Willems, Anna Block (1880-1958)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1958 Jan 30 p. 5

Birth date: 1880 Jan 13

text of obituary:

Long-Time Resident Dies At Inman

Inman, Kan. — Mrs. Anna Willems, a resident of this community for more than 55 years, died at her home here Jan. 24 at the age of 78.

A native of the Hillsboro community, Mrs. Willems leaves a large family, including five sons, nine daughters, 39 grandchildren and 44 great-grandchildren.

Funeral services were held Monday afternoon at the Zoar K. M. B. church near here, with Rev. Arnold Ensz, Rev. D. C. Pauls and Dr. Joseph W. Schmidt of Omaha, Neb. officiating.

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Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1958 Mar 13 p. 8

text of obituary:

MRS. G. D. WILLEMS

Our mother, Mrs. Anna Willems, daughter of Rev. Peter H. and Maria Unruh Block, was born Jan. 13, 1880, on a farm three and one-half miles northeast of Hillsboro, Kansas. Here she received her elementary schooling and spent the years of her youth. She had Christian parents who from her childhood pointed her to the Lord and taught her to pray.

At the age of 16 years at Hillsboro, under the ministry of Rev. John A. Sprunger of Berne, Ind., she accepted the Lord as her personal Saviour and received forgiveness and peace on June 16, 1896. On Oct. 4 of the same year she was baptized by Elder Heinrich Wiebe and received into the K. M. B. church of which she remained a faithful member until her death.

She was elected to teach a Sunday school class which she taught five years. She had an urgent desire to work in an orphanage. Due to the illness of her parents it was difficult for her to leave home, but occasionally she helped at the Salem Orphanage.

This desire continued until our widowed father, G. D. Willems, in 1902 asked her to become his help-meet and the mother of his six children whose mother had recently passed away. Through much prayer and searching in the Word of God, the Lord gave her the conviction and joy for this undertaking. On Nov. 13, 1902, father and mother were united in matrimony. To this union were born nine children, three sons and six daughters.

To mother's deep sorrow this union was dissolved when father passed to his eternal reward on March 16, 1947. Father and mother shared many spiritual blessings, joys, and sorrows for over 44 years.

To mother the raising of her children for the Lord was a definite part of her mission and she spared no effort to accomplish this purpose. We as children are united in the testimony that she, together with Father, was the main factor in uniting us into truly one family. The blessed relation of father and mother, with the 15 children, shall ever remain a sacred memory. One of mother's greatest joys was that the Lord performed a miracle of grace on the family in that all the children and most of the grandchildren are saved.

In former years she was physically strong and a very hard worker. In the more recent years her health began to fail, and since Dec. 2, 1957 she had been confined to the home. Gradually her strength ebbed away until on Jan. 24, 1958 at 9:14 a. m. she departed to be with the Lord. She reached the age of 78 years and 11 days.

She leaves to mourn her departure nine daughters, Mrs. A. T. (Kathryn) Ratzlaff of Reedley, Calif., Mrs. E. W. (Margaret) Thiessen of Inman, Kan., Sarah Schmidt of Omaha, Neb., Mary of Inman, Mrs. Jake (Ann) Isaac of Reedley, Mrs. Andrew (Eva) Classen of Wichita, Kan., Mrs. John (Martha) Klema, Jr. of Kenosha, Wis., Helen, a missionary in Manila, Philippine Islands, and Esther of Inman; five sons, G. C. Willems of Reedley, B. C. Willems of Reedley, P. B. Willems of Hillsboro, J. B. Willems of Reedley, and Dr. M. B. Willems of Neodesha, Kan.; a daughter-in-law, Mrs. J. C. Willems of Wichita; four sisters-in-law, one brother-in-law, 39 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, and a host of other relatives and friends.

She was preceded in death by her husband; one son, J. C. Willems; a daughter-in-law, Sarah Willems; one son-in-law, E. P. Schmidt; and two grandchildren.

We mourn her departure, but with the blessed hope that we shall meet again where there is no parting. — The Bereaved Family.