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Featured Article: "Patkau, Esther (1927-2017)" (Read full article) Esther Patkau preaching, 2002. Photo: Jake Buhler. Esther Liese Patkau: missionary, pastor, chaplain, historian and friend; born 27 August 1927 to Kornelius (1888-1974) and Katharina Warkentin (nee Harder) (1891-1992) Patkau on a farm near Hanley, Saskatchewan, Canada. Her parents were farmers having just arrived from the Soviet Union. She died in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. on 18 December 2017 at age 90 and is buried in the Hanley Mennonite Church Cemetery. Following completion of elementary school in Hanley, she attended Rosthern Bible School before matriculating at Rosthern Junior College with a high school diploma in 1947. She pursued more education at Canadian Mennonite Bible College, graduating with a degree in theology in 1950, followed by another bachelor’s degree in education at Bethel College in Kansas in 1951. Esther Patkau was then ready, she said much later, for her first job. That job, in 1951, was to be a missionary to Japan serving under the Mission Board of the General Conference Mennonite Church. Since she could not be ordained as a minister, she was commissioned as a missionary. Ordination for women came a dozen years later. For 23 years she served as a missionary first learning a difficult language, and then working to establish the Oyodo Christian Church in Miyazaki, Kyushu. She was much loved. Esther was a tireless worker for example back in Canada in her furlough year 1956-57 Patkau preached some 200 times. Esther returned to Canada in 1974 to be ordained and installed as a minister at First Mennonite Church in Saskatoon where she served for seven years. Ever interested in learning, Esther obtained the Master of Sacred Theology (M.S.T.) degree in 1981 from Lutheran Theological Seminary in Saskatoon, majoring in pastoral care and counseling. From 1983 to 2005 she was a hospital chaplain in Saskatoon. Then from 2005 to 2017, she was the Spiritual Care Coordinator at Bethany Manor, a Mennonite Seniors Home in Saskatoon.

Our Mission The Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online provides reliable, freely-available English-language information on Anabaptist-related congregations, denominations, conferences, institutions and significant individuals, as well as historical and theological topics. Secular subject articles from an Anabaptist perspective and full-text source documents are also included. US $ Cdn $ Donations If you would like to make a donation to help sustain GAMEO in its mission to provide reliable information about the whole spectrum of Anabaptists we'd be glad for your help! Clicking on one of the images to the right will take you to the Mennonite World Conference donation page for credit cards in either U.S. or Canadian currency. Go to the bottom of the page to donate to "Other" and fill in "GAMEO" as the project to be supported. The volunteers who help GAMEO continue to exist thank you for your support! Corrections and Suggestions If you have specific corrections to articles or suggestions that should be added to the encyclopedia send them to the GAMEO's email address at admin@gameo.org. As a volunteer organization we are unable to respond to questions on Mennonite history or genealogical questions of any kind. For questions of that type, please contact a local genealogical society, or check with a Mennonite historical library or archives. About Us To learn more about GAMEO, click the link. See at YouTube video about GAMEO produced by Mennonite World Conference at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDfwQecdM70. Other Mennonite Encyclopedias GAMEO works together with the editors of other Mennonite encyclopedias to make their content available in the English language. These encyclopedias include: Lexikon der Mennoniten in Paraguay Mennonitisches Lexikon (MennLex) Mennonite Historical Agencies As a volunteer organization, we are unable to respond to questions on Mennonite history or genealogical questions of any kind. For questions of that type, please contact a local genealogical society, or check with a Mennonite historical library or archives. For a list of Mennonite historical society or archives near you, please consult the Directory of North American Mennonite Historical Agencies. Like us on Facebook

GAMEO falls under the umbrella of the Mennonite World Conference Faith and Life Commission. Members of the Management Board include: Mennonite Historical Society of Canada, Mennonite Church USA Archives, Mennonite Brethren Historical Commission, Mennonite Central Committee, Mennonite World Conference, Institute for the Study of Global Anabaptism, and the D. F. Plett Historical Research Foundation