Nicolel Novalis Toews
Obituary
Nicolel Novalis Toews was born to Marie
(Stoesz) and Nicolel Toews on January 11, 1925, at Bethel Hospital in
Mountain Lake, Minnesota. He lived on a farm north of Mountain Lake
until his father became ill, at which time the family left the farm
to live in Mountain Lake. Nick passed away peacefully Wednesday (June
10, 2015) at Kansas Christian Home, Newton.
For many years, he was known as
Novalis, N.N., or just Nick. He attended public school in Mountain
Lake, except for his third and fourth grades - attending in the
German school in the area. Living across the street from his school,
he never could skip, as his mother would watch from the kitchen
window to make sure he arrived safely. Nick graduated from Mountain
Lake High School in 1943.
World War II delayed further schooling,
having registered and served as a conscientious objector until 1946.
Nick worked in CPS camps and, when called, went with MCC on two
voyages to Europe - one carrying dairy heifers to Bremen, Germany,
and one carrying workhorses to Danzig, Poland. He said that the
voyages were fun, except that the cattle insisted on producing
copious amounts of manure and the horses tended to get seasick.
Nick attended Bethel College, North
Newton, graduating in 1950, with a major in music education and a
minor in science. He began his teaching career at Bible Academy in
Hutchinson. He and his wife, Pauline, were married on July 25, 1950.
After teaching for three years, they moved to a farm southeast of
Whitewater where they raised their family. Stewart had joined the
couple in 1951, Mama in 1954, Cynthia in 1956, and Jeff in 1959. Nick
farmed and raised cattle and hogs, but his loves on the farm were the
dairy cows that he and the girls raised and milked.
In 1967, he was asked to return to
teaching, but not in music or in science. Nick taught math at the
Junior High School in Potwin for 12 years. He transferred to the
Special Education Cooperative in Butler County, beginning the Gifted
program in six of the Butler County Schools. During his teaching
career, Nick was awarded a Master Teacher Award from the special
education department. He also studied at, and received his masters
degree in education with an emphasis on gifted education, from
Emporia State University in 1980. Nick retired in 1990.
Nick and Pauline spent many summers
traveling to all 50 states and overseas. Their idea of "roughing
it" was the travel trailer that they pulled with various pickup
trucks. Nick always appreciated classical music, spending time
singing and directing choirs. One of his hobbies was stamp
collecting, spending the past few years organizing his stamp
collection and his stamp books. He loved to garden, both flowers and
vegetables. However, his love was in tilling the soil and getting the
seeds In the ground. Hoeing weeds and picking the produce were just
chores to get finished at the end. Nick was active in the Farm Bureau
organization, serving as President in Butler County for a time. He
received a Farm Bureau award for his efforts on the farm. He was also
active in the Remington Historical Society. Often, when he would go
to the high school to check on some fact or other, he would stop in
and visit Mama's classroom.
Nick is survived by his wife of 64
years, Pauline, daughters Mama (Steve) Schowalter, Cynthia Rhodes
(Brian Martin), and son Jeff (Theresa) Toews, six grandchildren -
Jacob (Jami) Rhodes, Sheersty (Andrew) Stanton, Ashley Toews, Kristen
(Branden) Faul, Emily (Drew) Merritt, and Curtis Toews, and five
great- grandchildren - James Rhodes, Isabelle Stanton, Natalie Toews,
and Jaxon and Karsyn Faul. He was preceded in death by his parents, a
brother, Willard Milton, and one son, Stewart Keith.
The vistation will be from 2 to 4 p.m.,
Sunday, at Lamb Funeral Home, Whitewater. The Memorial Service will
be at 11 a.m. Monday (June 15, 2015) at Grace Hill Mennonite Church,
Whitewater. In lieu of flowers, the famiiy designated the following
memorials:
Central Kansas Community Foundation
(tax-deductible)
attn: Nick Toews Scholarship (for
Remington High School students) 301 N. Main, Suite 200 Newton, KS
67114
Kansas Christian Home
1035 SE 3rd Street
Newton, KS 67114
Gifts can also be sent in care of Lamb
Funeral Home, 120 S Main, Whitewater, KS, 67154. Condolences to
zeinerfunerals.com.
Published in The Kansan on June 13,
2015
