Koehn, Joseph William J. (1886-1957)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1957 Nov 7 p. 8

Birth date: 1886 May 18

text of obituary:

JOSEPH W. J. KOEHN

Joseph William J. Koehn was born at Halstead, Kansas on May 18, 1886, and died at Fairview, Okla. on Oct. 10, 1957, at the age of 71 years, four months and 22 days.

At the age of five years he with his parents moved to Lahoma, Okla. where he grew up and attended school. At 16 he took up watch repairing. In 1906 the family moved to Taloga, Okla.

He was converted in 1917 and was baptized and became a member of the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite on May 17 of that year.

In 1920 he came to Fairview, Okla. and was married to Anna Nightingale on Nov.7, 1921. They had no children of their own, so in September 1939 they adopted a little five-year-old girl.

Joe made watch repairing his life work and was watch inspector for the Santa Fe Railroad for a number of years and operated a watch repair shop until he retired because of ill health several years ago. In February 1944 his first wife passed away and after being a widower for a short while he was married to Mrs. Anna Giesbrecht.

Joe tried to live a sincere Christian life, confessing his mistakes as he made them. The end came suddenly Thursday about 8:00 a. m. while at his usual work of feeding turkeys for his neighbor. He died without a word of farewell, but we mourn not as those who have no hope.

He leaves his wife Anna and daughter Mrs. Dorothy McKnight, Shawnee, Okla.; three grandchildren; four brothers, Rudolph of Taloga, Okla., Jonathan of Enid, Okla., Francis of Helena, Okla., Ben of Fairview, Okla.; two sisters, Mrs. Elizabeth Jantz and Mrs. Miranda Eck, both of Fairview. — The Family.