Wiebe, Jacob Z. (1869-1952)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1952 Oct 30 p. 1

Birth date: 1869 Apr 5

text of obituary:

Pioneer Teacher And K.M.B. Minister Died

SERVICES HELD AT GNADENAU CHURCH FOR JACOB Z. WIEBE, 83

Marion, Kansas. — Funeral services were held at the Gnadenau K.M.B. church south of Hillsboro Oct. 22 for Jacob Z. Wiebe, pioneer settler in the Gnadenau community and former minister and leader of the Gnadenau congregation. He passed away quite suddenly Oct. 18 at the home of a son, Leslie Wiebe, where he had lived since 1946.

Born in South Russia on April 5, 1869, he came to this country at the age of seven with his parents, Rev. and Mrs. Heinrich Wiebe. They were among the founders of the Gnadenau K.M.B. church, the first Krimmer Mennonite Brethren congregation in America.

After receiving his elementary training in the home community and taking more advanced schooling, he taught school for 14 years in Kansas and Nebraska. He was elected a preacher at Minneola, Kansas in 1910, and served several Kansas congregations. He also farmed for a number of years.

Surviving in the immediate family are seven sons and three daughters, 14 grandchildren and one great grandchild. He was the oldest child in the Heinrich Wiebe family, and the last to pass away. His wife, the former Katharina Schellenberg, died in 1924.

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Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1952 Nov 6 p. 9

text of obituary:

JACOB Z. WIEBE

Our dear father, Jacob Z. Wiebe was born in Morgenau, South Russia April 5, 1869. His parents were Rev. and Mrs. Heinrich Wiebe. Grandfather Wiebe was the minister and leader of the Gnadenau church for many years.

When father was seven years old the family left Russia and came to Marion county, Kansas and settled several miles south of what is now Hillsboro, Kans.

He grew up in this community and received his elementary education here. Later he went to school some more and taught in the public schools of Kansas and Nebraska for 14 years. During these years he took out his citizenship papers and became an American citizen.

In 1893 he accepted Jesus as his Saviour and served Him until his death. He was baptized June 25, 1893, and received as a member of the Gnadenau Krimmer Mennonite Brethren church. The same year he was married to Miss Katharina Schellenberg, on December 29. Eleven children were born to our parents — seven sons and four daughters.

Besides being a teacher, father was also a farmer and a preacher. He was elected a preacher in 1910 at Minneola, Kansas. In addition to doing much good as minister of the Gospel he has served for long times as Sunday school superintendent and Sunday school teacher. For the last six and one-half years he taught a Sunday school class in the Methodist church of Marion, Kansas. He enjoyed Christian work and has spread considerable blessings that way.

Both of our parents were always concerned to bring up their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. None of us remembers when we were in church and Sunday school for the first time. The principle of our parents was to take us to church, not to send us. Our parents have lived at several places. During the early years of this century we lived in Jansen, Nebraska. Then we moved to near Lehigh, Kansas. From there we went to Minneola, Kansas. Later the family resided at Syracuse and Garden City, Kansas.

Our dear mother passed away on October 30, 1924, 27 years and 11 months, and 18 days before father’s death.

For ten years he lived with his daughters Elizabeth and Esther at Garden City, Kansas, and since the spring of 1946 he had lived with his children Leslie and Gertrude at Marion, Kans.

His death was very sudden, caused by kidney stones and a weak heart. About 30 minutes before his death he was as well as could be expected. The doctor and we did our best to help him but to no avail. He passed out of this life at about 10:30 Saturday morning October 18, 1952, having reached the age of 83 years, six months, and 13 days. We know that he is now seeing what he believed here on earth, and we are confident that his whole family will meet him up there some day.

The entire family was present at the funeral except Mr. and Mrs. Jack Wiebe and their son, Miss Elizabeth Wiebe of Frankfurt, Germany, Mrs. Aaron Wiebe and their two sons, the grandchildren Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Wiebe and their daughter, the grandchildren Mr. and Mrs. Orville Wiebe, on their way to Africa, and Lavern Wiebe, a grandson.

Mother, one sister, one daughter-in-law, Mrs. Otto Wiebe, and two grandchildren preceded him in death. He leaves to mourn his departure seven sons, three daughters, one son-in-law, seven daughters-in-law, 14 grandchildren, two granddaughters-in-law, one great grandchild, and a host of other relatives and friends. Of his brothers and sisters, he was the oldest and the last to pass away.

His children still living are: Mr. and Mrs. Leslie S. Wiebe, Marion, Kansas; Mr. and Mrs. Henry A. Wiebe, Garden City, Kansas; Miss Elizabeth Wiebe, Frankfurt, Germany; Mr. and Mrs. Dan Wiebe, Clinton, Oklahoma; Mr. and Mrs. Otto Wiebe, Dallas, Oregon; Mr. and Mrs. John Ratzlaff, Kansas City, Mo.; Miss Esther Wiebe, Garden City, Kansas; Mr. and Mrs. Jack Wiebe, Spokane, Wash.; Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Wiebe, Los Angeles, Calif.; and Mr. and Mrs. Ed Wiebe, Garden City, Kansas — The Bereaved Family.