by Barry Dyck - July 22, 2010 Reimer grave marker unveiled The Jakob D. Reimer grave marker, brought to Steinbach from Ukraine by Reimer family members, was unveiled in a permanent location at the Mennonite Heritage Village on Sunday. Some 70 descendants and numerous friends attended the afternoon ceremony. Visitors from four provinces crowded into the Old Colony Mennonite Church at the museum site for the service. Harold Wiens, great-great-grandson of J.D. Reimer and an Alberta music professor from Alberta, led the group in a number of traditional hymns throughout the service. The songs, some favourites of Reimer’s, reflected the singing tradition of the Mennonite Brethren. Gert Martens, another descendant, recounted how the grave stone was found. The family, in 2006, in a second attempt to find the grave marker, spent time questioning individuals in the area. Finally someone mentioned that a neighbour had a tombstone in his field. It proved to be that of her great-great-grandparents, Jakob and Wilhelmine Reimer. The neighbour had moved it from Wiesenfeld when that village was leveled to become a wheat field. The forgotten cemetery and abandoned village of Wiesenfeld, founded by Jakob Reimer, were deserted as all fled in 1919 after the revolution. The stone was moved to Molochansk where it remained for one winter. Then, with the help of various people, especially Ukrainian tour guide Olga Shmakina, the grave marker was allowed to be shipped out of Ukraine to Canada. Ken Reddig, former Mennonite Brethren archivist, provided some historical reflections on the significance of Jakob D. Reimer, who was born in Kronsgart. He had a passion for education and established schools for the needy. He was influenced in his faith by the preaching of pietist Eduard Wuest, and met with other believers of similar persuasion. He invited Elder Lenzmann of the Mennonite Church to serve communion to this group of believers, but Lenzmann declined. When this group of believers signed the letter of secession on Jan. 6, 1860 to separate from the Mennonite Church, Reimer was not one of the signatories. However, two months later he sent a letter to the leadership of the Mennonite Church to explain the rationale behind their actions. He was later elected as an assistant elder to Elder Huebert. Meetings of this group of believers were often held in Reimer’s house or machine shed. Several influences affected the new group, including “leapers and jumpers” (Froehliche Richtung) who dominated the fledgling church. Because Reimer refused to participate, he and his family were excommunicated in 1864. They were later restored to fellowship but Reimer never regained his previous influence. Abe Dueck, executive director of the M.B. Historical Commission, added that monuments such as the Reimer grave marker help us remember and remind us to be faithful. Dueck also noted the Mennonite Brethren were celebrating 150 years during 2010. Edgar Reimer, great-grandson of Jakob D. Reimer, provided excellent historical background concerning the Mennonites and their Russian experience. The Mennonites were not unaware of world events, such as the Crimean War and the border wars against the crumbling Turkish Empire. Nor were they unaffected by religious streams such as the Claas Epp “Bridal Congregation” or the charismatic Kuban Colony or the Klaas Reimer preparations to move the “Kleine Gemeinde” (EMC) to Canada. Edgar Reimer noted Jakob D. Reimer, although strongly desiring to move to North America, had opted to remain in Ukraine and founded Wiesenfeld, which remained a village for some 40 years. Helga Enns, a great-great-granddaughter living in B.C., spoke about the women of the Reimer family. Wilhelmine Strauss Reimer, baptized as an infant in the Lutheran Church, came to Russia as a teen. She was baptized and became a member of the Mennonite Church as a young adult. Later, she was baptized as a mature adult and joined the Mennonite Brethren Church. At age 21 she married Jakob D. Reimer and stood beside him as a strong and resilient partner. Enns also talked briefly about Wilhelmine’s sister Julianna Strauss who assisted in meeting the needs of the poor among them. Julianna worked as the housekeeper for a British industrialist for 20 years, but then became too ill to work and lived with the Reimers. Reg Reimer, former missionary to Vietnam and now living in Abbotsford, wrote some reflections about the Jakob D. Reimer family. Reimer had taken his family to Ukraine where they visited the grave site and became involved in moving the marker to the Mennonite Centre in Molochansk. Barry Dyck, executive director of the Mennonite Heritage Village, led the congregation outdoors to the grave marker, after which the family members, who had been in Ukraine when the marker was discovered, unveiled the stone, Abe Dueck led in a dedicatory prayer. The guests then enjoyed dessert and socializing in the Livery Barn Restaurant.

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