Martha Jane (Thiessen) Loewen was born March 11, 1929, to John E. and Anna (Siebert) Thiessen, the youngest of five children. She grew up on a farm a few miles southwest of Inman, Kansas.
Her memories of growing up included gathering eggs, milking cows, riding on the hay wagon, and listening to her father playing hymns by ear on the parlor organ and singing along.
The Christian faith was central to her family and to her own life. She attended Zoar Krimmer Mennonite Brethren Church, just half a mile north of her home. She accepted Jesus as her Savior
during revival services at church while in grade school.
Martha attended South Inman Grade School, a two-room school across the section from her home. She attended Zoar Academy in town for three years and completed her high school education at
Inman High School. During high school she taught at Zoar?s outreach VBS in Hutchinson all four years.
Martha attended Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kansas, where she majored in elementary education. After two years, she paused her education to earn the money needed to finish college. She taught
school for two years in Cimarron, Kansas. After two years, she returned to Tabor to complete her degree..
Martha's formal education was not finished with her graduation. She continued taking classes at (then) Kansas State Teacher's College in Emporia and at Wichita State University to
earn her teaching certificate and to renew it. When possible, she took courses in learning disabilities, an area of special interest to her. She ended with enough credits to get a Master?s Degree in Reading and Learning
Disabilities though she didn?t earn them in the time needed to get a degree.
Her first position after graduation from Tabor was teaching second grade in Hillsboro. She shared an apartment with other single female teachers who became life-long friends. During the
summers, she participated in a variety of cross-cultural ministries. She taught Bible School to Native American children on a reservation in Oklahoma one year and to inner-city children in Chicago another year.
One summer she worked at the ?colored youth center? in Gulfport, Mississippi, before the end of segregation. She saw first-hand the inequities and injustice endured by colored
people, as they were then known. They begged her to stay and help the teachers in the colored schools, as they were under-trained and under-resourced. She promised to return the following year, after she had fulfilled her
teaching contract in Hillsboro.
Back in Kansas, she learned of another ministry opportunity. She and her roommate went to the Springfield KMB Church about ten miles from Hillsboro to teach Wednesday evening children's
classes. There she met a young man, Albert Loewen, who took an interest in her.
Their first date was to a concert at Tabor College in the spring of 1956. They saw each other during that school year, but then, as promised, Martha returned to Mississippi for a year, where
she taught Bible classes. Albert went to visit her several times. On one trip, he brought a ring. They were engaged on the beach one evening that fall.
Albert and Martha were married June 28, 1957, at Zoar KMB Church. After a honeymoon to Colorado, they made their home in Goessel, Kansas, where Albert was employed as a bookkeeper for the
local Co-op. Unable to buy a suitable house in town, they built a new house on the south edge of town. They moved in shortly before the birth of their first child.
While in labor with Lois, Martha nearly died. Shortly after James was born, Martha fell on an icy sidewalk and broke her ankle. Their third child miscarried. And after Duane was born, Martha's
gallbladder nearly ruptured and she had surgery.
Martha took a break from teaching for about ten years after she was married to be full-time homemaker and mother. She honed her skills in cooking, baking, canning, and sewing. Then Martha
accepted a position as the first kindergarten teacher at Goessel Grade School, teaching there for 21 years.
When the Springfield Church closed at the end of 1960, several years after they were married, Albert and Martha accepted the challenge to help the Koerner Heights church plant in Newton
get started. They and their young family began attending Koerner Heights Church, where Martha continued to fulfill her passion for ministry. She served many years as junior high Sunday School teacher, VBS teacher and as Christian
Education committee member. She was also on the Tabor Board for a number of years.
After living in the house in Goessel more than 20 years, Albert and Martha built another house, this time in North Newton, Kansas, in anticipation of Albert's job moving to the North
Newton branch.
After her teaching position in Goessel ended, Martha substitute taught in the Newton area and tutored children in her home. She enjoyed the challenge of determining the students? learning
disabilities and designing activities to overcome them. She tutored Kindergarteners and homeschoolers during the school day. When school was out she tutored additional students until 8:30 PM when she and Albert finally ate
supper. She also began teaching in Release-Time Bible classes in Newton elementary schools, eventually becoming the director.
Martha took turns with her sisters Helen and Menda in sharing Sunday dinner with their parents as they aged. After her mother had a debilitating stroke, her parents stayed with Albert and
Martha until a nursing home room was available.
Martha accompanied Albert on his trips with the Kansas Mennonite Men's Chorus, in which he had sung for many years. They took trips to Europe, California, and Canada.
Eventually, Martha's spine deteriorated and her mobility became very limited to avoid intense pain. Albert assumed many of the responsibilities around the house. Then, when she suddenly
lost strength and feeling in her legs, she required full-time nursing care. Albert visited her faithfully every afternoon, except when he was not allowed to during the pandemic of 2020-21. This was a difficult time for Martha,
as her only contact with the outside world was by telephone. After 4 years of living apart, in May of 2023 Albert joined her at Schowalter Villa in Hesston.
Martha was preceded in death by her parents; her brother Ed; her sisters Ann Penner, Helen Schmidt, and Menda Kliewer; daughter-in-law Naomi Loewen; an unborn child and several unborn grandchildren.
She is survived by her husband Albert, daughter Lois (Siegfried) Snyder, sons James and Duane (Kathy), 13 grandchildren, and 15 great-grandchildren.
Funeral Service 10:00 a.m. Friday, November 8, 2024 at Koerner Heights Church of Newton. Family will receive friends from 9:00 a.m. until service time at the Church on Friday. Interment
at Springfield cemetery rural Hillsboro. In Lieu of flowers memorials to Newton Release Time Bible School in care of Jost Funeral Home P.O. Box 266 Hillsboro, Kansas 67063. Online condolences at www.jostfuneralhome.com
