Klaassen, Katharina Dalke (1884-1959)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1959 Jul 9 p. 8

Birth date: 1884 Feb 2

text of obituary:

MRS. KATHARINA KLAASSEN

Katharina Dalka Klassen [sic Katharina Dalke Klaassen] was born Feb. 2, 1884, at Hillsboro, Kan. She passed away in the Salem Home at Winkler, Man. on May 15, 1959, attaining the age of 75 years, three months and 13 days.

In 1892 her parents moved to Bessie, Okla. where under the privations of pioneer life, she brew up with her brothers and sisters. She had Christian training from her earliest years and also had the opportunity to attend good schools, so that she was able to teach school for some time.

After catechism instruction and the confession of a personal faith in her Saviour she was baptized by Bishop Michael Klaassen and received into the membership of the Herold Church.

On May 30, 1911, she was married to Michael Klaassen, then a widower, and thus became mother to five children. To this union seven more children were born.

In 1918 the family moved to Manitoba. This move brought its share of new hardships, but they became established and raised their family, Rev. Klaassen serving as minister of the local congregation. in 1934 he passed away and after that she stayed with her children.

In August 1956 she entered the Salem Home at Winkler, where she was taken care of in tender ways by the staff. Her loneliness was broken time and again when her children would take her to their homes at Morden for week ends. She attended this church on Dec. 7, 1958, for the last time. Soon a slow but definite paralysis took her strength and she was taken to the hospital ward at the Home, where she also passed away.

One of her great joys was to see her youngest daughter from Mexico, who visited her during January. At Easter time her three sons and a daughter-in-law from California came to visit her.

She leaves to mourn her passing five children (two predeceased her) three daughters-in-law, two sons-in-law,25 grandchildren, (one predeceased her), and 25 great-grandchildren, one having gone on before, two sisters with their husbands, one brother and his wife. Five brothers predeceased her.

Funeral services were held on May 20, 1959, at the Morden, Manitoba Bergthaler Church of which she was a member. Rev. A. H. Born and Rev. J. M. Pauls officiated in the German langauge, and Rev.J. F. Paus in the English language. The Sawatzky Brothers quartet and the ladies' choir rendered a few songs. She was laid to rest beside her husband on the Herold cemetery.