Thiessen, Henry H. (1894-1950)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1950 May 25 p. 6

Birth date: 1894 Jul 18

text of obituary:

HENRY H. THIESSEN

Henry H. Thiessen, son of Rev. Heinrich Nicholai and Anna Goertzen Thiessen, was born at Alexander Kronn, South Russia on July 18, 1894, and went to be with the Lord on April 26, 1950, at the York, Nebr. General hospital, reaching the age of 55 years, nine months and eight days.

He migrated to this country from Russia during the winter of 1914. Nine months of the journey were spent in Germany. Restless conditions in Russia caused him to desire to seek refuge in a country where he might further his education. He planned to return to his native country after five years, but upon learning from his father that the Russian government would not permit money to be sent out he was forced to halt his education and seek work. He followed his cousins to Wisconsin and here he worked as a farm hand for some nine months.

Upon hearing of a large Mennonite settlement in the midwest he went to Kansas. Here he worked as a harvest hand and followed the harvest to Nebraska where he fell in love with the country and decided to make this his home.

He realized his lost condition and accepted Christ as his personal Saviour during the winter of 1917. In July of the same year he was baptized upon the confession of his faith and became a member of the Mennonite Brethren church of Henderson. Here he was a faithful and loyal member to his very end. He took deep interest in church work. He began as Sunday school teacher, and later was superintendent, in which capacity he served many years. He also was elected to the office of deacon and served as long as his health permitted. He had to resign from all these activities in 1948 because of ill health.

On May 5, 1918, he was joined in holy wedlock with Anna Wiens. This union was blessed with four sons and three daughters. Ours was a happy home and father was ever an example of unselfishness and of Godliness. This union was blessed for a period of 31 years, 11 months and 21 days.

In 1933 he suffered hemorrhages of the kidney. Infection of his kidney developed into high blood pressure and in 1943 he had to undergo a serious operation in which his right kidney was removed. His recovery was most miraculous. He was in fairly good health after this. In 1944 he submitted to an appendectomy, and again he regained his strength, but not too fully. This did not dim his vision of his lord and he was always cheerful in spite of his slowly failing health. In 1936, he developed diabetes which also greatly complicated his health.

Last October first he was involved in an accident. At first it was not considered serious, but two weeks later he noticed a numbness in his left side. Consulting different doctors, it was found a blood clot had formed. A month before his death he developed severe headaches. Two weeks later, Easter Sunday night, he suffered his first heart attack, followed by another on April 13, after which he was taken to the hospital. Here all medical aid was given but to no avail. On Sunday, April 23, he suffered a stroke which paralyzed his left side and mind, after which he spoke no more. Lingering on till April 26, 4:05 p. m., he then was relieved of all suffering.

He leaves to mourn his too early departure his wife Anna; four sons, Herbert of York, Nebr., Melvin, Wilmer and Virgil of Hampton, Nebr., three daughters, Mrs. Linda Kliewer of Los Angeles, Calif., Mrs. Bernice Nachtigal of Slackham, Nebr., Mrs. Martha Regier of Henderson, Nebr.: three sons-in-law, one daughter-in-law, six grandchildren; his aged mother, Mrs. Anna Thiessen of Beamsville, Ontario, Canada: four brothers, Don Thiessen of Wasco, Calif., Pete Thiessen of St. Catharines, Ont., Herbert Thiessen, Beamsville, Ont., and David Thiessen in Russia; one sister, Mrs. Lydia Voth, St. Catharines, Ont., his parents-in-law, J. J. Wiens, and many relatives and friends.—Mrs. Anna Thiessen and children.