Thierstein, Friederich Novalis (1908-1926)

Christlicher Bundesbote obituary: 1926 Sep 30 p. 7

Birth date: 1908 May 21

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1926 Sep 22 p. 1

Frederick Novalis Thierstein

Friedrich Thierstein, originally the son of Christian Thierstein and Lena nee Tschantz, was born near Bowil, Canton Berne, Switzerland, May 21, 1908. His mother though a healthy woman died a few days after his birth, while his father was in failing health. When Prof. Thierstein accompanied by Mrs. Thierstein went to Berne to study in the fall of 1908 and lter [sic] made visits in the neighborhood from which his family had migrated to the U.S. in 1883, they found little "Fritzie" there in a neglected condition, and as they had no children of their own the little fellow found his way into their hearts, adn they adopted him, giving him his second name Novalis by which he has since been known.

Novalis received his elementary education in the public schools of Effingham, Kansas, and Bluffton, OHIO, where Dr. Thierstein served as principal of the county high school and member of a college faculty respectively. In the fall of 1921 the family moved to Newton, Kansas. Dr. Thierstein to join the faculty of Bethel College and Novalis entering Bethel Academy as a freshman, graduating therefrom in 1925, and entering college last fall at the age of seventeen.

Though Novalis had been a bit handicapped with some congenital complications of the heart and had experienced attacks of inflamatory [sic] rheumatism on three occasions, he had now grown to be a young man nearly six feet tall and weighing 166 pounds, had a well trained mind, took a live interest in all school activities, and won some honors in reading and debating. Last winter, through an accidental slip on the gymnasium floor he wrenched the muscles back of his hip, and although he took medicine and treatment for this all along he couldn't quite get over the trouble, and not in a condition to stand hard field work like other boys he with a few other college fellows went to western Nebraska for the summer vacation to act as a book agent. He stayed with the work about three weeks and did remarkably well, but the tamps along country roads tired his still soar [sic] back so that he had to come home. After a week's rest he took up other work here, but along a bout the 9th of August it developed that he had typhoid fever, and the now attending physician found that he was at the same time also afflicted with goitre complications, which was confirmed as a fact by a specialist that was called to examine him later on.

On the 13th of August he was taken to the Bethel Hospital where under very special care he fought valiently {sic] against the fever and had apparently passed the crisis, though the pulse and respiration continued high. On the 8th of September he suddenly suffered a relapse, the pulse shooting up high and the temperature following, and although conditions seemed more hopeful at intervals the situation looked serious. A last and thorough examination of the patient by specialists Friday morning, September 17, showed that all his vital organs were functioning quite normally and the heart beating soundly, but that instead of 8000 there were 40,000 white corpuscles present in his system, trying to fight off the goitre malady which such symptoms as the extremely rapid pulse, a peculiar type of restlessness, and loss of speech had proved to be at work. Friday afternoon, September 17, the sufferer passed into a coma, with pulse raging as high as 200 and respiration following at 54-60. This went on until Saturday evening when the heart which had been working against all odds could no longer stand the strain, and the spirit gently passed away at 8:30 p.m. The fever and the goitre had done their work. Novalis' life on earth was ended at 18 years and three days less than four months. The many prayers of relatives and friends, all the painstaking efforts of the attending physician with the ready aid of local consulting physcians and specialists from without, together with the devoted service of the sisters, were all bent on saving the young life, but God had other plans and he knows what is best.

Novalis was a brave sufferer. As is natural with young people he wanted to live. Although beset by a combination of three maladies, the typhoid, boils on the back, and the goitre trouble he continued all through the struggle, even when delirious, to take his medicine and food like a man. But with his desire to live he was not unprepared to die. He was by nature an affectionate boy, a home boy, and his parents have never known him to tell a falsehood. He prayed a great deal and the nurses were touche by his simple, childlike prayers which were nearly always addressed directly to "Dear Jesus." In the earlier period of his sickness he frequently prayed that he might not be confined too long, so that even though he might have to enter school a bit late he would still be able to catch up with the work. Before the relapse, during semi-rational and rational periods, he was often so restless that it was puzzling to know what to do with him. On some occasions his father offered to sing softly for him, and then he was asked what song it should be, his first choice each time was, "Rock of Ages Cleft for Me," next to that either "Nearer my God to Thee" or "The Little Brown Church in the Vale," and he would hum along as best he could. A few hours before he entered into coma his father said to him, he should not be afraid, good friends were praying for him, the doctors, sisters, and parents were doing all they could for him, but he should remember that after all Jesus was his est and dearest friend, and then he uttered these words, oh so fervently, "Yes, Jesus my best friend, my friend, my friend." These were his last words.

The funeral services were held Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 22. Rev. P. R. Voth conducted a short service in the home. In the College Chapel Rev. J. W. Kliewer made the introduction, Rev. H. A. Fast preached a short sermon, and Rev. J. M. Suderman made the close. At the Emmaus church to which the remains were taken for interment Rev. B. W. Harms led in a short service and Rev. Abr. Warkentin preached a short sermon, after which exercise the ody was laid to rest.