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Biographical history
David Klassen (1902-1985) was born in Halbstadt, Manitoba as the second child of David (1876-1965) and Anna Klassen (1880-1943). He attended the private school in the area and transferred to the public school in 1914 to complete grade four in the English language. He was married Susan Heinrichs (1902-), daughter of William and Maria Heinrichs on February 5, 1920. Fifteen children were born to this marriage.
David D. Klassen was ordained as a minister of the Bergthaler Mennonite Church of Manitoba in 1930 and served in Halbstadt from 1930-1938 and in Homewood, Manitoba from 1938-1964. In 1961 he was ordained as an elder (bishop) in the Bergthaler Mennonite Church of Manitoba. He served the church and the wider Mennonite community through various speaking engagements in Canada and in Mexico and on the Southern Manitoba radio station C.F.A.M. He wrote for church papers and was keenly interested in issues of peace, baptism, war, prophecy, and the charismatic movement. He served on the boards of the Mennonite Collegiate Institute (MCI) in Gretna, Manitoba, Canadian Mennonite Bible College (CMBC) in Winnipeg and the Conference of Mennonites in Canada (CMC) Home Mission Board.
David D. Klassen and his wife retired to the Boyne Towers apartments in Carman, Manitoba where he died on September 4, 1985.