Memorable Manitobans: Helen Wilms Litz (1932-2021)

Choirmaster.

Born at Winnipeg on 7 June 1932, daughter of Elizabeth Hamm (1904-1982) and Edward Henry Wilms (1900-1952), she attended the Manitoba Teachers’ College, University of Manitoba, and Royal Conservatory of Music. In 1957, she founded the Mennonite Children's Choir of Winnipeg and served as its principal conductor and musical director until 2008. The elite choir travelled nationally and internationally and received numerous awards. She is considered as one of the founders of the children's choir movement in Canada. In recognition of her community service, she received the Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award (1999). On 25 August 1951, she married Albert Litz (1925-2018) and they had three children. She died at Winnipeg on 13 January 2021 and was buried in the Elmwood Cemetery.

Sources:

Obituary [William Henry Wilms], Winnipeg Free Press, 4 October 1952, page 27.

Obituary [Elizabeth Hamm], Winnipeg Free Press, 25 May 1982, page 69.

Obituary [Albert Litz], Winnipeg Free Press, 21 February 2018.

Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 21 January 2021.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 23 January 2021

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.

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