Boldt, Edward (1929-2017)
Edward Boldt, educator, church musician and denominational leader, was born 20 October 1929 in Plum Coulee, Manitoba, Canada, to Rev. Bernard B. Boldt (14 January 1894-15 June 1961) and Margaret (Giesbrecht) Boldt (23 June 1893-11 August 1980). He was the eighth child in a family of five brothers and six sisters including two children who died in infancy in Russia. Edward died in Kitchener, Ontario on October 25, 2017.
In 1934 Edward moved with his family to Kitchener Ontario, where in addition to a short time in Vancouver, he received his elementary, secondary and university education. He was baptized in the Kitchener Mennonite Brethren Church in 1949 by pastor Frank C. Peters, which was the beginning of a life-long dedication to the work of the church. It was in the same congregation that he married Margaret Louise Mathies, daughter of John and Sara (Peters) Mathies in 1953. They had three children; two sons who predeceased him (Bernard, 2009; Bryan, 2017) and daughter Wendy.
Edward received his university training at Waterloo College/University of Western Ontario (BA 1952), Ontario College of Education (Toronto, 1953) and the University of Waterloo (MA 1968). His teaching career in History took him to Welland, Cambridge (Galt) and Kitchener where he spent the last 17 years as head of the History department. He organized history conferences throughout the region and in retirement taught English with his wife Margaret in China and Russia through the auspices of Mennonite sponsored programs.
Boldt was deeply committed to the mission of the church as exercised in the Mennonite Brethren denomination. In the Kitchener congregation he sang in the choir for more than 50 years, many of those years as song leader for Sunday worship services, often providing historical background for the hymns being sung. For 40 years he was the first tenor of the Sacred Song Quartet which sang regularly in local congregations and toured both in North America and Europe. He was active in Christian education as a leader and teacher and served on the church council for many years. His understanding of and engagement in music embodied his faith in which he found great joy.
At the denominational level he was active on the governance boards and committees at four different levels. At the provincial level he was active from the 1950s to 2007, initially as the head of the Ontario Mennonite Brethren Historical Society, then as Historian/Archivist for about 40 years. As well, he was on the Eden Christian College board, Home Missions/Church Extension (10 years), Constitution Committee (six years), and Board of Faith & Life (seven years) and Parliamentarian (15 years). At the Canadian Mennonite Brethren Conference he was active from 1970 to 2007, at different times in Christian Education, Resource Ministries Board and as Parliamentarian. At the bi-national General Conference he served on the Historical Commission, Christian Education and Resource Ministries and as Parliamentarian. At the international level he was a mission promoter in Eastern Canada MB congregations for MB Mission International (1991-2000). He was committed to providing historical context and wise counsel to the building of the local and global church.
Edward Boldt was a consummate educator/leader, combining his faith, love of history, literature and music, and sense of humor for service to the church and broader society.
| Author(s) | Ron Mathies |
|---|---|
| Wendy Deines | |
| Date Published | April 2018 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Mathies, Ron and Wendy Deines. "Boldt, Edward (1929-2017)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. April 2018. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Boldt,_Edward_(1929-2017)&oldid=160476.
APA style
Mathies, Ron and Wendy Deines. (April 2018). Boldt, Edward (1929-2017). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Boldt,_Edward_(1929-2017)&oldid=160476.
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