Martin Janzen, resident of Rycroft, AB, formerly of Fairview, AB, passed away at his home on Friday, March 5, 2026, at the age of 51 years.

Martin was born in Fairview on December 4, 1974, to his parents, Peter and Katherina Janzen. He had nine siblings. Martin was a very active child and always had something on the go. At four years old, he fell into a cellar. While he was at the neighbour’s house on the same day, he tried to pet a dog. The startled dog bit him in the throat and Martin began bleeding profusely. Soon after, he got his hand stuck in an old-fashioned animal trap. This triggered a very high fever and his body started turning blue. He was found to have meningitis, and the doctors expected he would end up with brain damage, but God helped Martin through that. Martin was born with an extra dose of energy that, to this day, most people could not understand. Even at a young age, he could not just sit around. If there were things to do or check out, he was always there.

Martin loved to work and wasn’t afraid to try anything. However, it seemed like he always had another thing on his mind immediately after accomplishing one task. At a very young age, he worked for Lawrence Smithson, who was a grain and cattle farmer, as well as their next-door neighbour. Martin, his brothers, and their dad all worked for Lawrence at some point. After school, Martin would always go to work there and stay as late as he could. His energy just never appeared to run out. Life was a competition and a race for Martin, and he wasn’t satisfied with second place. School seemed to be in the way of his plans. He needed to learn by trial and error and wasn’t afraid to try!

In the winters, Martin also worked for his uncle in the bush. He discovered that camp life tied him down too much. After he got married to Annie on June 16, 1996, he bought his own logging truck and Cat to begin working in BC. They started a family and eventually settled down in Cleardale, AB. While there, they farmed roughly 5,000 acres of grain and raised around 600 head of cattle. BSE came along and Martin had to sell off to make it work. Life became very hard at that time, and God got ahold of him, making a change in his life.

After that, Martin couldn’t help but share the gospel with everyone he came in contact with. He would say afterward that he had a lot of zeal, but lacked knowledge, and many people couldn’t understand him. He was hard to figure out at times. His mind would jump back and forth, and he had difficulty expressing what he really thought. The struggles he experienced in his later life affected the whole family. They did a lot of moving around in the Peace Region, from Cleardale to Worsley to Beaverlodge to Rycroft. All in all, Martin loved his family in his own way.

In his spare time, he loved singing, playing guitar, and jamming with friends. He loved nature, whether he was fishing, hunting, camping, or quadding. However, he did not like winter.

Deep down, Martin had a heart filled with compassion that seemed to have no limits when it came to helping others, whether financially or with his time and resources. This especially applied to people in need. He contributed a significant amount of funds to charities and assisted with setting up the cemetery in Mountview. He had a strong desire for missions and was heavily involved in starting a clinic in Bolivia. Martin put everything into it, and when he later saw that it wasn’t working out as planned, he struggled. He couldn’t figure out why it wouldn’t work.

These were verses Martin often quoted and what drove him to give and serve.

I John 3:17 (NKJV) – “But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?”

I John 3:16 (NKJV) – “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”

Martin will be sadly missed by Annie; his children, Joseph (Margaret Peters), and their children, Jackson, Hunter, Dustin, and Colten, Trudy (David Schmitt), Jonathan (Nicole Zacharias), Barbara (Abe Penner), Rueben (Rachel Marten), Marvin, Rebecca, Bradley, and Saraya; his parents, Peter and Katherina Janzen; his siblings, Susan, Henry, Sarah, Jake, Anna, Maria, Peter, David, and their spouses; as well as numerous other family members.

He was predeceased by his brother, Willie Janzen; his stillborn nephew, Gabriel Janzen; his niece, Laura; his grandparents; and many aunts and uncles.

A viewing will take place on Thursday, March 12, 2026, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Reinland Mennonite Church in Worsley, AB. The funeral service will be held on Friday, March 13, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. at Cleardale Gospel Chapel, with burial to follow at the Cleardale Community Cemetery. After the burial, friends are invited to join the family for a luncheon at the Menno Simons Community School in Cleardale.

In lieu of flowers, those wishing to assist the family with funeral expenses may send an e-transfer to joewithjmjventures@gmail.com.