Klassen, Tina Schmidt (1893-1945)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1945 Dec 6 p. 5

Birth date: 1893 Feb 27

text of obituary:

Newton And Vicinity

. . .

— The long months of suffering came to an end for Mrs. D. G. Klassen on Thursday afternoon, November 29, when she passed away at the Bethel Deaconess hospital. Funeral services held at the First Mennonite church on Monday afternoon were very largely attended. After the services the body was taken to the cemetery of the Alexanderwohl church, where many friends of the community had gathered to pay their last respects in a beloved relative and friend. She leaves to mourn her departure, her husband, one daughter, Mrs. Marion Hiebert, a son-in-law and one granddaughter.

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Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1945 Dec 13 p. 3

text of obituary:

MRS. D. G. KLASSEN

Mrs. D. G. Klassen, nee Tina Schmidt, was born near Lehigh, Kansas, on February 27, 1893, the daughter of Jacob R. and Catherine (Franz) Schmidt. She died in Newton, Kansas, on November 29, 1945, aged 52 years, 9 months and 2 days.

Mrs. Klassen spent her childhood days on the farm where she attended the grade school and from where she, with the members of her family, attended the services of the Alexanderwohl Mennonite church near Goessel, Kansas. Later her parents moved nearer Goessel and she had the privilege of attending the Goessel Preparatory School for two years. Through the influence of a Christian home and the services of the church she gave her heart to the Lord Jesus Christ and on June 4, 1911, was baptized on her confession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as her personal Saviour from sin, by Elder Henry Banman and received into the membership of the Alexanderwohl Mennonite church.

On September 15, 1915, she was united in marriage with D. G. Klassen, with whom she shared the joys and sorrows of life for a few months more than 30 years. One daughter was born to this union, who, with her father remains to mourn the death of the wife and mother of the home.

Shortly after their marriage they moved to Newton, where they became members of the First Mennonite church by transfer of church letter. Sister Klassen remained a faithful member of the church to the time when her Saviour called her home.

Mrs. Klassen lived a full and consecrated Christian life. She loved to read her Bible and copied many favorite Bible verses and memorized them. She also memorized a great number of hymns and Gospel songs. A little note book, that she kept, shows that she memorized more than 200 precious Bible verses and a great number of hymns. She may well have been called "Sister Great Heart" for her expressions of kindness and deeds of thoughtfulness, for her cheer of others benefited many lives.

Her gifts to missions and to individual mission workers were a joy to her and an encouragement to those who were remembered by her. She loved her Sunday School class and the church and loved to serve through them. Of her it also can be said, "She hath done what she could."

Through many months of illness she bore her suffering with patience and the Lord graciously sustained her faith and hope in Him. The treasury of Bible verses which she had memorized were a source of comfort to her. When she realized that she was not to get well, she expressed her desire to be with Him who loved her and who had become her Saviour.

She leaves to mourn her departure: her husband, one daughter, Martha, and her husband Marion Hiebert and the little granddaughter Marcia Hiebert; two sisters, two brothers, and a host of friends from her Sunday School class, her church and the community.

Servant of God, well done!
Rest from thy loved employ:
The battle fought, the victory won,
Enter thy Master's joy.

The pains of death are past,
Labour and sorrow cease,
And life's long warfare closed at last,
Thy soul is found in peace.

— James Montgomery