Voth, Catherine (1878-1926)

Christlicher Bundesbote obituary: 1926 Sep 16 p. 7

Birth date: 1878 Oct 2

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1926 Aug 25 p. 1

text of obituary:

Sister Catherine Voth Passes on

Sister Catherine Voth was born on Oct. 2, 1878, near Inman, McPherson county, Kansas, the third child of her parents, Cornelius and Cornelia Voth, nee Heidebrecht. She died suddenly last Thursday morning at Bethel Hospital from an embolism. She had undergone an operation at the hospital on Aug. 4. Her parents came to Kansas with the large Mennonite immigration movement from Southern Russia in the early seventies, and Sister Catherine was reared in the healthful atmosphere of simple Christian home life and she early learned to share the responsibilities and duties of the large family of sisters and brothers. She was not only given opportunity to lay the foundation for the splendid physical and mental development of her later life, but her parents and early teachers led her to the source of life and power without which life cannot attain its best in the moral and ethical sphere. The religious instructions of her early teachers were not only a precious recollection for which she remained grateful to her last day, but bore spiritual fruit in ever increasing abundance.

On June 7, 1897, Sister Catherine was baptized in the Hoffunugsau church upon confession of her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as her personal Saviour and Redeemer and became a member of the Mennonite Church. She never transferred her Church letter from the home congregation. After she had passed the district school she attended the Hillsboro Preparatory School as a pupil of Rev. H. D. Penner and later attended other schools as opportunity offered, spending also a short term at Bethel College. She taught district school near Buhler and near Meno, Oklahoma, for six years and spent a short time at Bethesda hospital as a helper in caring for the sick and infirm there. About this time there was some interest in various Mennonite circles in organizing a deaconess sisterhood and Sister Catherine was one of the first volunteers for this service. Her letters to Rev. D. Goerz, written in the year 1905, show a rare insight and understanding of the underlying principles of the organization as planned and she repeatedly expressed her joy in surrendering her life to such a worthy cause. Through God’s grace she made her calling and election sure from the very start, and she has never wavered or faltered amid the hardships and trials as a pioneer deaconess of the Mennonite Church of America. On Sept. 27, 1905 she entered the deaconess hospital at Cincinnati for training where she remained two years, returning to Kansas in the autumn months of 1907.

The Bethel Deaconess hospital was then in process of construction and Sister Catherine served as a private nurse until the opening of the institution on June 11, 1908. On the morning of this eventful date she together with Sister Frieda and Sister Ida knelt before the altar of the First Mennonite church of Newton and vowed obedience, willingness and faithfulness to God in the calling of a deaconess. To any who fear to take such a step of surrender because they will lose the self-direction of life the now unfolding period of Sister Catherine’s life can prove that personality is not lost, but given a wonderful stimulus if the surrender to a service has been unconditional.

Nothing further need be said regarding the service which she was privileged to give. It is known to those to whom it was extended and to God. She herself according to the promises of God reaped during her life the first fruits in the wonderful joy and satisfaction which were hers in the work. She said repeatedly during her last weeks when she felt so certain of her near departure, “I have had a wonderful good time.” The inspiration and strength for her service source for which she found expression in her life motto: Psalm 37:4-5. “Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desire of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and he shall bring it to pass.” And in the song of her life:

“When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were an offering far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.”

A short funeral service at which were the sisters of the hospital and relatives of Sister Catherine was held in the deaconess home at two-thirty Monday afternoon. The funeral services were then conducted in the First Mennonite church on East First. Rev. Abraham Ratzlaff of Sister Catherine’s home Church near Buhler read the scripture and gave the prayer, the two sermons were given, one in the English language by Rev. J. M. Suderman and the other in the German language by Rev. J. E. Entz. The obituary was given by Rev. Entz in both languages. Music was furnished by a mixed octette of the Church, a male quartet from the Hoffnungsau Church near Buhler, and Mrs. Roy Black and Miss Katherine Penner of this city. Mrs. Paul Bartsch and Miss Helen Bartsch presided at the piano and organ. Services at the cemetery were very brief.

The entire funeral service had been planned by Sister Catherine, a written copy of which was found by the sisters of the hospital after her death. The funeral was one of the largest ever held in Newton, many not being able to attend because of the lack of room.

Some of the out of town friends here were: Mrs. C. C. Baily, R. N, president of the Kansas State Nurses Association, of Topeka; Miss Ethel L. Hastings, R. N., superintendent of the Wesley hospital of Wichita; Miss Bertha Baumgartner, R. N., superintendent of the Halstead hospital; Miss Sullivan, R. N., representative of the Kansas State Nurses association; Miss Kettering, R. N., superintendent of the Methodist hospital in Hutchinson; Sister Magdalen Wiebe of Beatrice, Neb., Sister Anna Jantz of Hillsboro, Sister Ida Epp and Sister Rachel Kleinsasser of Mt. Lake, Minn., Miss Pearl Martin, R. N., and Miss Hary Helena Daily, R. N., of Topeka, Mrs. Alma R. O’Keefe, R. N., and Miss Carrie Wourms of Wichita; Miss Eva Becker of Enid, Okla., Mrs. Louise Dellenback of Partridge, Kan., Miss Margaret Enns of Reedley, Calif., Miss Gunda Priebe of Hillsboro, and the sisters of the Salem hospital in Hillsboro.