Editing John Bolt (1918-1980)

ohn Boldt, nusslOnary, mUSICian,
preacher of the Word, father and husband,
passed away in Curitiba, Brazil on April lO-
as a result of injuries received in an auto acci-
dent a few days earlier. He was born on May
12,1918 in Grossfuerstental, in Suworowska,
in the Caucasus region of southern Russia,
the son of Bernhard and Margaret (nee
Giesbrecht) Boldt. His father was a teacher
and as was often the case in Russia, also an
ordained minister in the local Mennonite
Brethren congregation.
In 1924, the family emigrated to Canada
and took up residence in Manitoba, where
John's father once again took up teaching.
All of John's education up to the age of 16,
when the family moved to Ontario, was taken
in his father's schools. During these years,
when John was eight, he accepted Christ as
his Saviour. That was the beginning of a life
from which he never wavered. The family
arrived in Kit-
chener, Ontario in
1934 and John
went to work, as
eldest son, to help
support his family,
which included
eight brothers and
sisters. When
World War 2
began, John joined
the services as a
non-combatant
medical orderly,
but when orders were received in 1940 to
begin training with arms, he withdrew and
spent the balance of the war as a CO in
various camps in British Columbia. After the
war, he resumed his education in Vancouver,
in two years completing five years of high school with highest honours (while working almost full-time) and then went on to complete his BA at Tabor College in 1950.  Wherever he could he served the church, especially with his gift of music.  Upon graduationm, he followed a call to Winkler bible Institute, where he served as instructor in music as welln as dean of men until 1959.  He left an inspirational and exemplary witness with colleagues and students.  In addition to a heavy teaching load, he led many choral and music workshops and acted as camp director at Winkler bible Camp duirng the summer months.,

After leaving Winkler, he took a short rest from teaching, completed a BA at North-western Baptist Seminary in Vancouver and also taught at the Sharon Mennonite Collegiate in Yarrow.  In 1961 he was ordained as a minister of the gospel by the East Chilliwack