Voth, Catherine (1878-1926)

Christlicher Bundesbote obituary: 1926 Sep 16 p. 7

Birth date: 1878 Oct 2

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1926 Aug 25 p. 1

text of obituary:

Sister Catherine Voth Passes on

Sister Catherine Voth was born on Oct. 2, 1878, near Inman, McPherson county, Kansas, the third child of her parents, Cornelius and Cornelia Voth, nee Heidebrecht. She died suddenly last Thursday morning at Bethel Hospital from an embolism. She had undergone an operation at the hospital on Aug. 4. Her parents came to Kansas with the large Mennonite immigration movement from Southern Russia in the early seventies, and Sister Catherine was reared in the healthful atmosphere of simple Christian home life and she early learned to share the responsibilities and duties of the large family of sisters and brothers. She was not only given opportunity to lay the foundation for the splendid physical and mental development of her later life, but her parents and early teachers led her to the source of life and power without which life cannot attain its best in the moral and ethical sphere. The religious instructions of her early teachers were not only a precious recollection for which she remained grateful to her last day, but bore spiritual fruit in ever increasing abundance.

On June 7, 1897, Sister Catherine was baptized in the Hoffunugsau church upon confession of her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as her personal Saviour and Redeemer and became a member of the Mennonite Church. She never transferred her Church letter from the home congregation. After she had passed the district school she attended the Hillsboro Preparatory School as a pupil of Rev. H. D. Penner and later attended other schools as opportunity offered, spending also a short term at Bethel College. She taught district school near Buhler and near Meno, Oklahoma, for six years and spent a short time at Bethesda hospital as a helper in caring for the sick and infirm there. About this time there was some interest in various Mennonite circles in organizing a deaconess sisterhood and Sister Catherine was one of the first volunteers for this service. Her letters to Rev. D. Goerz, written in the year 1905, show a rare insight and understanding of the underlying principles of the organization as planned and she repeatedly expressed her joy in surrendering her life to such a worthy cause. Through God’s grace she made her calling and election sure from the very start, and she has never wavered or faltered amid the hardships and trials as a pioneer deaconess of the Mennonite Church of America. On Sept. 27, 1905 she entered the deaconess hospital at Cincinnati for training where she remained two years, returning to Kansas in the autumn months of 1907.

The Bethel Deaconess hospital was then in process of construction and Sister Catherine served as a private nurse until the opening of the institution on June 11, 1908. On the morning of this eventful date she together with Sister Frieda and Sister Ida knelt before the altar of the First Mennonite church of Newton and vowed obedience, willingness and faithfulness to God in the calling of a deaconess. To any who fear to take such a step of surrender because they will lose the self-direction of life the now unfolding period of Sister Catherine’s life can prove that personality is not lost, but given a wonderful stimulus if the surrender to a service has been unconditional.

Nothing further need be said regarding the service which she was privileged to give. It is known to those to whom it was extended and to God. She herself according to the promises of God reaped during her life the first fruits in the wonderful joy and satisfaction which were hers in the work. She said repeatedly during her last weeks when she felt so certain of her near departure, “I have had a wonderful good time.” The inspiration and strength for her service source for which she found expression in her life motto: Psalm 37:4-5. “Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desire of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and he shall bring it to pass.” And in the song of her life:

“When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were an offering far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.”

A short funeral service at which were the sisters of the hospital and relatives of Sister Catherine was held in the deaconess home at two-thirty Monday afternoon. The funeral services were then conducted in the First Mennonite church on East First. Rev. Abraham Ratzlaff of Sister Catherine’s home Church near Buhler read the scripture and gave the prayer, the two sermons were given, one in the English language by Rev. J. M. Suderman and the other in the German language by Rev. J. E. Entz. The obituary was given by Rev. Entz in both languages. Music was furnished by a mixed octette of the Church, a male quartet from the Hoffnungsau Church near Buhler, and Mrs. Roy Black and Miss Katherine Penner of this city. Mrs. Paul Bartsch and Miss Helen Bartsch presided at the piano and organ. Services at the cemetery were very brief.

The entire funeral service had been planned by Sister Catherine, a written copy of which was found by the sisters of the hospital after her death. The funeral was one of the largest ever held in Newton, many not being able to attend because of the lack of room.

Some of the out of town friends here were: Mrs. C. C. Baily, R. N, president of the Kansas State Nurses Association, of Topeka; Miss Ethel L. Hastings, R. N., superintendent of the Wesley hospital of Wichita; Miss Bertha Baumgartner, R. N., superintendent of the Halstead hospital; Miss Sullivan, R. N., representative of the Kansas State Nurses association; Miss Kettering, R. N., superintendent of the Methodist hospital in Hutchinson; Sister Magdalen Wiebe of Beatrice, Neb., Sister Anna Jantz of Hillsboro, Sister Ida Epp and Sister Rachel Kleinsasser of Mt. Lake, Minn., Miss Pearl Martin, R. N., and Miss Hary Helena Daily, R. N., of Topeka, Mrs. Alma R. O’Keefe, R. N., and Miss Carrie Wourms of Wichita; Miss Eva Becker of Enid, Okla., Mrs. Louise Dellenback of Partridge, Kan., Miss Margaret Enns of Reedley, Calif., Miss Gunda Priebe of Hillsboro, and the sisters of the Salem hospital in Hillsboro.

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Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1927 Feb 23 p. 1

Sister Catherine Memorial Planned

In a copy of the Kansas State Nurses' Association bulletin for the first quarter of 1927 is found a matter that should be of particular interest to our readers. This is the report of a committee appointed as "The Sister Catherine Memorial Fund Committee," which is as follows:

"That there be created in the K. S. N. A. a Sister Catherine Memorial Fund.

"It is further recommended that $200 be appropriated from the general fund this day, (Oct. 8, 1926) for the establishment of the Sister Catherine Memorial Fund.

"It is further recommended that moneys recieved [sic] as interest on time deposits, and interest accuring [sic] therefrom, be added to said fund.

"Be it further recommended thaat a register be maintained by the treasurer of the K. S. N. A. wherein can be recorded the names and sums of personal contributions to this memorial fund.

"This committee moves that the disposition of this fund be a matter for consideration and action by the K.S.N. A."

It is understood that a suggestion is being considered that a chair in nursing be established and endowed in the University of Kansas by and for the Sister Catherine Memorial Fund.

Tis [sic] matter will at once appeal strongly to many people, and it is suggested that some appropriate organization take the initial steps in a movement which shall have for its purpose the giving of opportunity to the people to have part in this most worthy memorial.

No citizen in any walk of live ever became more endeared to the hearts of a community than did Sister Catherine Voth of Newton and Harvey county. She was the founder and guardian angel of the Kansas State Nurses' Association. She was one of the first volunteers for service when the deaconess sisterhood was formed in Mennonite church circles. General hospital work was the first service undertaken by the newly organized sisterhood and from the very beginning the hospital work began to center around Sister Catherine. She was a capable woman, skillful and industrious worker, a born leader. Every kind of work necessary for the comfort of her patients seemed to her worth doing, and worthy of her best and conscientious efforts. When the first probation sisters were admitted as pupil nurses in the autumn of 1908, Sister Catherine outlined their course of study, became their first teacher, supervisor and general leader in the nursing profession. She was a tireless student herself, applied herself fully to her tasks and grew with them. As the institution faced new problems, she patiently set herself to help solve them and blazed the trail in every phase of the work. She spent the summer months of 1911 in North Chicago Hospital, Chicago, studying laboratory technique, and in 1912 she spent the summer in St. Luke's Hospital, Chicago, again busy with laboratory and X-ray work. She was truly happy when she was able to add these important phases of hospital service to her home institution. During those early years she was operating room supervisor, superintendent of nurses, laboratory and X-ray technician, teacher of the training School, and friends and helper of every patient in the house. Besides all this she was first of all a deaconess, a handmaid of God, a sister and companion to her co-workers, ever ready to help carry her share of the various problems in the ever growing work of the instutions [sic].

As the years went by Sister Catherine had the joy of seeing capable women whom she had helped to train take some of the work from her busy hands, most of the teaching, the laboratory, and X-ray work, the floor supervision, etc., passed to others. She remained in her position as Superintendent of Nurses and usually served as first assistant to the surgeons in the operating room. Her patient toil, close application to her work, her studious life, her long years of experience, together with her natural talents and bright mind, had made of her more than what the physician usually expects to find in a nurse, and the doctors who knew her had learned to trust her judgment, and valued her interest and help in their work. She kept her place professionally and ethically in all relations to the physicians and the patients. She was ever a true helper to the doctors but each member of the hospital staff knew that she was first of all the servant of the patient, and all other interests had to fall in line with this attitude.

For her personality, her work, her ideals, and for her many kindly courtesies and the inspiration of her life, this paper desires to add its heartiest endorsement to the memorial fund idea, and hopes the community will take definite steps to honor itself by having a large part in carrying out the plans. — Exchange.