Derksen, Henry (1906-1991)

Mennonite Brethren Herald obituary: 1991 Dec 20 p. 24

Birth date: 1906 Apr 15

text of obituary:

HENRY DERKSEN

Henry Derksen of Clearbrook, B.C. passed away Sept. 27. He was born Apr. 15, 1906 on the Babenko estate, Bachmut, Russia. They moved to Minosinsk, Jenisej, Siberia, then to Rosowka in 1913. At 12, he herded sheep on the steppes. In winter they lived in huts in the Altaj Mountains near Mongolia. In 1924 they moved to Davlekanovo, where he loaded food onto trains. He learned to read and write in night school. At 21 he was baptized and joined the Mennonite Church. In 1929 his parents immigrated to Germany, then Paraguay. He moved to Ignatievo, where he married Kaethe Kehler in 1930. He was imprisoned in Schitomir 1937-39. In World War II he was drafted and sent to Kiev. He was captured by the Germans and sent to Germany, where he worked in the forests. His wife and daughter Lina were sent to an unknown area. In 1948 he immigrated to Canada. In 1950 he moved to Arnold, B.C., where he married Margaret Dyck, a widow with 4 children. They bought a small dairy farm on Sumas Prairie and he found work. Daughter Lina regained contact through his parents in Paraguay, and later visited twice. In 1965 they moved to Clearbrook, where they attended Clearbrook MB Church. He retired in 1969 but continued to make toys and do carpentry jobs. Predceased by his first wife Kaethe and three children, he is mourned by his wife Margaret; children Peter, Jacob, Ernest, and Lydia; 10 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren; and daughter Lina Tkatschenko and her 3 children. The funeral was Oct. 2 in Clearbrook MB Church, with Jacob Pauls ministering.