Kuehny, John Henry (1914-1936)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1936 Nov 25 p. 5

Birth date: 1914 Oct 23

text of obituary:

John Henry Kuehny

John Henry, the third son of Henry and Katherine Schnebele Kuehny, was born on October 23, 1914. He grew up through boyhood and into early young manhood in the family home near Deer Creek, Oklahoma.

He attended the Deer Creek schools and graduated from the high school with the class of 1932. He attended Bethel College for one year after completing his high school course. The past two and a half years he was associated with his brother Harold in the filling station in Deer Creek.

He became a member of the Deer Creek Mennonite Church on June 16, 1929, through the rite of baptism after making a public profession of his faith in his Savior, Christ Jesus. To this profession he remained steadfastly true to the end of his days. The present pastor administered the rite of baptism and received him into the Church.

On last Tuesday night, November 17, while returning from Garber, Oklahoma, with a tank truck load of gasoline the headlights suddenly went out and before the heavy truck could be stopped it crashed into a concrete culvert. The force of the impact broke the large tank and in some way his clothing became saturated with gasoline and in the resulting fire, he was severly [sic] burned. He was rushed to the Enid hospital by those who quickly were on the scene. He remained conscious until his parents could be brought there and he could tell them how the accident happened. All possible was done to relieve the extremely severe effects of the burns.

He passed away at 6:15 on Wednesday morning, November 18, when out merciful Father called his soul home. He brought his age to 22 years and 25 days.

He leaves to mourn his departure his parents, one sister, Mrs. Harold Bechtel, his brothers Harold, Karl and Ralph, all of Deer Creek. He also leaves a large circle of uncles, aunts, cousins and many friends and acquaintances.

John was of a quiet disposition, industrious, thoroughly dependable, well-liked by all who knew him, a source of justifiable pride to his home and family. Even after the crash and with death imminent, his first thought was of his responsibility for the truck and for a considerable sum of money in his possession. He did not flinch in the supreme moment.

John was always regularly present in his Church services when it was possible for him to be there. He was the type of young manhood which the Church and community needs today. He was, above all, a conscientiously Christan boy and young man. In his home-going we may say, "Death loves a shining mark". Blessed are they who die in the Lord.

Funeral services were conducted in the home of his parents and in the Deer Creek Mennonite Church on Thursday afternoon, Nov. 19, in charge of the pastor, Rev. A. S. Bechtel, who was assisted by Rev. P. K. Rediger, a close friend of the family, of Moundridge, Kansas. The services were very largely attended and the floral tributes were unusually beautiful and many and gave touching evidence of the esteem in which he was held. The Pishmy Funeral Home had charge of the arrangements. Burial was made in the Bayard cemetery.