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Klassen, Cornelius F. (1894-1954)
Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1954 May 13 p. 1
Birth date: 1894
text of obituary:
Akron, Pa. — C. F. Klassen, much of whose life activity was devoted to the cause of the Mennonite refugee, died of a heart attack in Gronau, Germany at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, May 8.
His death in Gronau was symbolic of his consuming love for refugees for it was through that German city that practically all Mennonite people passed in the migrations to North and South America after World War II. Bro. Klassen was director of the Mennonite Central Committee program in Europe at the time of his death, having served in that position since July 1953.
According to information received at MCC headquarters in Akron Saturday morning, the funeral was planned for Wednesday, May 12, with burial in Europe. Mrs. Klassen, who was in Europe with her husband at the time of his death, felt that he would want it that way.
Bro. Klassen had left his headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, last week and then visited Bremen and Hamburg before reaching Gronau. He was en route to a meeting in Amersterdam [sic Amsterdam]. On arrival in Gronau he had a severe heart attack and was moved to the hospital immediately. Mrs. Klassen was called and was in Gronau at the time of his death.
The many Mennonite communities in the United States and Canada will recall Bro. Klassen’s visit last April, May and June in behalf of the current MCC resettlement program of Mennonite refugees in western Germany.
Bro. Klassen, who would have been 60 years old this August, entered Germany in 1945 as an MCC commissioner for refugees and spent most of the time since then working with refugee movements and resettlements. His exhaustless efforts in those years contributed much to the movement of thousands of Mennonite refugees to South America, the United States and Canada.
Bro. Klassen's efforts in behalf of Mennonite refugees and his MCC services began in the early 1920’s in Russia. Following arrival in Canada around 1925 he was active in assisting in the Russian Mennonite movement into that country. Following 1930 he served the Canadian Mennonite Board of Colonization and the Canadian Pacific Railroad in collecting money to repay loans that had been made to pay for the transporting of these refugees.
Born in Russia in 1894, Bro. Klassen early in life experienced hardships and persecution, including imprisonment. In addition to Mrs. Klassen he is survived by four children—Harold, Walfried, Herbert and Irmgard, the latter two living in Europe with their parents at the time of the death of their father. The Canadian residence of the Klassen family is in Abbotsford. B. C.
Besides his interest in refugee work, the operation of the European Mennonite Bible School in Basel, Switzerland, and the publication of “Der Mennonit,” international Mennonite periodical, were particularly close to Bro. Klassen's heart. He was deeply interested in the European Mennonites and because of his knowledge of the German language he was particularly close to the German Mennonites — likely as close to them as any North American Mennonite. He was also active in Mennonite World conferences.
Bro. Klassen had been a member of the MCC since 1944, having been a member at large. He was also a member of the MCC executive committee. Belonging to the Mennonite Brethren church, he was a member of that group's General Welfare and Public Relations committee.
Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1954 May 20 p. 3
text of obituary:
Memorial Service Held At Akron, Penna. For Leader Of Mennonite “Pilgrims”’
FUNERAL SERVICES AND BURIAL OF C. F. KLASSEN IN FRANKFURT, GERMANY
Akron, Penna. — A service in memory of C. F. Klassen, much of whose life was spent seeking the welfare of his refugee brethren, was held at M. C. C. headquarters here Thursday, May 13.
Funeral services and burial for Bro. Klassen were held in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, May 12. Death came to him as a result of a heart attack in Gronau, Germany, Saturday, May 8.
In commenting on his services, Orie O. Miller, M. C. C. executive secretary and close friend of Bro Klassen for 30 years, said he knew Bro. Klassen to be driven by three particular passions: 1. The welfare of his refugee brethren, 2. The building of bridges between the various Mennonite brotherhoods, and 3. The anticipation of someday returning to Russia to minister to the brethren there.
Listing his characteristics as “kindness, enthusiasm, co-operativeness and tenacious courage,” Bro. Miller went on to elaborate on the pilgrim theme in Psalm 84 which he had heard Bro. Klassen use as a meditation.
“Bro. Klassen found deep joy in his pilgrimage. He went from strength to strength. He placed himself in the center of the Mennonite pilgrim movement. How fitting that he stopped at the spot he did! Gronau, where Bro. Klassen died, was the German city through which practically all Mennonite people passed in the migration to North and South America after World War II.
C. N. Hostetter, M. C. C. chairman, in a brief memorial meditation, recalled how he had met Bro. Klassen in the Gronau headquarters in 1950 and heard him say “I have seen many tears and heard many sad stories in this place but the joy of my life has been to help these people.” Bro. Hostetter in the meditation described a life of service as being one which “costs something, which is definitely related to the person of Christ and which is divinely defended and approved.”
Bro. Klassen was director of the M. C. C. program in Europe at the time of his death, having served in that position since July 1953. He had spent most of the time since 1945 in Europe working with Mennonite refugee movements and resettlements. Previous to this he gave much time and effort in the Mennonite refuge movement in the post-World War I period.
Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1954 May 27 p. 2
Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1954 Jun 3 p. 2, 10
Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1954 Dec 2 p.5
The Mennonite obituary: 1954 Jun 8 p. 367
The Mennonite obituary: 1954 Dec 7 p. 766