Loyal Klassen, 91, of Mountain Lake, Minn., died Sept. 29, 2024, at Sunset Hospice Cottage in Worthington, Minn. He was born Nov. 30, 1932, to Abram P. and Elizabeth (Janzen) Klassen in Mountain Lake.
At age 14, his father’s death had a tremendous impact on his life. He graduated from Mountain Lake High School. He was baptized and joined the Evangelical Mennonite Brethren Church in Mountain Lake. After several years helping on the family farm, Selective Service came calling. The local draft board denied his conscientious objector application, so he appealed to the state board, which granted him 1-W status. He spent two and a half years in Germany with Mennonite Central Committee’s Pax program, building housing for refugees and in Greece helping with agriculture projects.
Following Pax, he joined Mennonite Voluntary Service, building a church in Holland. His service years were a pivotal time, enlarging his worldview. He was a staunch supporter of Mennonite Disaster Service and served as treasurer of the local MDS chapter. He served on disaster projects in Mexico, California, Mississippi and locally in Minnesota. He served on many boards at Bethel Mennonite Church.
Returning to Mountain Lake, he was employed by Rempel Construction as a bricklayer. He then attended Freeman Junior College and Bethel College and graduated from Goshen College with a degree in social work.
He married Bertha Redekop on May 6, 1960, and they enjoyed married life for over 64 years. They settled on an acreage in rural Mountain Lake and farmed while raising three children. Raising purebred Hampshire sheep was an early wish and continued through the farming years. Family oriented, Loyal relished being a grandfather. Travel was a priority as he and Bertha explored over 70 countries. They took learning tours, including European Mennonite history and Ukraine. Travel provided a conduit for his interest in photography.
He is survived his wife, Bertha; children, Loretta (Kevin) Krahn, Brigham (Lori) Klassen and Timothy (Heather) Klassen; 10 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by five brothers.
