Former mission worker Bernard John Thiessen was known for his caring spirit and ways.
Thiessen died peacefully on Thursday, May 7, with his family and wife, Ruby, by his side. A memorial service was held May 27, 2015, in South Carolina where the Thiessens resided near family members.
Bernard and Ruby Thiessen served 33 years beginning in Kobe, Japan, from 1952 with the General Conference Mennonite Church’s Commission on Overseas Mission, a predecessor agency of Mennonite Mission Network. The Thiessens were among the first group of mission workers sent by the agency to develop churches. They held language and Bible study meetings and gatherings among their neighbors. These efforts led to Japanese Mennonite Christians and some of the first Mennonite churches in Japan.
Belva Unruh, who, with her husband, Verney, served in Japan from 1952 to 1965, said that she and her husband would often enjoy meeting with the Thiessens during regular gatherings for all Japan mission workers. The gatherings often took place at the Thiessen home, she said.
“When I think of Bernard, it’s hard not to think of Ruby, too,” Unruh said. “They were always very gracious hosts to the Japanese people and the missionaries as well.”
Unruh said that mission work in Japan was challenging because the close–knit Japanese society could be as cautious of strangers as they were “gracious and wonderful to us.” Thiessen spent a lot of time learning and understanding Japanese culture, and would share his insights with other missionaries, she said.
“Bernard was a very committed person to the task of missions,” Unruh said.
Mary Derksen and her late husband, Peter, met the Thiessens when the Derksens began serving in 1954. Derksen said that their family of five stayed often with the Thiessens and their children.
“Bernard was a very caring and wise person who often gave us advice,” Derksen said. “They reached out to many, many people who were not part of a church. They reached out to a lot of their neighbors and people in the city.”
After retiring in 1985, the Thiessens served at Bethesda Mennonite Church in Henderson, Nebraska, for 24 years. In 2008, they moved to Greenville, South Carolina, to live closer to adult children and grandchildren.
Bernard Thiessen is survived by his wife, Ruby, of Greenville; children, Beth (Robert) Schmidt, also of Greenville; Royce (Nancy) Thiessen of Morristown, Tennessee; Ron (Beth Ann) Thiessen of Weatherford, Oklahoma; and sister, Lydia Klaassen, of Mt. Hope, South Carolina. Grandchildren include Melissa (Rocco) Adrian of Charleston, South Carolina; Rob Schmidt of Greenville; Keri (Jake) Culbertson of Columbia, South Carolina; Ryan (Sandra) Thiessen of Knoxville, Tennessee; Anoria Thiessen, Morristown; Zachary Thiessen, Los Angeles; and Julianne Thiessen, Weatherford, Oklahoma. Also included are two great-granddaughters and a number of nieces and nephews.
Thiessen was proceeded in death by his parents, John and Helen (Harder) Thiessen; two brothers, Gilbert (Marian Thimmes) of Vancouver, Washington, and Harold Thiessen of Whitewater, Kansas; sisters, Dorothy (John Pratt), of Wichita, Kansas, and Susan Thiessen of Whitewater; and brother-in-law, Waldo (Lydia) Klaassen, of Whitewater.
