Muller, John Bernhardt (1889-1958)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1958 Dec 18 p. 8

Birth date: 1889 May 10

text of obituary:

JOHN BERNHARDT MULLER

John Bernhard Muller was born in Germany, in the state of Hanover,on May 10, 1889. His mother came from a family of the German nobility. Early in his life a family situation growing out of the marriage of a noble lady to a commoner cast little John into a foster home. Also at an early age a rheumatic condition developed which in later years gave terrible pain and twisted his skilled fingers.

He came to America at the age of 14, and lived for a number of years in New York city.

In 1920 he moved to South Dakota,where he became a potato grower. He was sometimes spoken of as the Potato King of South Dakota. Some years later the market dropped and the prosperity began to wane.

In 1924 he moved to Denver where he learned the trade of building. There also he met the sister-in-law of the man who taught him the building trade. He fell in love with her. Her name was Susanna Voth.

Five years after moving to Denver, Mr. Muller came to Wichita and established the Muller Construction Company. Having set up his business, he set about changing the name of Miss Voth and establshing a home. On June 28, 1931, they drove to the home of Rev. Arnold Funk at Hillsboro, where they were united in marriage. Then they began keeping house, which from the very beginning was an open house.

The group of Mennonites in Wichita had no church home. John and Susie worked hard to develop a congregation. their home became the church, as in the New Testament.