HARRY LOEWEN

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HARRY LOEWEN December 8, 1930 - September 16, 2015 On the afternoon of September 16, 2015, Dr. Harry Loewen died in Kelowna, after a long and courageous struggle with cancer. Born to Nikolai and Anna Loewen in the Russian-Mennonite settlement of Friedensfeld, Southern Ukraine, Soviet Union, as a six-year old boy, Loewen witnessed the arrest and later learned of the execution of his father and grandfather by the state police, a fate that befell many other Mennonite families during this period. In a number of moving reflections on the historical significance of the Mennonite experience in the Stalinist period, Loewen depicted the anguish of the young boy at his father's violent end in his collection of stories No Permanent City', a book which was also translated into German. With his grandmother, mother, brother and sister, he made the long trek through war-torn Europe to Germany from which the family then migrated in 1948 to Canada as refugees in the wake of the Second World War, settling in Southern Alberta. In Coaldale, Alberta, he and his brother John built a house for the family, digging its foundation with shovels. In Coaldale, he married Gertrude Penner on May 17, 1953, his beloved wife and partner for over six decades. A prodigious scholar and respected teacher, Loewen earned degrees from the Mennonite Brethren Bible College, University of Western Ontario (Waterloo College), University of Manitoba, and earned his PhD with a dissertation on Goethe and Protestantism from the University of Waterloo. After college and high school teaching in Winnipeg, Loewen joined the German Department at Wilfrid Laurier University (1968 to 1978) and served as its chair before accepting a position as inaugural holder of the Chair in Mennonite Studies and Professor of History at the University of Winnipeg (1978 to 1995). During his tenure at the University of Winnipeg, Loewen founded the Journal of Mennonite Studies, organized annual symposia in the field, and lectured on Mennonite history and literature at universities in North America, Europe, and at a pedagogical institute in Paraguay. He was also a guest professor at the University of Mannheim in Germany. His 16 books and numerous research articles are the product of a scholar at home in a number of disciplines and include studies of the German classical tradition, the Enlightenment, Russian literature and history, Reformation history, modern German literature (including Nietzsche and Kafka) and contemporary Mennonite writers. Loewen was honoured by his colleagues at the University of Winnipeg with the title of Professor Emeritus for his lasting academic contributions and service in furtherance of collegial governance and received recognition from various historical societies for his work in Mennonite history. Loewen's life and work were inspired by a religious humanism which was critical of the fundamentalisms of our time while affirming that the Anabaptist-Mennonite heritage contained resources to guide subsequent generations. During the course of his illness, he completed a study of Martin Luther and his opponents, a book which was launched in Kelowna shortly before his passing. In the final paragraphs of that book, Loewen discussed contributions to the shaping of the modern world that owe much to the radical Anabaptist movement, including the separation of church and state, the democratic principle of free speech, and "the importance of the 16th-century revolution of the common man' that left its lasting mark in the labour movements with their drive for justice, equality, and positive legislations throughout the western world". Harry Loewen lived a life of service animated by a deep love for a suffering humanity, a theme throughout his work. He never lashed out at those who wronged him, consistently seeking justice through peacemaking. With an indomitable spirit, Gertrude and he rebuilt their house (and his cherished library) destroyed by the Okanagan Mountain Forest Fire of 2003. A truly remarkable man who embodied the faith and ideals that guided his life, he will be missed by his lifelong partner Gertrude; his children, Helmut-Harry Loewen, Winnipeg; Charles and Dana Loewen, Fort McMurray (Brent Loewen, Calgary, and Amber Loewen, Kelowna); Jeffrey Loewen and Wendy Blyth, West Kelowna (Sean Stewart, Pemberton); his brother John Loewen and sister-in-law Elizabeth Loewen, Kelowna; and sister Helen Dick, Peachland. A memorial service for Harry Loewen will be held at the First Mennonite Church in Kelowna on Friday, October 9, 2015, at 10:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers and other expressions of condolence, the family requests that friends of Harry Loewen consider a donation either to the Kelowna General Hospital or for the refugee relief programs of the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), Canada.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Oct 03, 2015