Thiessen, Jacob S. (1870-1952)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1952 May 22 p. 9

Birth date: 1870 Apr 16

text of obituary:

JACOB S. THIESSEN

Jacob S. Thiessen was born in Samara, Russia on April 16, 1870, and passed away at the Agnew State hospital near San Jose, Calif. on May 3, 1952, at the age of 82 years and 17 days.

He came to America with his parents in 1884 and grew to manhood near Hillsboro, Kansas. He was baptized by Rev. Wilhelm Ewert and became a member of the Brudertal Mennonite church.

In 1897 he was married to Marie Isaac of Newton, Kansas. This union lasted 55 years. During most of their married life they resided in California, where he was employed by the Union Pacific Railroad. In 1936 he retired from his work and since then they had lived in El Monte, Calif., until last fall when the infirmities of old age began to manifest themselves. Psychosis necessitated his removal to a state hospital, and complications of pneumonia and myocarditis developed, to which he succumbed.

Surviving are his wife, Marie Thiessen, one sister, Mrs. Tina Foth of Shafter, and two brothers, John of riverside and Gary of San Jose, Calif.

The remains were brought to Upland where funeral services were conducted by Rev. Dan Cleveland of ElMonte at the Stone funeral chapel. this enabled his sick wife, who moved to Upland to be cared for by her sisters, to attend his funeral.

The body was taken to Whittier for entombment in the Rose Hill mausoleum.