View source for Oesch, John W. (1872-1936)

John W. Oesch: deacon of the [[Mountain View Mennonite Church (Kalispell, Montana, USA)|Mountain View Mennonite Church]] near Creston, [[Montana (USA)|Montana]], was born 10 December 1872 in [[Hickory County (Missouri, USA)|Hickory County]], [[Missouri (USA)|Missouri]], and died 28 September 1936 from a cancerous tumor at his home near Creston, Montana. He married Mary E. Kenagy on 17 January 1896. They were the parents of three sons and three daughters.

John and Mary Oesch were members of the Sycamore Grove Mennonite Church in Missouri until they moved to the Kalispell area in Montana in the spring of 1917. They farmed in several places in the valley and became members of the Mountain View Mennonite Church which was then affiliated with the Pacific Coast (Amish Mennonite) Conference.

In 1923 the Mountain View Mennonite Church requested a release from the Pacific Coast Conference in order to join the [[Northwest Mennonite Conference|Alberta-Saskatchewan Mennonite Conference]]. The following year, apparently at the initiative of the conference rather than of the congregation, John Oesch was ordained as a deacon of the Mountain View Mennonite Church. He served in that capacity until his death twelve years later. In the community he was regarded as a good upright neighbor, and in the church his counsel, practical skills and his service as a deacon were greatly appreciated.
= Bibliography =
<em class="gameo_bibliography">Mountain View Mennonite Church. A History of the Church at Creston , Montana. </em>Kalispell, Montana, Mountain View Mennonite Church, 1992.

Regehr, T. D. <em class="gameo_bibliography">Faith, Life and Witness in the Northwest. Centennial History of the Northwest Mennonite Conference. </em> Kitchener, ON : Pandora Press, 2003.

Obituary notice John W. Oesch published in the <em class="gameo_bibliography">Gospel Herald </em>.

Note: The date and place of John Oesch's birth and the date of his marriage, as given in <em class="gameo_bibliography">Mountain View Mennonite Church</em>, differ from those given in the obituary published in the ''Gospel Herald''. Since John Oesch personally made all arrangements for the funeral before his death and presumably wrote or provided relevant information for his obituary, the date and place of birth given in this profile are taken from that obituary.
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