Sawatsky, Walter (d. 1961)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1961 Jul 6 p. 3

Birth date:

text of obituary:

Three M. B. Church Members Killed En Route to Canadian Conference

MISSIONARY, PASTOR AND LAYMAN OF YARROW, B. C. CHURCH DIE IN CRASH AT BONNERS FERRY, IDAHO

Yarrow, British Columbia — Funeral services were held Sunday, July 2, for three members of the Yarrow Mennonite Brethren Church killed June 29 enroute to the annual Canadian Mennonite Brethren Conference.

They were Herbert Martens, an active layman in the congregation; Rev. Peter P. Neufeldt, pastor; and Rev. Walter Sawatsky, conference missionary scheduled to sail to Brazil with his family Monday, July 17.

Collide With Bus

The tragic accident occurred when the vehicle in which the three men were traveling collided with a bus at Bonners Ferry, Idaho, which is near the point where the British Columbia, Idaho and Montana border converge. Martens and Neufeldt were killed instantly and Sawatsky died in a hospital.

The three men were traveling to Coaldale, Alberta, to participate in a day of prayer on Friday and in the sessions of the 1961 Canadian Conference from Saturday to Wednesday.

Martens operated a garage in Yarrow and is survived by Mrs. Martens and two children. Rev. Neufeldt, the father of Mrs. Walter Sawatsky, had served as pastor of the Yarrow Mennonite Brethren Church since late in 1959. He is survived by Mrs. Neufeldt, a son at home and three married children and their families.

Served in Congo

Surviving Rev. Sawatsky are Mrs. Sawatsky and sons Terrance 6 and Edwin 3. Following his graduation from Tabor College in 1957, the Sawatskys left for their first term of service in the Congo where they served until 1960 in the Ecole Belle Vue missionary children's school operated jointly by Congo Inland Mission and the Mennonite Brethren Mission. They were given a new assignment by the Mennonite Brethren Church Board of Missions since their early return to the turbulent Congo seemed unlikely and since missionaries are urgently needed in Brazil.