Wiebe, Frank V. (1882-1951)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1951 May 3 p. 3;

Birth date: 1882 Oct 7

text of obituary:

WIDELY KNOWN MISSIONARY LAID TO REST AT HILLSBORO TUESDAY

Hillsboro, Kansas. — Funeral services were held here Tuesday afternoon for Rev. F. V. Wiebe, widely known missionary, who died at Upland, Ind. Saturday morning, April 28. Rev. Wiebe had suffered from heart trouble for some time, but was seriously ill only one night before his death.

He was the founder of the Mennonite mission in Mongolia some 25 years ago, and more recently founded also the K. M. B. mission in the Ozarks. He was past 68 years of age.

---

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1951 May 17 p. 8

text of obituary:

REV. FRANK V. WIEBE

Rev. Frank V. Wiebe was born October 7, 1882, at Springfield near Lehigh, Kansas, and passed away Saturday morning at 8:30, April 28, 1951, at the age of 68, after a severe heart attack.

In the spring of 1899 he accepted Christ as his personal Saviour and was baptized June 25 of same year at the Springfield church. His great comforting verse during his conversion was Matthew: 5:8, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” His greatest soul prayer was “Christi Blut und Gegrechtigkeit, das ist mein Schmuck und Ehrenkleid, damit will ich vor Gott bestehn wenn ich zum Himmel wird eingehn."

For eight years he attended Springfield School District No. 80, and for five years attended McPherson college from which institution he earned the A. B. degree. In addition he attended Moody Bible institute and Rochester Baptist seminary. His teaching experience included two years at the North Springfield school, three years at the South Springfield school, and three years at the Zoar Academy and Bible school.

In 1909 he was married to Agnes Ebel. Six years later in 1915 they were ordained and he served the Krimmer Mennonite Brethren Church as Bible teacher, pastor, evangelist, and pioneer missionary.

With the recognition of God’s call to the mission field, a year of special training was undertaken at the Missionary Medical institute, Brooklyn, New York. In 1922 he took leave of homeland and loved ones to serve for about ten years with his family in China. Deep gratification came to his heart as 150 attended the Iast communion service of their stay on the foreign field in Inner Mongolia.

In 1935, about four years after returning to this country for better schooling privileges for their children, he began pastoring the Gnadenau church, Hillsboro, Kansas. Here he remained until 1945 when the Lord called him back to missionary activity, this time to the needy field in the Ozarks where he began a pioneer work among the mountaineers in Newton county, Arkansas. This work he loved dearly and only with the greatest reluctance did he leave it on January 27, 1950.

His greatest joy in life was to lead souls to Christ; his greatest sorrow to leave the Ozark mission field.

For three years he served his church as conference leader and for a number of years as chairman of the foreign mission board. His evangelical zeal and his missionary vision have marked his service for the Lord. That anything should be too hard for Jesus’ sake was never in his thoughts. Mission work, however difficult, was redemptive and there was his life.

After a major operation in 1947 and a period of partial recuperation, he and Mrs. Wiebe move to Upland, Indiana, in April 1950 , where they have maintained a home for three of their children —Elizabeth Sundheimer, Dwight and Richard, who are all seniors at Taylor University. Another son, Dr. Harold T. Wiebe, is on the faculty there.

During the past year, due to his heart condition, he gradually weakened and suffered considerable pain. His last hours were hours of much suffering, but in spite of all the drugs used, he continued to pray and to converse clearly to the end about missions, the work closest to his heart.

Apparently he recognized that he would not be with us much longer for during his last night, he started to quote from the song “O God our Help in Ages Past” and broke into the 23rd Psalm where the Psalmist says “though I walk through the Valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for thou art with me”. Not long afterwards his eyes expressed great joy as he went into glory triumphantly.

Those who have preceded him in death are his parents, three sisters, three brothers, a daughter, Viola, a son, David, and Elisabeth's husband, Wyman. Those remaining to cherish the memories of his life are his wife; five daughters, Grace, Mrs. John Whitmire and husband, Redbluff, California; Rachel, Mrs. Waldo Hiebert and husband, Hillsboro, Kansas; Elisabeth Sundheimer, Upland, Indiana; Barbara, Mrs. Lester Miller and husband, Navarre, Ohio; Hope, Mrs. Leslie Ortman and husband, Manhattan, Kansas; four sons, Harold and wife Dorothy, Upland, Indiana; Franklin and wife Frieda, Doland, South Dakota; Dwight and Richard, Upland, Indiana; eleven grandchildren; one sister; three brothers; and a host of relatives and friends.

Although the sorrow that comes with separation has been keenly felt, yet there has been a deep sense of peace and consolation to know that victory is his in Christ Jesus.