Obituary

Our wonderful husband, dad, grandpa and great-grandpa Melvin Claassen passed into the arms of his loving Heavenly Father on Wednesday (Feb. 2, 2011) at the Good Samaritan Village in Mountain Lake, Minn. We will miss him greatly, but are so thankful he is with his God and Savior whom he loved and served so faithfully.

Dad was born on Sept. 8, 1928, to Edward and Catherine (Thiessen) Claassen in Whitewater, the youngest of 13 children. He accepted the Lord on his mother’s knee at the age of 5 and, upon confession of faith, was baptized at the age of 16 at the Emmaus Mennonite Church in Whitewater.
In August 1952, he married Martha Buhler from Mt. Lake, Minn., and they began their journey of more than 58 years together. They moved to Omaha, Neb., where Dad attended Grace College of the Bible and graduated in 1956. While there, they felt God leading them into missions in Africa. In preparation, they moved to Ithaca, N.Y., so Dad could attend a special one year course in agriculture at Cornell University. After spending six months studying French in Belgium, they went to Congo in 1958 where they served as missionaries until 1974. Dad worked with building and mechanics, taught English, worked with the national pastors and did agricultural work with the Africans, teaching them to grow healthy crops and animals. In 1960 through 1961, while on furlough, Dad attended Taylor University for a year. After returning to the States in 1974, Dad and Mom settled in Mt. Lake where Dad worked at Balzer Manufacturing and also served as interim pastor for several churches in the area. In 1986, God led Dad and Mom to Grace University where Dad did grounds and maintenance for eight years.

In 1994, Dad became the pastor for Woodland Community Bible Church near Council Bluffs, Iowa, where they served for 13 years. In 2007, Cornerstone Bible Church in Mt. Lake asked Dad to become an associate pastor where he served until his death. Throughout the years, Dad has led numerous Bible studies and influenced many lives. We, his family, are so grateful for his leadership, teaching and example of what it means to be a godly husband and father. He loved God, loved Mom and loved his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and we are so blessed.

He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Martha; daughter, Evangeline of Papua, Indonesia; son, Steve (wife, Kathy) of Denver; granddaughter, Larissa Haub (husband, Michael); great-granddaughter Katelyn of Bakersfield, Calif.; grandson, Evan of Omaha, Neb.; grandson, Brandon of Denver; son, James (wife, Caryn); grandson, Aron (wife, Rachael); great-grandson, Aiden; granddaughter, Brianna; grandson, Collin of Sioux Falls, S.D.; daughter, Ruth of Colorado Springs, Colo.; brother, Curt of Berne, Ind.; and brother, Daniel (wife, Dora) of Whitewater; and many loving nieces and nephews. Dad is preceded in death by his mother and father and ten of his siblings.

Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday at Sturm Funeral Home in Mountain Lake, Minn. Burial will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Cornerstone Bible Cemetery. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Cornerstone Bible Church. Pastor Nathan Janzen will officiate. Condolences may be sent via e-mail at www.sturmfh.com. In lieu of flowers, Melvin’s family requests memorials be sent to them, and they will forward them to the following organizations: Mission Aviation Fellowship, Cornerstone Bible Church and Africa Inter-Mennonite Mission. Arrangements are with Sturm Funeral Home in Mountain Lake.