Marven Janzen
Funeral services will be held for Marven Cornelius Janzen, 97, of Weatherford, at 10 a.m. Friday at First Baptist Church.
He died Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016, at Weatherford Assisted Living.
Mr. Janzen was born May 9, 1918, in Newton, Kan., to C.L. Janzen and Anna (Flaming) Janzen. The family moved to Buhler, Kan., in 1919, and in 1926 they moved south of Corn. He attended school at the Friesen School, a one-room country school with eight grades and one teacher.
In 1930, while attending a revival service at the Bergthal Mennonite Church, Mr. Janzen professed faith in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior and was baptized by Rev. John Flaming.
He finished eighth grade at Friendship School, another one-room rural school, south of Corn. In 1939, the family purchased a farm a mile and a half north of Custer City. In 1941, he was drafted and went to Colorado Springs, Colo., to a C.P.S. camp. He worked at a dairy farm and operated a bulldozer building government dams. He served for four and one half years at the C.P.S. camp during WWII. After returning home, he and his brothers started a custom harvesting operation. In 1947 they bought a “cotton picker” and worked as custom cotton pickers in California.
While working in the Reedley, Calif. area he met Erna Ratzlaff, and they were married March 5, 1954.
Mr. Janzen and Vernon Flaming, his first cousin, operated a Texaco service station in Fresno, Calif. for one year, and then decided to return home to Custer City. He purchased the home place in 1956. In 1957, the couple adopted Linda Ann and in 1959 adopted James Marven. In 1974 Mrs. Janzen passed away from heart complications. In 1976 he was introduced to Vera Johnston (Magill), and they married later that year. In 1991, they sold the farm and moved to Weatherford.
Mr. Janzen enjoyed farming, raising cattle and traveling and was a member of the First Mennonite Church in Clinton. He also enjoyed singing in the church choir and a men’s quartet. He was a member of the Grand Chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity.
He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Allen Janzen and Gus Janzen; and one daughter, Linda Janzen.
He is survived by his wife; one daughter, Charlotte (Johnston) Moore and husband, Rick, of Fort Worth, Texas; two sons, Jim Johnston and wife, Diane, of Memphis, Tenn., and James Janzen and wife, Debbie, of Weatherford; nine grandchildren, Lisa Redd and husband, Will, David Dyson and wife, Kelley, Joshua Johnston and wife, Chelsea, Jordan Johnston, Scott Ocheltree and wife, Autumn, Jeff Ocheltree, April Holland and husband, Scotty, Jeff Janzen and wife, Caroline, and Robert Janzen; seven great-grandchildren, Cassie Holland, Taylor Holland, Graham Janzen, SJ Holland, Garrett Janzen, Charlotte Ocheltree and Eli Ocheltree; four sisters, Hulda Nickel, of San Luis Obispo, Calif., Hilda Kayser, of Yukon, Ruth Jones, of Yukon, LaVerne Brooks, of Albuquerque, N.M.; and one brother, Fred Janzen, of Broken Arrow.
Services will be officiated by Pastor Earl Stephenson. Interment will follow at Bergthal Cemetery, northwest of Corn. The family will receive friends on Thursday, 6 to 8 p.m. in the chapel of Lockstone Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Gideons.