Klassen, Cornelius J. (1884-1969)

Mennonite Brethren Herald obituary: 1969 Apr 04 p. 27

Birth date: 1884 Sep 12

text of obituary:

CORNELIUS J. KLASSEN

Cornelius John Klassen, 71, passed away in the Brandon General Hospital on February 8 after a brief illness. He was born on March 7, 1897, in Steinfeld, Russia, the second eldest son of John and Maria Klassen. In 1912, when he was 15, he accepted Christ as Saviour and Lord and joined the Mennonite Brethren church at Steinfeld. During the First World War he served a short term in the Russian army as a baker. In 1921 he married Margaret Niebuhr who became his life's companion for47 years.

As a young man of 29 years of age, he and his wife, together with three small children, crossed the Atlantic to come to Canada in 1926. Although they viewed Canada as a land of hope and promise, they were soon engulfed in the trials and hardships of the depression years. Much of his patient hope and simple trust that God does provide was fashioned in the crucible of the depression years. Nine years at Coulter and 24 years in the Boissevain district were spent in farming and providing a home for the family. In 1960 he and his wife retired to live in Brandon.

There were some difficult years in his life. The experiences during the Russian Revolution, a year of famine in Russia, the early death of his mother and the frustration of crop failures during the depression years in Canada, all left a visible mark on his philosophy of life.

He was predeceased by his wife, Margaret, in June, 1968. Surviving are his daughter, Mrs. Jake Toews (Margaret) of Vancouver; five sons; John of Calgary, Cornelius of Brandon, William of Winnipeg, Henry of Calgary and Peter of Boissevain; twenty-three grandchildren; one brother, Peter of Black Creek, Vancouver Island; and two sisters: Mrs. Henry Friesen (Tina) of Brazil and Mrs. John Janzen (Marie) of Brazil.