Editing Ratzlaff, Bernhard Peter (1895-1969)

''Mennonite Brethren Herald'' obituary: 1969 Aug 08 p. 26

Birth date: 1895 Sep 10

text of obituary:

<center><h3>BERNHARD PETER RATZLAFF<h3></center>

On June  28,  Bernhard Peter Ratzlaff 
suddenly passed away at his  home in 
Clearbrook, B.C., having reached  the  age 
of 73. 

He was born in  ?oland on September 
10, 1895. Here he received his elementary 
and high school education, He accepted 
the  Lord  as  his  Saviour in  1907,  was 
baptized and  became a member of the 
Deutsch-Wymyschle Mennonite Brethren 
Church,  where  he  later  led  a  junior 
orchestra. The years 1914 to  1918 were 
spent in  Russia, for the most part serving 
with the  Red Cross. Upon his return  to 
Poland, he was united in holy matrimony 
with Wilhelmina Kliewer on February 13, 
1919. In  their first ten  years of marriage 
three  of the  four  sons  born to  them 
passed away at an early age. 

In  1929 he  and his family  emigrated 
to  Canada  and  settled  on  a  farm  at 
Acme, Alberta. This was their home for 
24 years and during this time two daughters were born. In  1954 the family moved 
to  the  Fraser Valley in  British  Columbia. 
During his residence  in  Alberta, he was 
a  member of  the  Linden  Mennonite 
Brethren  Church and  served  as  youth 
and  orchestra leader  and as  a deacon, 
While in  British Columbia, 'he  was ordained as a deacon in the 'Central Heights 
(Abbotsford)  Church.  During the  past 
three years he served as a deacon in  the 
Clearbrook  Church  and  also  enjoyed 
teaching Sunday school. 

He leaves  to  mourn his passing  his 
wife  Wilhelmina; one  son,  Ernst  o·f 
Calgary; two  daughters,  Martha  (Mrs. 
A. Esau) of Nort·h Vancouver, and Edith 
(Mrs.  H.  Hooge) of Abbotsford, B.C.; 
seven  grandchildren; and  two  brothers, 
Erich of Coaldale, Alberta, and  Gustav 
of Clearbrook, B.C

[[Category:Mennonite Brethren Herald obituaries]]