Henning, Mara

MARA GANINE (BERTI) HENNING  |  October 31, 1962 - November 1, 2023 

It is with extremely heavy hearts we are announcing the passing of our beloved Mara - wife, mother, sister, aunt and friend - who died just one day after her 61^st birthday, surrounded by family.

Mara is survived by her husband, Bert, and son, Brett (Christy) Henning; her brothers, Gord (Linda) Berti and Ariano (Sherry) Berti; her nephew, Darin (Jess) Berti; and her nieces, Tina (Jim) Berti, Shalane (Greg) Gordon, and Sherese Berti.  

She was predeceased by her parents, Joe and Geneva Berti, and her brother, Dario Berti, who was also her best friend. 

Mara was born in Lethbridge, Alberta, on October 31, 1962. She and Bert were married on July 18, 1987, and they were overjoyed with the birth of Brett on March 7, 1989. On October 9, 2022, they proudly watched him marry his wife, Christy. 

Family was the most important thing to Mara - and that included the friends who had become family. She deeply valued having close relationships and loved to gather her people to share moments of laughter, too much food, and a few good drinks. She adored cooking for others, had a knack for sewing and loved to get crafty, often making heartfelt and thoughtful gifts for her people, to give to them during one of her annual ladies' holiday parties or for birthdays and Christmas. She also loved to make quilts and blankets for major special occasions such as birthdays and new babies. 

Mara was an extremely detail oriented woman who liked to solve problems, using her skills while working in the insurance industry and for Pratt and Whitney Canada, where she worked in the area of quality control. She joined the Pratt and Whitney team when they first opened their plant in the north end of Lethbridge. In fact, there are still aircraft flying today with engines made at Pratt and Whitney that Mara was part of building.  

Although she loved her work and her colleagues, Mara's career was cut too short due to a long and enduring battle with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), which she was diagnosed with at the age of 36. She fought hard to manage the challenges brought on by the disease and continued to fight right up until her final days. However, no matter how much pain she may have experienced, or what changes she faced over the years, she continued to love fiercely and always express the pride and gratitude she had for her family and friends.  

The family would like to thank the staff of the Chinook Regional Hospital Restorative Care Unit, Surgical Staff, Intensive Care Unit, and supporting services, for their incredible care and compassion during Mara's final days.  

A Celebration of Life will be held at the COALDALE COMMUNITY CENTRE, 1217 20^th Avenue, Coaldale, AB, on Saturday, November 11, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. All are welcome.