Hildegard Thiessen
Hildegard Thiessen Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information (jostfuneralhome.com)
November 13, 1928 - November 12, 2022
Our mother, Hildegard Agnes Krieger Thiessen, lived a long and full life. She passed from this life on November 12, 2022 just one day shy of her 94th birthday. On Saturday she took her last earthly breath and on Sunday she celebrated her birthday in her heavenly home with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
Hildegard was born to Leonard and Agatha Krieger on November 13, 1928. They lived on a farm outside of Cordell, OK, enduring the very difficult days of the Dust bowl. Hildegard was the eldest of four children which included her brothers Edgar and Norbert, and her sister Nelda.
Education was important to Hildegard and her parents. After completing grade school at the MK & T Grade School, she was able to continue her high school education at Corn Bible Academy in Corn, OK. Because this was a twenty-mile drive from her home, Hildegard was able to board with several different families in town during her high school years. At home on the weekends and during her summer breaks, Hildegard was able to do the mowing at the local cemetery which she enjoyed. This job enabled her earn enough money to buy fabric which she sewed into the clothing she needed for school.
After graduating from Corn Bible Academy in 1947, Hildegard was given the opportunity to continue her education at Tabor College. This was a privilege that not many of her peers were offered or even desired, but she relished. She graduated from Tabor College in 1951. Her education allowed her opportunities to work in different business ventures throughout her adult life.
In January of 1951,while working in the Tabor bookstore, Hildegard met a young man who came to buy a textbook which he couldn’t afford. Although Wilmer Thiessen didn’t get that book, he got something much more precious - a lifelong relationship with his future wife.
After Tabor, their relationship continued across the miles via correspondence from Hillsboro to Denver, CO where Wilmer was working. In January of 1954 he traveled to Hillsboro and surprised Hildegard with his unexpected visit and a proposal, which she accepted. They were married at the Bessie Mennonite Brethren Church outside of Cordell, OK on June 6, 1954.
Their life together took them from Hillsboro, to Denver, to Henderson, NE and back to Denver. Together they formed many long-term friendships through church and work. They lived a happy life in Denver and Littleton, Colorado for the next 20 years. During this time they added to their family. Charlene was born in 1955 (during their time living in Henderson, NE), Lynette joined the family in 1958, Shaun in 1961 and Vonda in 1965.
After 20 years in the Denver and Littleton area, Wilmer was offered a job at the Mennonite Brethren Missions Office in Hillsboro, Kansas. They moved the family in June 1974. During the next 40-some years, Hildegard was again able to work Tabor College in the business Office, and just before she retired she ran The Bookstore on Main Street which brought her much fulfillment.
In September of 2018, Wilmer and Hildegard made the decision to move to Wichita, KS to be closer to their children because of Hildegard’s diagnosis of dementia. They enjoyed two years together in their new home at Kansas Masonic Home. After caring for his bride of 66 years, Wilmer passed away on December 19, 2020. Hildegard continued residing at KMH until her death.
Hildegard is preceded in death by her husband Wilmer; her parents Leonard and Agatha Krieger; and her brother Edgar.
She is survived by her children Charlene (Fred DeLoera) Thiessen, Lynette (Dwight) Roth, Shaun (Karen) Thiessen, and Vonda (Duane) Kinser; her grandchildren Aaron (Alena) Almendarez, Jessie (Adam) Hartke, Sandy (David Snyir) Almendarez, Alex Thiessen, Zac Thiessen, Andrew (Kayla) Kinser and Daniel Kinser; her great-grandchildren Henry Hartke, Asa Almendarez, Garrett Snyir and Leona Snyir; and her sister Nelda (Virgil) Thiessen, and her brother Norbert (Sylvia) Krieger.
Graveside service 10:00 a.m. Thursday, November 17, 2022 at Gnadenau Cemetery two miles south of Hillsboro officiated by Pastor Tim Sullivan.
Memorials to Tabor College in care of Jost Funeral Home. P.O. Box 266, Hillsboro, KS 67063. Online condolences at www.jostfuneralhome.com.
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