Tieszen, Abraham F. (1893-1957)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1957 Jan 10 p. 3

Birth date: 1893 Sep 23

text of obituary:

Book Store Owner Called by Death

HEART ATTACK FATAL TO REV. A. F. TIESZEN OF NORTH NEWTON

Rev. Abraham F. Tieszen, 63, owner of the Tieszen Book Store on Main Street in Newton, suffered a heart attack Tuesday morning shortly after arriving at the store and died a short time later at Axtell Christian Hospital.

Funeral services will be conducted Friday afternoon at 2:30 in the Bethel College Mennonite Church. Rev. H. T. Unruh will be in charge of the service, and will be assisted by Rev. David Railsback, pastor of the Congregational Church of Newton.

A native of Marion, S.D., Rev. Tieszen held the Th.D. degree from the Iliff School of Theology at Denver. He formerly served as pastor of several Mennonite churches, and in the 1920's taught at Freeman Junior College and Bethel College. Recently he had been a supply pastor for Congregational churches in this area. The family home is at North Newton.

Surviving are his wife, the former Wanda Isaac, one daughter, Mrs. David Warkentine of Newton, five brothers and sis [sic six] sisters.

---

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1957 Jan 24 p. 8

ABRAHAM F. TIESZEN

Abraham F. Tieszen, the son of Franz D. and Anna Ratzlaff Tieszen, was born on Sept. 23, 1893, near Marion, S.D., and died at Newton, Kansas on Jan. 8, 1957, having reached the age of 63 years, three months and 11 days.

His early education was irregular, but after the loss of his right arm in a farm accident on Dec. 6, 1911, he determined to obtain schooling to fit him for a professional career. He attended the public school of Marion, S.D., Freeman Junior College, Freeman, S.D., Bethel College, N. Newton, Kan., Witmarsum Seminary, Bluffton, Ohio, Denver University and the Iliff School of theology at Denver. He graduated from each of these schools, having specialized in Theology and Education.

He was baptized and received into the membership of the Bethesda Mennonite church near Marion, S.D., in 1912. this same congregation elected him to the ministry in 1917 and later ordained him into the full ministry. During World War I he served his home church and greatly assisted the congregation in making the transition into the English language.

From 1922 to 1930 he taught at Freeman College and Bethel college. In 1935 he entered the Congregational ministry and until 1949 held pastorates in various churches of that fellowship in South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas. During World War II he served the U.S. Government in the Public Health Service at Washington, D.C. In 1949 he assumed management of the Mennonite Bookstore in Newton, Kansas. Meanwhile he continued as interim minister in several Congregational churches in Kansas — Sedgwick, Eureka, Plevna and Udall. After the family home was built on the Bethel College Campus in 1950, he took great pleasure in the care of his trees and flowers, especially roses.

On May 13, 1920, he was married to Wanda S. Isaac, who survives him. Others who mourn him are a daughter Barbara and her husband David A. Warkentine, five brothers, six sisters, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Funeral services were held on Jan. 11 at 2:30 P.M. in the Bethel College Church. Rev. David H. Railsback and Rev. H. T. Unruh officiated. Honorary pallbearers were brother ministers, J. H. Langenwalter and D. C. Wedel, North newton, Louis Poppe, Whitewater, J. D. Schmidt, Haven, Clarence Borger, Newton, and Elmer Parsons, McPherson. Active pallbearers were Charles Isaac, Harvey Wedel, Delano Tieszen, Charles Tieszen, Walter Tieszen and Lewis Tieszen, all nephews of the deceased.

Music was furnished by the Bethel College Choir under the direction of Dr. Walter Hohmann. Mrs. Clarence Graber was at the organ. Interment was in Greenwood cemetery.