Block, Olga Schmidt (1897-1978)

Mennonite Brethren Herald obituary: 1979 Jan 19 p. 29

Birth date: 1897 June 27

text of obituary:

MRS. OLGA BLOCK

On November 18, (Mrs.) Olga Block of Saskatoon passed into the presence of her Saviour. She was born on June 27, 1897 in the village of Friedensfeld, in the southern Ukraine, the oldest daughter of Albert and Amalie (nee Schetle) Schmidt. She spent her entire youth in Friedensfeld, attended the village school and was instructed early in Christian principles by her godly parents, who had been converted, baptized and married by the Mennonite historian, P.M. Friesen. She opened her own life to the Saviour at the age of nineteen and followed him in baptism soon after, joining the Friedensfeld Mennonite Brethren Church. She often spoke of the happy times with the Lord and fellow believers she experienced then. Those days did not last long; the revolution brought anarchy, suffering and death, including the death of her brother, Hugo, at the hands of anarchists. Nevertheless, hope did not vanish and on June 27, 1921, in the midst of a time of famine, she was married to Jacob J antz. Still, many trials came. Three of the five children that God gave them died in infancy, leaving a son and daughter, Jake and Irene. In 1937 her husband was suddenly taken away from his place of work and was never seen or heard from again. During those years she took in another child, an orphaned niece, Luise, who became her adopted daughter. During World War 2 she with her children joined the many who fled the Soviet Union to Germany. In 1948, they finally came to Canada through the help of relatives and came to live in Dundurn, Sask. There she was married a second time on January 14, 1950 to Henry Block of Dundurn, a union which they could share for 19 years. During these years the Lord blessed them with many joys and the two families were drawn close together and all of them closer to the Lord. She was a person who allowed God to mold her into his divine image. She left the legacy, "God in you, the hope of glory." The funeral took place on November 21 from the First Mennonite Church of Saskatoon with Henry Wiens and Waldo Pauls ministering. Interment was in the Dundurn Cemetery. She is survived by six children and their spouses, one sister, one sister-in-law, 17 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren and many friends.