Mathies, Sara Peters (1905-1978)

Mennonite Brethren Herald obituary: 1979 Jan 19 p. 29

Birth date: 1905 Dec 01

text of obituary:

MRS. SARA MATHIES

(Mrs.) Sara Mathies of Kitchener, Ont. passed away December 9. She was born to Peter and Helen (nee Poerschke) Peters December 1, 1905 on the Peters' estate in the district of Schoenfeld, southern Russia. She shared a happy childhood with brothers Gerhard and Peter, and attended the local private elementary and secondary schools. The family was forced to move to Muntau, along the Molotschna River, when their father was killed by revolutionaries. In the difficult years that followed, a revival swept through the colony; many were saved, and among them Sara. The family moved to Canada in June 1924 and settled in Vineland, Onto On November 15, 1925 in Kitchener, Sara was married to John Mathies by Rev. Jakob Friesen. The couple settled in New Hamburg, where she was baptized by Rev. H.H. Janzen. They moved to Kitchener in 1971. Last November, while crossing the street in front of their house, both were struck by a car. Her husband was soon released from hospital, but Sara did not recover.

She is survived by her husband John; four daughters, Erica and Rudy Janzen, Elfrieda and Peter Poetker, Helen and Henry Neufeld and Margaret and Edward Boldt, all of Kitchener; son Ronald and Gudrun, serving with MCC in Swaziland; 15 grandchildren, one great-grandchild, and brother Gerhard Peters of Kitchener. The funeral service took place December 13 in the Kitchener Mennonite Brethren Church, with pastor John F. Froese officiating.