Bestvater, William J. (1879-1969)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1969 Oct 16 p. 15

Birth date: 1879 Jul 26

text of obituary:

90-Year-Old Pastor Dies at Shafter

Shafter, Calif. — Rev. William J. Bestvater, 90, former pastor of the Mennonite Brethren Church here and former Bible teacher at Tabor College, Hillsboro, Kan., died of cancer at the Shafter Convalescent Hospital Sept. 29.

Surviving are five children, 17 grandchildren and 34 great-grandchildren. His wife, the former Helena H. Janzen of Mt. lake, Minn., died in 1960.

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Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1969 Oct 23 p. 11

text of obituary:

WILLIAM J. BESTVATER

William J. Bestvater, son of Jacob and Katherine Adrian, nee Penner, Bestvater, was born on July 26, 1879, in the village of Alexandertal, Old Samaria, Russia. In his early childhood his father passed away, so his mother moved in with his oldest sister, Mrs. Bernhard Dyck.

Since the future for young Mennonite men in Russia did not look too bright, he accepted an invitation from his half-brother, Julius J. Adrian, to come to the United States. The parting from her youngest son was hard for his mother, but in 1894 he came to the United States in the company of two other families to settle in Mt. Lake, Minn. Here he lived in the home of his brother Julius. He attended the day school and learned the language of his new country.

In 1898 he accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Savior through the reading of a sermon by Dr. Spurgeon on the text of Luke 5:20. He was baptized upon his confession of faith and received into the Bethel Mennonite Church of Mt. Lake. Before our father left Russia he had completed the course of study in the village and also three years of Russian high school. Here in the States he completed his teacher training course and taught for several years in the schools of North Dakota and Minnesota.

On August 12, 1900, he was married to Helena H. Janzen. This union which lasted over 60 years, was blessed with three sons and three daughters.

In 1902 our parents went to Cleveland, Ohio to attend the Light and Hope Bible Institute in order to prepare for Christian service. After a year of schooling they returned to Mt. Lake for health reasons. Here they united with the Mennonite Brethren Church for fellowship. Later our father was ordained to the ministry at Dolton, S. D. He found great joy in preaching the Gospel and conducting Bible conferences in the Mennonite Brethren churches in the Central District as well as in Canada. He served in city mission work in Winnipeg, and also served as principal of the Herbert Bible School.

In 1930 he accepted the pastorate of the Mennonite Brethren Church of Shafter, Calif. After serving for eight years, he accepted a position in the Bible department of Tabor College, Hillsboro, Kan. After this he also had the joy of helping in the ministry of the Cudahay Baptist Church of Bell, Calif. [sic Bell Baptist Church of Cudahy, Calif.] as well as at the Immanuel Kapell in Los Angeles. His last active teaching was done in the Maranatha Bible class of the First Baptist Church, Shafter.

Father Bestvater enjoyed fairly good health until last February. Then it as discovered that he had a cancer ailment. His health failed gradually. He was admitted to the Shafter Convalescent Hospital on Aug. 20, and passed into the presence of his Lord and Savior, whom he dearly loved and gladly served, on Sept. 29, 1969. He reached the age of 90 years, two months and three days.

Surviving are three sons, Arthur of La Mirada, Henry of Rosetown, Sask., and William of Bakersfield; two daughters, Anna Redekopp of Herbert, Sask., and Katherine Warkentin of Shafter; nine grandsons, eight granddaughters, and 34 great-grandchildren. He was preceded by his wife in 1960 and one daughter, Mrs. Mary Strauss, in 1943.

We thank God for our Christian parents. May their memory be blessed. — The Family.