Wiebe, John (1945-1959)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1959 Sep 17 p. 1

Birth date: 1919

text of obituary:

Heavy Thunderstorms Bring Unusually Large Number of Deaths Thru Lightning in Mexico

DEATHS IN CHIHUAHUA AND DURANGO PROVINCES TOTAL MORE THAN TWO DOZEN

Cuauhtemoc, Mexico — Heavy thunderstorms, beginning in early August and continuing though [sic] most of the month, brought this section of Chihuahua province much-needed moisture and gave late-planted crops a new start.

Here and there low places were badly flooded and several farmsteads stood in water. Roads between the villages became almost impassable as trucks and buggies mired down in the deep mud.

Beneficial as the moisture was, the severe electrical disturbances accompanying the storms also brought tragedy to many homes. No less than 22 persons were killed by lightning — some being Mexicans and others Mennonites. Among the victims were Cor. Banman, 39, the 14-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Wiebe, and the 15-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Enns.

Reports from Durango province some 200 miles south tell of similar tragedies. Cattle losses through lightning likewise were heavy. At one place six horses were killed at one time.

More Going to Honduras

Because of the land shortage in the colonies, in both Chihuahua and Durango, an occasional family is still migrating to British Honduras. But there are also some families coming back. Altogether about 100 families are now living in British Honduras, the total Mennonite population there being around 1,000.