Klassen, Abram (1922-2002)

"Mennonite Brethren Herald" obituary: 2002 Mar 22 p. 24

Birth date: 1922 Jan 23

text of obituary:

ABRAM KLASSEN

Abram Klas se n of Ab- botsford, B.C. pas se d aw ay Feb. 5 of canc er. He was born Jan . 23, 1922 to Abram and Anna Kla ss en in Fuer- stenw erd er, Ukraine, th e 2nd of 9 children. He grew up in a Men- nonite village and a Christi an home, but go- ing to church was for- bidden by the state. In 1942 he was drafted into the German army. In January 1945 he be- came engaged to Katie Thi ess en, who had fled from Russia to Poland with her family. She and her family fled to Ge r- many. In 1945 when the war ended, he be- came a POW of the American army in Aus- tria . After his release, he worked for farmers in Austria . He came to for hi sfamily. On e year, his woodcrafts rai sed $1700 at th e MCC relief sa le. In 1958 th ey moved to Cle arbrook, B.C. He worked for B.C. Hydro 1958-84. Katie di ed of canc er in 1984. He marri ed Betty Enn s in 1985. Th ey tr avelled to Hawaii, Lithu ani a on a mission trip, South America, and Germ any to visit his siblings. Betty di ed in 1999. He mar- ri ed Sus an Hopp e in June 2000. A favourite Psa lm was Psalm 91. Pred eceased by Katie and Betty, 3 brothers and an infant sister, he is mourned by Su san; children Helmut of Al- berta and Marg aret Frant z of Chicago; stepchildren Terry Enns of White Rock, B.C., Ruth Nickel of Abbots- fo rd, Carol yn Falk of White Rock, jane Epp of Kamloops , B.C. and Frank Hoppe of Abbots- ford; grandchildren; and 4 sisters. Th e memorial service was Feb. 9 in Bakerview MB Church, Abbotsford, with Henry Thiessen and Mike Frantz minis- tering.