Rev Dietrich J Thiessen
Row 1300Plot 1327
Biographical Info
Dietrich is the son of John and Marie (Wieler) Thiessen. Dietrich was born in Russia in 1913. In 1927 he came to Canada with his mother, Maria (Wieler) Thiessen, one sister Elizabeth, three brothers, John and Louise (Leown) Thiessen, Henry and Edith (Reimer) Thiessen, and Peter and Kay (Enns) Thiessen.
His father, John Thiessen was born in 1884 and passed away in Russia at the age of 36 years in 1920. Mrs. Maria (Wieler) Thiessen re-married to Mr. Isaac Enns in 1928, of Hague, Saskatchewan. Mrs. John Maria (Wieler) Thiessen passed away at the age of forty-three in 1935, and was buried at Neuanlage cemetery.
In 1939, Dietrich married Margaret Adrian. Dietrick and Margaret moved to Park Valley after their marriage. They settled south of Big River, where Dietrich had bought land while he worked in a Gold Mine in Ontario during the years 1937-1938. They farmed at Park Valley for six years. During that time Dietrich was elected as pastor for the Mennonite Conference country church during the years 1939-1945.
In 1945, Dietrich and Margaret and two sons – Harvey and Don, and one daughter, Ilene, moved to Waldheim. Dietrich trucked for several years, hauling gravel which was loaded by horse power, later on with better equipment.
In 1955 Dietrich and Margaret bought the farm from Uncle Peter F. Janzen in the Carmen district, where our family grew up, and went to Waldheim School by bus.
In 1976 they moved back to Waldheim.
In 1962-1975, they served the Great Deer church besides arming. They also served the Warman Conference church for several years, and moved back to Waldheim from Warman.