Wiebe, Frank Z. (1874-1951)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1951 Aug 23 p. 3

Birth date: 1874 Oct 6

text of obituary:

DEATH CLAIMS TWO PIONEERS OF CORN, OKLA. CONGREGATION

Corn, Okla. — Two old-time residents here, both members of the Mennonite Brethren congregation, passed away within a few days of each other. Both were born in Russia.

Funeral services were held at the local church Aug. 14 for F. Z. Wiebe, 76, who came to Oklahoma in 1899. He was a retired farmer and former school teacher.

On Aug. 15, services were held for Mrs. Elizabeth Schmidt, 81, a resident of the home for aged here. She came to the United States in 1874 and to Oklahoma in 1898.

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Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1951 Aug 30 p. 9

text of obituary:

FRANK Z. WIEBE

Our father, Frank Z. Wiebe, son of Heinrich and Mary Zacharias Wiebe, was born Oct. 6, 1874, in the village Hamberg, colony Molotschna, Russia.

At the age of two years he came with his parents to the U.S.A. and on July 11 they landed at Peabody, Kans., the place selected for their future home. Sanitary conditions were bad and as a result diphtheria broke out among the children and in a short while many died. Also our father was one who became sick.

At that time science had no remedy for this disease. After much prayer and good care this child was fully restored.

In those pioneer days the school system was very primitive; teachers lacked the education of the present day. If you could read and write and had the knowledge of a few Bible stories that seemed to be sufficient. But father attended the Hillsboro high school two years and then a year in McPherson college. This was sufficient to obtain a country school certificate and he taught for several years.

He was converted and baptized June 26, 1897, by his uncle Jacob A. Wiebe and thereby became a member of the Gnadenau K.M.B church.

In Miss Elizabeth Schellenberg he found a bride who was willing to share with him the hardships of pioneering. Their marriage occurred Dec. 26, 1898. Again it was Jacob A. Wiebe who officiated with the text “Bear ye one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Together, after the close of the school, they left for Oklahoma.

Free homesteads were offered in Oklahoma and they came to the Corn community, settling on a claim two miles south of Corn during the year 1899. Here his membership was changed to the M. B. church, to which he remained true to the end.

Here, beside making a farm tillable, the school work was near to his heart. He served many years on the school board, both in the public school and in the Bible Academy.

In the year 1923 they celebrated their silver wedding and 25 years later their golden wedding. As age crept slowly upon them they retired to the town of Corn.

During the last years an ailment was felt that would not be cured by nursing and the doctors advised an operation. He was taken to Oklahoma City for this operation but the result was not as expected. Through prayer and self examination he was ready now to put his destiny in the hands of a loving God and Father. The end came August 11 at 1:45 a.m. His faith had been an overcoming Faith which a living Hope had made real. His age was 76 years, 10 months and five days.

He leaves to mourn his departure his wife, two daughters, four sons, as well as grandchildren. We close with Romans 14:8, “For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.” — The F. Z. Wiebe Family.