Editing Epp, Agnes Goossen (1890-1964)

''Mennonite Brethren Herald'' obituary: 1964 Dec 18 p. 18

Birth date: 1890 Jan 14

text of obituary:

<center><h3>AGNES (GOOSSEN) EPP</h3></center>

Our dear mother, Agnes (Goossen) Epp, was born on a farm at Marion, South Dakota, on January 14, 1890. Her parents, Rev. and Mrs. Henry A. Goossen emigrated to Canada in the spring of 1899, when Mother was nine years of age. The family settled on a homestead sixteen miles west of Rosthern, Saskatchewan, in what came  to be known as the Salem community. She attended Springfield school unil her midteens, completing the course offered there. 

During the great revival that swept the community in the spring and summer of 1905 both our parents came to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, were baptised, and joined the Salem KMB church. 

Our parents were married on March 10, 1907, and for about a year they lived on Father's homestead in the Great Deer area. In 1908 Father made a land trade, and our parents settled in their new home a mile east of Mother's childhood home. Here their five oldest children were born. 

In the spring of 1916, obeying God's call,  our parents left  the  farm  to  go to  China as  missionaries under  the China Mennonite Mission Society, foundI  ed by Rev. H. C. Bartel. Their joint service there  lasted six years.  Owing to Mother's breakdown in health they returned to  Canada in  May of 1922 before  the  term  was up.  Mother was suffering  from  a  complication  of organic diseases, augmented by a nervous disorder. And though our parents hoped to return  to  the  field  after a  year's furlough,  the dream was never realised. By the  time  Mother had regained  a measure of health, China's doors were closing.  Three children had been born to  them in China - Samuel, Matilda, and Albert - who died in infancy and was buried in the province of Shantung, China.  Melvin, the  youngest member, was born in  Canada on the  farm  to which the  family had returned. 

On September 22,  1942, our father,  always in robust health till  then,  diedunexpectedly at the age of 57 after onlysix days of illness.  With the help successively of three sons - Samuel, Melvin  and Edward - Mother continuedto ~un the home farm, four and a halfmiles north-west of Waldheim. 

Two years ago this month we learnedfrom the family doctor that Mother's oldailments, dormant for some years, hadflared  up,  and  that  medical scienceknew no cure for the condition. 

Shortly after the  New Year,  thisyear, she was admitted to the SaskatoonCity hospital for tests and treatment -
the first of three stays there. 

In  the  last  week in  June  she  wasreadmitted  to  hospital for  272  weeks.Mother  joined  the ' family  then  for  a succession of farewell  gatherings whenher oldest son, Jacob, and his family -her strongest remaining props - leftfor a new field of service in Hillsboro,Kansas, and the  Sylvester Dirkses fortheir  fourth term in Peru. 

All of us felt  this was likely  to  beour last family gathering with Motherpresent, yet we could not wish to detainour brother and sister - nor Mother, if  God intended  to  call  her  higher.Sylvester  voiced it for us all. "I'm notgoing to  say goodby,  Mother. I'll say goodnight here - and goodmorning upthere!" 

For a  time  after the  actual wrenchof parting was over,  Mother's condition bettered slightly.  But then it worsened sharply.  In mid-September she was readmitted to hospital for the final time. 

During the first two weeks in November she suffered intensely, lapsing at last,with the aid of sedations, into a  stateof unconsciousness.  She came out ofthis  abruptly on Friday, Nov. 13, andwas more or less conscious, though not always rational,  until the  day of her death. 

The closest family  members, Henry, Selma, and Margaret, were called to her bedside, and were with her at the .timeof her death - as also was her SIster, Mary (Mrs.  J.  B. Heppner) a  postsurgery patient in  the  same hospital. Mother had a very peaceful passage. Shebreathed her last at ten minutes to two in  the afternoon of Tuesday,  Nov. 17. 

Mother attained the age of 74 years, 10 months and three days.  Thirty-fiveand half years were shared with Father.She was widowed for twenty-two years, one  month, and twenty-six days.  Beside  her husband, two  children predeceased her - Albert in 1921 at the age of ten months, and Mary - Mrs. Albert Schmidt, then of Omaha, Nebraska - ofa heart ailment in May of 1950, at the age of forty-one.  Her oldest son-in-law, Albert Schmidt,  too died very suddenlyof a  heart attack in  early spring  of 1956. 

Mother is survived by two daughters, Margaret and  Mathilda - Mrs.  Sylvester Dirks, of Peru; five  sons,  J.  H. Epp, of Hillsboro, Kansas, E. H. M. Epp, of Winkler, Man., H. H. Epp of Saskatoon,  Sask., S. H. Epp, of Steinbach, Man.,and  Melvin, of  Erwood, Sask.; three sisters, Mary (Mrs. J. B. Heppner) of Waldheim, Sask., Eva (Mrs. Geo. B.Heppner) of Abbotsford, B.C., and Elizabeth (Mrs. D. C.  Schroeder)  also  of Abbotsford. 

All her life  our mother was fond  of singing.  She had stor'ed the words  of literally hundreds of hymns and songs in  her  memory.  During her hours  of in tensest suffering these past weeks, the words of many came to  sustain  and comfort her.  There were days when she writhed with pain, yet sang  almost constantly - songs of salvation, of the Christian pilgrimage, songs of Heaven: "Erloeste See!', bekenn' den Herrn" .. "Er nimmt die Schuld mil' ab" . . . "Down a t  the 'cross where my Saviour died".. . "I  love Him far better than in days of yore;  I'll  serve Him more truly  than ever before; I'll do as He bids me, whatever the cost; I'll be  a true soldier, I'll die at my post." ... 'Mut,  harre auf den Morgen" ...  "Das ist meine Zuversicht" . . . "Have thine own way, Lord" ... "Oh, I  think  of  the  home  over  there" ... "Keiner wird zuschanden" . .. "Im Himmel  ist  kein Scheiden mehr .. . " 

We thank  God for  a  mother  who made  our spiritual welfare her main concern  all  our .lives.  We  rejoice  to know that with her to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. She is looking into the unveiled face of her Savior now.  How could we  wish it  to be otherwise? 

As family  we  wish to  express our heartfelt thanks  to  all who eased her months of illness by visits in person, by card,  or letter,  and especially to those who prayed for her and us.  We wish also to  thank  all who have evidenced their  sympathy since  her death.  We deeply appreciate your thoughtfulness. Gratefully, The Family