Friesen, Karl (1888-1973)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1973 Jul 5 p. 8

Birth date: 1888 Sep 15

text of obituary:

Newton and Vicinity

Rev. Karl Friesen, 84, of North Newton died June 28 at Bethel Deaconess Hospital after an extended illness. The largely attended funeral services were held Sunday afternoon at the First Mennonite Church, with Dr. Albert Epp in charge. Graveside services took place Monday morning in Greenwood Cemetery. A native of Marion County, Rev. Friesen was a graduate of the Bethel Academy and Bethel College, and attended several other schools including the Bible Institute of Los Angeles and the University of Chicago. In his earlier years he taught in public schools as well as at Oklahoma Bible Academy and the Bible academy at Beatrice, Neb. For seven years he and his wife, the former Frieda Balzer, were missionaries to the Hopi Indians in Arizona. In 1935 he began employment at the Herald Publishing Company and for a time wrote the German Sunday school lesson for the German paper "Der Herold." He continued full-time work in the printing plant until 1957, and was a part-time employee until 1971. Mrs. Friesen died in 1969. Surviving is a daughter, Miss Leonore Friesen of the home, former missionary to Japan and now a faculty member at Berean Academy.

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Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1973 Jul 19 p. 11

text of obituary:

REV. KARL FRIESEN

Karl Friesen was born to Cornelius H. and Helena Schmidt Friesen on Sept. 15, 1888, in Marion County, Kansas south of what now is Goessel, the oldest of five brothers and one sister. Two brothers, Pete of Dodge City, Kan. and Henry of Buhler, Kan. as well as his sister Pauline, Mrs. J. K. Froese of Buhler, Kan. preceded him in death. He has two remaining brothers, Adolf of Goshen, Ind. and Cornelius of Hesston, Kan. Frieda, his wife, preceded him in death on Jan. 10, 1969.

He attended the Gordon School near Goessel. At the age of 13 his family moved to an unbroken prairie farm southeast of Buhler. He was the first one to graduate from eighth grade at the Lilydale School. At the age of 19 he was baptized in the Hoffnungsau Mennonite Church.

After attending Bethel Academy for one year he taught in a country school in Harvey County for one year and for two years in the Sand Creek school near Tabor Church. He returned to Bethel Academy from which he graduated in 1913 after two more years of study.

His first two years of college were taken at Bethel, and then together with several friends, Sam Goering and W. C. Voth, one year of study was taken at Chicago University. The following year, 1917, father graduated from Bethel with a B. S. degree. That summer, on June 21, he and Frieda Balzer were married.

In fall they went to Munich, N. D. where father taught school. The teaching contract had to be shortened because of the draft. He served in the Medical Department of the Army as a noncombatant [line missing] Hospital and at the General Hospital in St. Louis.

After the war ended he accepted a call from the Foreign Mission Board of the General Conference Mennonite Church to do mission work among the Hopi Indians at Oraibi, Ariz. Here their only child, Leonore, was born.

During the years at Oraibi, intensive Bible study was begun. This hunger for a deeper knowledge of the Word was stimulated by annual attendance at the Southwest Bible Conference held at Flagstaff, Ariz. After seven years of witnessing and working with the Hopi Indians the work had to be terminated because of mother's health.

For one year he attended the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, and then for several years he took J. B. Epp's place as teacher in the Oklahoma Bible Academy. His cousin, August Schmidt, was principal of the school at the time.

From 1929 through 1935 he taught in the Mennonite Bible Academy at Beatrice, Neb. and also helped with the preaching at the First Mennonite Church. It was during this time that monthly Sunday evening services were begun and also during this time part of the morning message, when he spoke, was given in the English language as well as in German. Several summers were spent attending the University of Minnesota and also the State Teachers College at Peru, Neb.

In 1935 the family moved to Newton and he began working for the Herald Publishing Company. For a time he wrote the Sunday school lessons for the German weekly, "Der Herold." He continued at the printing plant on a full-time basis until 1957 and on a part-time basis until 1971.

For about 15 years he served as secretary of the annual Newton Bible Conference and for much longer on the Bible conference board. His daughter's missionary service in Japan as well as missionary activities of close relatives and friends were a source of great joy to him. He prayed regularly for family members, relatives, and close friends by name. He spent much time learning to know his Bible first hand. He memorized long passages of Scripture such as Romans, chapters one through eight, Ephesians and others.

During his last years he especially appreciated the warm fellowship he found with members of the Christian Business Men's Prayer Breakfast every Saturday morning.

He enjoyed good health, and it was only within the last several years that he experienced sickness and weakness. He peacefully slipped into the presence of his Saviour and Lord on June 28, 1973 at the age of 84.

A memorial fund has been established for the missionaries of the First Mennonite Church, Newton. —Leonore Friesen.