Duerksen, Vernon D. (1932-1971)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1971 Apr 22 p. 3

Birth date: 1932 Aug 8

text of obituary:

Evangelist Killed On Way to Kansas For Special Meetings

Rev. Vernon D. Duerksen, 38, widely known evangelist and youth worker of Freeman, S. D., was fatally injured in a highway accident last Saturday noon while en route here to conduct an eight-day New Life Crusade at the newton First Mennonite Church.

He died at 12:45 a.m. Monday in a Sioux Falls, S. D. hospital. the meetings have been cancelled.

According to information received here, Rev. Duerksen was traveling alone on Highway 46 near Beresford, S. D. when his auto left the highway and turned over several times. The cause of the accident is not known here, although he had reportedly been ill recently.

The funeral will be conducted at 10:30 a.m. Thursday in Pioneer Hall at Freeman Junior College. A memorial service was to be held Wednesday morning at Grace Bible Institute, Omaha.

A native of Alsen, N. D., Rev. Duerksen was a graduate of Grace Bible Institute and since 1957 had been staff evangelist for the Institute.

Survivors include his widow, the former Marilyn Wollman, and a daughter Kimberly, 9, of the home in Freeman; his parents, Rev. and Mrs. Edward Duerksen of Freeman, and one sister, Mrs. Dellene Stucky, a missionary in Guyana.

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Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1971 Apr 29 p. 8

text of obituary:

— Going to Freeman, S.D. last week by car to attend funeral services for Rev. Vernon D. Duerksen were Rev. L. R. Amstutz of Whitewater, Rev. Harold Graber and James Thiessen of Elbing, and Alvin Harms of Newton. The latter represented the board of deacons of the Newton First Mennonite Church, where Rev. Duerksen was scheduled to conduct an eight-day New Life Crusade from April 18 to 24. He was fatally injured in a one-car accident near Beresford, S.D. shortly after leaving home for Newton and died early Monday, April 19, in a Sioux Falls hospital. The largely attended funeral was conducted in Pioneer Hall at Freeman Junior College. His pastor, Rev. Carl Carlisle of the Bethel M.B. Church near Bridgewater, officiated and the message was given by Rev. Waldo Harder, president of Grace Bible Institute, Omaha. Rev. Duerksen, who was 38, had been associated with the Institute as staff evangelist for some years. Burial was made in the cemetery of the Bethel Church.

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Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1971 Apr 29 p. 11

text of obituary:

Evangelist Had Fruitful Ministry

". . . MY EARNEST expectations and hope (is) that in nothing i shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:20, 21).

Rev. Vernon Duerksen, Grace Bible Institute's full-time evangelist since 1963, is now "present with the Lord . . . which is far better." As a result of injuries sustained in an automobile accident on Saturday afternoon, April 17, Duerksen died in Sioux Falls, S. D. hospital at 12:45 a.m. Monday, April 19.

Evangelist Duerksen, son of Rev. and Mrs. Edward Duerksen, was born Aug. 8, 1932, at Hillsboro, Kan. At the time of his death, Vernon, his wife Marilyn, and one-year-old daughter, Kimberly, resided at Freeman, S. D.

BEFORE enrolling at Grace Bible Institute, Omaha, Neb., Duerksen attended Freeman Academy and Freeman (S.D.) Junior College. He graduated from Grace Bible Institute in 1954, having served as vice-president of the senior class. He continued his training at Grace Theological Seminary, Winona Lake, Ind., graduating with a B.D. degree in 1957.

Duerksen was invited to join the Grace Bible Institute staff as field representative that same year and has been associated with the school for the last four years. During 1958-62, when he served as alumni field secretary, Duerksen was instrumental in establishing the pattern of contacts and organization in the Alumni Office.

Throughout this period, he became increasingly involved in mass evangelism. Sensing that he had been given the spiritual gift of evangelism, Rev. Duerksen entered into this ministry full time in 1963 under the auspices of Grace Bible Institute.

FOR THE LAST eight years he has given his total personality to crusade evangelism and such related ministries as youth camps and retreats.

Under the evident blessing of God, the crusade evangelism ministry prospered. In 1970, Rev. Duerksen formed a partnership in service, with Grace Bible Institute alumnus John Jones sharing in the ministry of music.

The following report from a New Life Crusade illustrates the effectiveness of this joint ministry:

"God did a wonderful thing!" Seventy-four decisions bear testimony to the continual working of the Lord. "John Jones sang to the heart and Vernon Duerksen preached plain repentance, and God used them both."

AS A RESULT of the careful preparation, prayer support, and blessing of the Spirit upon the crusade team, there were seekers at every service, with a total of 30 making decisions for salvation.

Evangelist Duerksen has been called home by the Lord whom he loved so deeply and served so faithfully. Who will prepare to fill the gap left by his home-going?

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Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1971 Jun 3 p. 11

text of obituary:

VERNON D. DUERKSEN

"There is a human responsibility in having a revival and evangelistic crusade. This human responsibility must be discharged before the divine blessing begins. Revivals do not just happen. Revivals are the result of scriptural planning, preparing and praying." These were the words now silenced, but often spoken by Evangelist Vernon Duerksen.

Vernon was born on Aug. 8, 1932 at Alsen, N. D. to Rev. and Mrs. Edward Duerksen.

On June 5, 1948 he accepted Christ as his Savior and received assurance of salvation. He was baptized and received into the Avon Mennonite Church on Aug. 27, 1944, with his father officiating.

He and Marilyn Wellman were joined in marriage on June 18, 1953 and began immediate preparations for Christian service. He studied at Freeman Jr. College and the University of Omaha, earning his degrees from Grace Bible Institute and Grace Theological Seminary, Winona Lake, Ind. He served student pastorates at Weston, Neb. and Warsaw, Ind. On March 8, 1959, he and his wife were ordained into the Christian ministry at the Hutterthal Mennonite Church, Carpenter, S. D.

In 1961 Kimberly Kae became an added joy to the home. His spiritual leadership in the home, his sparkling personality and enthusiasm cannot be replaced. His intense desire to share Jesus Christ and to lead people to a saving knowledge of Him increased with each crusade that he conducted.

While preparing to leave for a Kansas crusade Saturday morning, he shared with us that he was experiencing physical weariness which he felt may necessitate a slower pace in his schedule. He discussed some summer plans for us as a family and departed with the words, "We'll talk about it when I return. I love my work. I love my family!" A few hours later, we were summoned to his bedside to encourage him in his intense suffering and strengthen his spirits following a one-car accident.

At the age of 38 years, his sudden departure severely affects his wife Marilyn and daughter Kimberly; his parents Rev. and Mrs. Edward Duerksen; a sister Dellene and husband Alfred Stucky and children Mark, Melody and Marlan, New Guinea; his parents-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Mike G. Wollman; a sister-in-law Celia and her husband Dave M. Wollman, and nephew Charles David Wollman; a large number of relatives and a host of friends, in the Lord, across the United States and Canada. — The Family.

The Mennonite obituary: 1971 May 25 p. 351