cherish her. To share a relationship like this is a rare gift in life, and it’s why I am honoured to be up here and why I will always be grateful to be her daughter.  

Judy leaves behind a very big legacy, as evidenced by all of us here. And I say this last part to all of us, but particularly wanted to direct it to her grandchildren…the positive impact your grandma has had on your life is immeasurable. She believed in the potential of every single person she met, and you guys most of all. Meadow is right, she was your biggest supporter and your loudest cheerleader. Watching all of you grow and succeed was her greatest joy. Her legacy lives on in you as you pursue your gifts, dreams, and potential as she so passionately supported. So as you play hockey, football, basketball, sing, dance, play the piano, travel, achieve academic success, build businesses, friendships, and soon families of your own, remember your grandma is still cheering you on, believing in you, and praying for you. And remember, holding fast to your faith and growing in your knowledge and love of the Lord is what grandma wanted most for you…and that part is definitely for all of us. So may we all bring honour to her as we aim to grow in our love and faith in God, and also live into the characteristics that inspired us most about her, but not for her sake, but as she wanted most and would be the first to say, all for the glory of God. 

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