Abraham Thieszen

Abraham P. Thieszen was born on a farm southeast of Henderson, Nebraska on September 14, 1910, to Abraham A. and Aganetha (Peters) Thieszen. He was the oldest of 4 children. He went home to be with the Lord on January 20, 2010.

Abraham attended school at District #31 near Henderson through 8th grade. He then attended the Bethesda Bible School for 1 year. Upon profession of his faith in Jesus Christ, he was baptized by Rev. John F. Epp on May 10, 1931, at Bethesda Mennonite Church in Henderson. Abe’s favorite Bible verses were Psalm 46:1, Psalm 27:14 and Psalm 37:5 which says, “commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him and He will do it.”

Abe was involved in a variety of church ministries over the years at Bethesda. He sang in the Men’s Choir and enjoyed serving as an usher. He served with the Men’s Brotherhood and was chairman of the Service Committee several years. Live cattle were purchased and donated to Bethesda for the MCC Canner Project. Butchering these cattle outside on a farm by the Men’s Brotherhood in preparation for the canner was a favorite church activity of Abe’s. Bethesda held Lay Witness Mission meetings in the spring of 1974, where he shared a testimony of the spiritual impact of these meetings on his life of faith.

Abraham married Margaret E. Buller on February 4, 1932, at the farm several miles east of Henderson where Margaret grew up. Their wedding day was a snowy day in which wedding guests arrived by horse drawn sleds and buggies. The snow was too deep for anyone that owned a car. Five (5) children were born to this union. Early in their family life, Abe and Margaret suffered the loss of their 10 year old son Wilbur due to illness.

Abraham and Margaret started farming in the 1930’s when many crops failed due to drought. They spent most of their life with their children farming in Hamilton and York Counties until retiring in 1977. Abe continued to work and assist on the farm during retirement years. During his life time he had a love for horses. He once told of how when the time came to sell his horses, because they were no longer needed, it brought him sadness.

In 1987, Abraham’s wife Margaret went home to be with the Lord. In the years following his wife’s death, he spent time with other widowers. They met for morning coffee or supper out at a restaurant. These were times of mutual encouragement for Abe and the other men.

On January 8, 2007, he moved to the Henderson Care Center at the age of 96. Abe enjoyed visits from family and friends and even some games of dominoes until a series of strokes in August that year began his decline. Tuesday morning hymn sings at the Care Center were also meaningful to Abe during his stay there.

Abe is survived by his children: Darrel and Verna Thieszen of Henderson, Nebraska; Walter and Karen Thieszen of Verona, Wisconsin; Laverna and Bill Morgan of Sarasota, Florida; and Evelyn and Bill Batson of Omaha, Nebraska; his 7 grandchildren: Eugene Thieszen of Cordell, Oklahoma; Janice Perez of Aurora, Nebraska; Karen (Doug) Swanson of Aurora, Nebraska; Donna (Steve) Janssen of Marquette, Nebraska; Kim (Paul) Rozgo of Dublin, Ohio, Deb (Sean) Roberts of Waukesha, Wisconsin; Barry Morgan of Sarasota, Florida; his 15 great-grand children: Nate Perez, Miriam (Joe) Heider, Jacob Perez, Abigail Perez, Sarah Perez, Braden Swanson, Andrew Swanson, Tori Swanson, Matthew Swanson, Trevor Swanson, Benjamin Janssen, Olivia Janssen, Zander Roberts, Blake Roberts, Grady Roberts; 1 great-great grandchild: Azalia Heider. Also surviving is his sister, Marie Thieszen of Hastings, Nebraska and his sister-in-law Clara Thieszen of Henderson, Nebraska, nieces and nephews.

Preceding Abraham in death were his parents, Abraham A. and Aganetha Thieszen, wife Margaret; son, Wilbur; grandson, Aric Morgan; sister, Eva Friesen; and brother, Daniel P. Thieszen.

Funeral services were held at 10:00 a.m., Monday, January 25, 2010 at the Bethesda Mennonite Church in Henderson with the Reverend Weldon Martens officiating. Burial was in the Bethesda Cemetery, Henderson. Memorials may be directed to the Bethesda Radio Fund or the DaySpring Christian Ministry Congo Fund.