Krahn, Maria (1880-1968)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1968 May 16 p. 3

Birth date: 1880

text of obituary:

Mother of Dr. Krahn Dies in Siberia

North Newton. — Word has been received that Mrs. Maria Krahn, 88, of Krastnoturinsk, Siberia, Russia, mother of Dr. Cornelius Krahn of the Bethel College faculty, died April 12. She is survived by eight children, seven of whom live in Russia.

Dr. Krahn was the only one to leave the family in 1926 when he went to Germany and The Netherlands to study. Instead of returning he decided to come to America which he did in 1937.

His parents and brothers and sisters tried unsuccessfully to follow him. During the last war they were evacuated from a Mennonite settlement of the Volga area, where they had lived since 1911, beyond the Ural mountains. Some of the family members perished during the war. The father had preceded his wife in death in 1933.

Mrs. Krahn was a devout Christian who was deeply concerned about her children and grandchildren with whom and for whom she prayed without ceasing. She had been in failing health for a number of years and was critically ill for two weeks. She had many friends, and a large crowd attended her funeral on Easter Sunday.