Dalke, J. P. (1883-1952)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1952 Apr 3 p. 9

Birth date: 1883 Sep 11

text of obituary

J. P. DALKE

The obituary of J. P. Dalke reads as follows: He was born Sept. 11, 1883, married Sara Unruh Aug. 18, 1908. He died Feb 12, 1952, leaving his wife and six married children.

But what did he do during his 68 years of life? For one thing, he was a farmer. The day of his death he was attending a farmer meeting.

He had quite a number of side lines that added variety. For a few years he managed a threshing crew in Kansas, owning a steam engine and all the rest of the equipment including a cook shack.

He was the janitor of a large church for 10 years and he and his family attended services regularly.

However, it was carpenter work that he enjoyed doing most and he did a lot of it. There are buildings in Oklahoma, Kansas, Washington and Oregon as evidence of his ability. One of the first things he did when the family moved to a new location was build a new kitchen cabinet for mother.

He did another kind of building which has brought him great satisfaction and that was building Christian character in his children. First of all, he read the Bible to them daily and went with them to church every Sunday. He also firmly believed in discipline. A pat on the back was forthcoming in the manner required.

His pats on the back for good behavior took the form of fishing in the creek, or a trip to the city to see how paper was made or going through the salt factory and the reformatory or driving the model T.

He was always interested in people and places and things. 0n Lincoln’s birthday he and a friend were leaving a farmers meeting and he was telling about the trip which he and mother were going to make this spring – a visit to their relatives in Kansas, attending his granddaughter's wedding at the Grace Bible Institute in June. While he was talking about this trip, he staggered and fell forward and died. His heart had been bothering him for several years and for the last two months he seemed to be anticipating release from his mortal body.

His pallbearers were six cousins, most of them being carpenters also. A men's quartet sang his favorite song, “I'm a Child of a King." The pastor brought a comforting message about being at peace with Jesus. The organist played a number of the family’s favorites, including, "Safe in the Arms of Jesus," while a large group of people filed past the casket.

He leaves his wife Mrs. J. P. Dalke and six children: Mrs. E. P. Krehbiel, Mrs. A. V. Krehbiel, John Dalke, Rev. Henry Dalke, Rev. Dan Dalke and Arnold Dalke; 16 grandchildren and two great granddaughters. One son preceded him in death, while serving in the medical corps in Italy.

"But we sorrow not as those who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him." I Thessalinians [sic Thessalonians] 4:13, 14.