Kliever, Jacob Flaming (1881-1960)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1960 Apr 14 p. 5

Birth date: 1881 Feb 24

text of obituary:

Early-Day Oklahoma Settler Dies

Enid, Okla. — Services for Jacob F. Kliever, 79, who died suddenly March 31 at his home 2113 W. Randolph, Enid, were held at 10 a. m. the following Monday at the Grace Mennonite church with Rev. Albert Unruh officiating. Rev. Henry Hege, Rev. Floyd Davis, and Rev. August Schmidt assisted.

A native of Inman, Kansas, he came to Oklahoma as a young man and lived first near Gotebo, where he farmed for a number of years. He retired and moved to Enid about 15 years ago, and had lived here since. He was baptized by Rev. Michial Klassen in 1904.

Surviving are his wife of the home; a son, Dr. Waldo H. Kliever of Cleveland, Ohio; a daughter, Mrs. H. W. Linscheid, Wichita, Kansas; a sister, Mrs. Helen Ratzlaff, Goessel, Kansas; four brothers, Frank Kliewer of Newport, Wash., Dave Kliewer of Clinton, Okla., Cornelius Kliewer of Frazer, Mont., Ben Kliewer of Dallas, Oregon; and six grandchildren.

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Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1960 Apr 14 p. 8

text of obituary:

JACOB F. KLIEVER

Jacob Flaming Kliever [Jakob Flaming Kliewer] started life on Feb. 24, 1881, the son of Rev. G. G. and Eva Flaming Kliever [sic Kliewer], at Inman, Kansas.

His mother passed away when he was two years old. In 1896, when he was 16 years old, he came to Oklahoma with his brother Henry. Four years later he bought a half-section of school land 10 miles south of Gotebo and 16 red Durham cows and started farming and improving the land.

He married Gertrude Dalke in 1905 at the Friedenstahl Mennonite church where they were both members. Through various activities he became well known in the community, where everyone called him Jake. He operated a large threshing outfit for nine years, from 1913 and 1919. This employed 16 to 20 men and served an extensive area around Gotebo and Cooperton, Okla. where he threshed up to 60,000 bushels of wheat and 25,000 bushels of oats and barley in a single year. He liked machinery and was capable in operating and maintaining it. He owned one of the first automobles [sic] in the community. He farmed with machinery and without horses after about 1925.

He also was known for community work. He was a member of the school board for 18 years, and its clerk for 13 years. He hired teachers and frequently provided their lodging in his own home when other places were not available. He maintained a census of eligible pupils. He organized the Parents-Teachers Association at Gotebo where they lived after 1920.

He also served the state in reappraising school land for the School Land Commission, and in getting settlement of leases in dispute. This and other work was voluntary.

He sang in the church choir, was friendly, had a sense of humor, and was always thoughtful of others and looking for opportunities to help them. Some of these activities were more difficult due to partial loss of hearing resulting from spinal meningitis in 1928.

Surviving with loving memories, are his wife, Mrs. Gertrude Kliever [Kliewer]; two children to whom he was a great inspiration, Mrs. Edna Kliever [Kliewer] Linscheid and husband Dr. Harold W. Linschied, professor in the Mathematics Department of Wichita university, and Dr. Waldo Kliever [Kliewer] and wife Mary Schmidt Kliever [Kliewer] of Cleveland, Ohio, where he is a consultant to industry in fields of instrumentation and controls; and six grandchildren. Also surviving are one sister, Mrs. Helen Kliewer Ratzlaff of Goessel, Kansas; and four brothers; Frank Kliewer of Newport, Wash., Dave G. Kliewer of Clinton, Okla., Cornelius Kliewer of Frazer, Mont., and Bernhard Kliewer of Dallas, Oregon. He was preceded in death by five brothers and eight sisters.

GRANDMA #275377 Jakob F. Kliewer