RIEBKES, John 1858-1930

RIEBKES, CHRISTIANS

Posted By: Tammy (email)
Date: 9/6/2012 at 10:21:03

John Riebkes Fails to Recover Health; Funeral Thursday

71-Year-Old Resident of Wellsburg Had Been Ill for Some Months

John Riebkes died at his home in Wellsburg last Monday morning at 4:30 o'clock. The cause of death was cardiac exhaustion, respiratory weakness and uremic poisoning.

Mr. Riebkes was brought back from the hospital at Marshalltown, last Saturday. His death was rather unexpected, though his condition was known to be serious.

The blood transfusions to build up his strength did not give the good results hoped for and the end came sooner than was expected.

Mr. Riebkes had been a resident of Wellsburg about four years.

Funeral services were held Thursday afternoon at 12:30 from the house and later at the Wellsburg Reformed church, Rev. William Landsiedel being in charge. Rev. Henry Johnson of the Westfriesland church in German township, a former pastor of the deceased, assisted in the services. Interment was made at the cemetery of the Westfriesland church.

The pallbearers were C. J. Schmidt, A. J. Kruse, John Huisman, Joe D. Snitjer, John Meints and Thomas Akkerman, Sr.

Obituary

John Riebkes was born June 16, 1858, in Stephenson county, Ill. In 1866, at the age of eight years, he moved with his parents to Iowa, and they made their home on a farm near Ackley, where he spent his youth and grew to manhood.

He was joined in holy wedlock with Dena Christians December 4, 1889. The Lord blessed their union with eleven children, three sons and eight daughters, two of whom preceded the father in death. The deceased spent most of his life on the farm until he retired with his family in 1926, making his abode in Wellsburg where he expected to spend the eve of his life in well-deserved rest and peace.

Last winter he was suddenly afflicted with a malady of the bladder, which gradually became worse, so that it was necessary for him to undergo an operation in the Deaconess hospital at Marshalltown six weeks ago. Whatever was possible in human skill, was applied for the restoration of his health, but God in his wisdom had planned differently. In spite of the best of hopes for his recovery, his strength seemed to fall gradually, though he was a patient sufferer and learned to endure without a murmur because he resigned his will to God's righteous and holy will, of which he frequently gave testimony, "The Lord's will be done."

It being the opinion that bringing him home from the hospital would be helpful for his recovery he was brought home to Wellsburg last Saturday, May 17th.

But man proposes and God disposes, so that after a brief time he was to bring his life to an unexpected conclusion. God released him from his great suffering and summoned him to his eternal resting place on Monday morning at half past four o'clock.

For forty-one years, he was privileged to share life's joy and sorrow with his faithful companion, thus reaching the age of 71 years, 11 months and three days.

Besides his sorrow-stricken widow, two sons and seven daughters survive him, and mourn his untimely departure.

The sons are John Riebkes of Ackley and Raymond at home. The daughters are Mrs. Fred Getting, Abbott; Tena and Grace at home; Mrs. Jake Miller, Ackley; Mrs. Andrew Miller, Wellsburg, and Mrs. Hannes Janssen of Geneva and Gesina at home.

Also two brothers and four sisters are left to mourn. These are Henry Riebkes and Martin Riebkes of Ackley, Mrs. Ralph Freese, Ackley; Mrs. John Van Loh, Wellsburg; Mrs. Menne Hickmann, Ashton; Mrs. John Janssen, Marion, S. Dak., and eighteen grandchildren.

Our congregation of which he has been a faithful member since 1918, together with a host of friends, also lament their loss sorely and pray that the God of all comfort may assuage their wounded hearts with the balm of his mealing words: "I am the Helper of the widows and the fatherless."

Card of Thanks

We desire to gratefully extend to all of our friends and neighbors cordial thanks and high appreciation for their kind assistance rendered and sympathy tendered us in our great sorrow, in the loss of our husband, father and grandfather.

Mrs. John Riebkes and Family

--Wellsburg Herald (Wellsburg, Iowa), 21 May 1930