Pastor Witte's Obituary

 WITTE

 

PASTOR ERNST PHILLIPP WITTE

 

 

This is his obituary:

 

            “Oh to us becomes the heart so empty in the ringing world, and we all long for the Father’s House so very much.”

 

            On Sunday evening, just as the sun disappeared in the west, Pastor Phillipp Witte died on the 11^th of September (1909) in his house in Marion, South Dakota.  Long days of biter suffering were left behind, although he still believed that he had to do something still here on earth so that his death would have meaning.  Through innocent beliefs in Jesus Christ, he exhaled his life at an age of almost 73 years.

            Pastor Witte was one of the pioneers of our German undertakings in the west.  He had seen the same small beginning and was permitted to still rejoice and see how the work of God’s success grew and how beautiful it spread.

            On December 1, 1837, he was born in Lippe-Detmold.  When he was 23 years old he came to America and settled in the vicinity of Fosterburg, Illinois.  There he married Fraulein Antje Wiemers.  They had five children, four of whom are still living.

            Already for a long time he felt the pressure inside that the Lord wanted to make use of him in the ministry.  But he was against it.  Then came a hard belt.  The Lord took away his wife in the year 1878.

            In this time of darkness, he saw the Lord’s hand and in the same year he entered the seminary in Dubuque, Iowa.  Through hard studying and love of his work he decided to finish his years of studying.  During this time he had again gotten married to Fraulein Henrietta Voss.  There were given five children.  His first field of work was in the area of Prairie Dell in Illinois.  He worked there several years until he took the train and followed the German immigrants to the west.  He took over a small field in the vicinity of Chancellor, South Dakota, a field which is now such a blooming community.  In the year 1888 he came further west to Marion, South Dakota and there became established through him our present community in the year 1889 where he spent the decline of his life.

            For about 15 years the community was building a church which unfortunately before they were finished, burned to the ground.  On the ruins stood Pastor Witte, with the discouraged community.  Still with trust in God, they agreed to begin building again.  So, he spent his time in the middle of the work which he had started, until God took him on the above mentioned date of time. Rest after the work!!

 

(Translated by Cynthia Jean Straatmeyer, great, great granddaughter of Phillipp E. Witte, on June 26, 1979, 69 years after his death.)

 

(The great grandfather of Jean Ellen Plucker Straatmeyer.  His daughter, Christina Rebecca Witte, married John Poppe Plucker.  Their son, Menne Elvin Plucker was Jean’s father.)