Paul Dahlenburg

Paul William Dahlenburg was born to William and Marie Delia (Paul) Dahlenburg on November 14, 1915 in the rural area of Avon, South Dakota. He received his education in the Old Andrus School district and further training at Northwestern Bible Institute (now Northwestern College in St. Paul, MN). At age 15 Paul trusted the Lord as his Saviour and received the assurance of salvation. On October 4, 1931 he was baptized and joined the Friedensburg mennonite Church at Avon, SD. On June 12, 1941 Paul was united in marriage to Bessie Anna Jones. This union was blessed with five children. During his 38 years of mimistry they pastored General Conference Mennonite Churches in Langdon, North Dakota; Cordell, Oklahoma; Madrid, Nebraska; Bridgewater, South Dakota; Butterfield, Minnesota; Newport, Washington and Pekin, Illinois. Paul and Bessie were privileged to visit their missionary children in Japan in 1978. That same year Bessie was diagnosed with cancer. In 1979 they moved to Butterfield where she died five years later on April 27, 1984. On June 25, 1988 Paul married Marie Olfert, a retired missionary from Japan and moved to Henderson, Nebraska. While living in Henderson, Paul and Marie enjoyed worship, fellowship and serving in the Community Bible Church of Lushton. Paul and Marie visited Japan several times. They entertained many people in their home and also had a ministry of visitation and intercession. In 1998 Paul and Marie moved to Mountain Lake, Minnesota and Paul resumed his membership again at the First Mennonite Church of North Butterfield. Paul died at the age of 93 years, 3 months and eleven days on Wednesday, February 25, 2009, at the Windom Area Hospital in Windom, Minnesota. Paul is survived by his wife, Marie (Olfert) Dahlenburg of Mountain Lake; five children, JoAnn and her husband David Loewen of Farmington, MI; Treva and her husband Larry Steinle of St. James, MN; Pauline and her husband Herb Schroeder of Sioux Falls, SD; Ken Dahlenburg and his wife Sharon of Lincoln, NE; Larry Dahlenburg and his wife Beth of Lake Barrington, IL; 15 grandchildren; 27 great grandchildren; a brother, William Dahlenburg of Wchita, KS; many other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents; his first wife, Bessie (Jones) Dahlenburg; four sisters, Etta Ratzlaff, Rose Becker, Amanda Friesen, and Bertha Barber; and a step-sister, Ella Boschman.