Froese, John Arthur (1931-1971)

Mennonite Brethren Herald obituary: 1971 Dc 03 p. 30

Birth date: 1931 Jul 02

text of obituary:

JOHN ARTHUR FROESE

John Arthur Froese was born to Peter and Elizabeth (Paetkau) Froese in Winkler, Manitoba, on July 2, 1931, During hi'S first two yelars he was often very iN. When he was ten years o,ld, the family moved Ito Virgil, Ontario.

On December 20, 1949 his pray,ing father passed away. A week earl'ier thtwo-year-old son of h,is bro,ther and sis,ter-lin-Iaw, Peter and Amal'ie Froese, drowned near Niagara-on-the-Lake. These events caused Art to stop and consider his personal relationship to Jes'us Chri'St. On January 9, 1950 he committed his life to Chri'st and was baptized and received into the V irg'il MB Church on August 13, 1950.

He had a great concem for the s,alvalion of his two older brothers. W'ithin a year, both Jake and Peter yielded their lives to Jesus Christ. To prepare t'O serve Christ better, he attended the B'riercrest Bible Institute from 1952-55. On July 17, 1954 he w as married to Hilda Huebner. Their first two years were spent studying the Bible t'Ogether at Briercrest.

From 1958 to 1961 the'y worked with the Janz Te'am 'in Europe, serving as office manager in Ba-se.l, Swi~ze dand and Loerra'ch, Germany. After three demanding, yet rewarding yelars, they returned to Virgil where he started work with 'the Niagara Credit Union.

In 1962 he became critically ioil and spent three months in the Bethesda Home in Vineland, Ontario . S'ince that time his health was always precarious, but with God's help he was able to ~ulfill his duty as a devo,ted father and loving husband .

In spite of times of weakness and distress, he never shirked his respons'ibility in serving Christ at the Niag'ara Christian Fell'Owship Chapel. He was 'One of the pioneer teachers when the church had its s'tartin the Old T'Own Ha<llin Niaglara-on-the-Lake. His unique contribution was keeping the treasury b'Ook'S in order.

He faced another great cris:is in 1968 and spent two months in the hospit'al. God renewed his strength and spirit . During the last year, hefel-t remarkably well but suffere-d a severe relapse on November 26, 1970. Death is presumed to have come by drowning, though his body has s-till not been recovered .

Even thoug·h we cannot understand his early departure, we look up to God who has promised in Romans 8, "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? I,tis God thait justifieth." In a Bible which he received from his wife in 1966, these words were written, "By your example 'Of thoughtfulness, consideration and 'I'ove, I have cQlme to understand bet,teT what the Bible means when it says in Ephesians 5:25, 'Christ .loved the church, and gave himself for it.' "

The Froese family wishes to thank those who shared their loss, for the many tokens of kindness and love. The let,ters of C'Oncern, oards of hope, gifts of food and money and especially the many prayers, has'tened the renewal of strength and coma'ge to keep living for Christ.

John Arthur 'Froese is survived by hi'S wife, Hilda; four ch,ildren, Alan, Gawlyn, Donna and Brenda, aH at home; his mother, Mrs. E'lizabeth Froese, Tabor Manor, St. Catharines; a sister, Mrs. Henry C. (Anne) D'ueck, MHton, Ont.; and two brothers, Peter and Jacob, both of Virgil. A memorial service was conduoted at the Niagara Christian Fellowship Chapel, Niagara-on-the Lake November 27 with Rev. Rudy Bartel officiating.