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DEVELOPMENT NEWS

The Elfrieda Klassen Dyck Compassionate Nursing Scholarship: Russian refugees and sinking ships
By: Brian Schlabach '07

Elfrieda Klassen Dyck, pictured here with her husband Peter whom she met in while serving with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) as a nurse in war-torn England n 1942.

When Elfrieda Dyck was 8 years old, she made her first voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. She didn’t know it then, but in the course of her lifetime she would make that journey across the Atlantic many more times while helping Russian Mennonite refugees reach safety in South America.

Elfrieda was born in Donskaja, Russia, on March 10, 1917, the youngest of 14 children. After her family immigrated to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, she discovered a knack for nursing while tending to her bedridden mother. As a young woman, Elfrieda went on to receive her registered nursing degree after training at St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg in 1939. In 1942, Elfrieda returned to Europe to serve as a nurse in war-torn England as a Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) worker. It was there that she met her future husband, Peter J. Dyck.

In 1948, Elfrieda set off on a trans-Atlantic journey to transport 578 Russian Mennonite refugees to Mennonite settlements in Paraguay. At age 31, she was leading her third voyage of this kind. Unfortunately, the ship, named the Charlton Monarch, was in poor condition, and only continued to deteriorate after its departure. The voyage was a disaster. Constant engine failure, lack of electricity, leaks, food shortages, crew problems and sickness plagued the journey. When the ship’s engines finally died for good near the northeast corner of Brazil, Elfrieda had to arrange to fly the refugees to Paraguay, which meant boarding off-schedule planes in the middle of the night. The three-week voyage ended up taking almost two months. During that time, Elfrieda never lost hope.

“God is good to me,” Elfrieda wrote in a letter to Peter during that trip. “He often gives me the right thoughts and the right words at the right time. I can never be thankful enough for the way he has protected us on this very difficult journey.”

That’s the way Elfrieda lived her life, confident that she would be in the hands of God in all circumstances. Three months after the Charlton Monarch fiasco, she led her fourth and final refugee operation to South America. In all, she helped more than 5,500 refugees reach South America safely.

“She was at peace with herself and others.” Peter said. “Always very grateful to God for his wonderful leading. Thankful to the doors he opened for her to serve in his name.” In 1949, Elfrieda and Peter ended their MCC positions and came to Goshen College. Peter took on a full course load to finish his degree in English and Elfrieda audited a few classes, unable to practice nursing without a work visa.

“In many ways Goshen College was a major event in our lives,” said Peter. “We both believed that in today’s world higher education is a desirable goal. But education alone, without commitment to Christ, can be a poor guide for life.”

Their commitment to Mennonite higher education has continued in the form of the financial assistance given to attend Goshen College for their two children, Ruth Scott ’72 and Rebecca Dyck ’75, and four of their grandchildren, Peter Scott ’98, Deborah Scott ’01, Sasha Dyck ’04, and Cory Scott ’05.

After a year at Goshen College, Peter became part-time pastor of Eden Mennonite Church in Moundridge, Kan., while also taking classes at the Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Chicago. During this time, Elfrieda gave birth to their two daughters.

Seven years later, the call to service abroad came again, and Elfrieda and Peter left their post in Kansas to serve in Germany as directors of the Europe and North Africa MCC programs. After 10 years in Germany, Elfrieda and Peter moved to Akron, Pa., where Elfrieda took a nursing job at Fairmont Nursing Home. Even in her later years, Elfrieda couldn’t resist her call to nursing. “She was always more than just a professional nurse. Even here in this retirement center, she would call on people with special problems. Later I would hear such comments as, ‘Elfrieda's visit was like a nurse and pastor, all in one. I was so thankful she came to me.’ ”

Elfrieda died on Aug. 20, 2004, at age 87, and donated her body to the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine as a final gesture of a life of service. However, her example of service and commitment to higher education will continue through a newly established scholarship fund at Goshen College. The Elfrieda Klassen Dyck Compassionate Nursing Scholarship, established last November by her husband and her family, will benefit nursing students who demonstrate special ability and leadership with patients. The seed for the scholarship was possible when a grandchild, Michael Dyck, chose a Canadian university and the money was released that his grandparents had set aside for his education at a Mennonite institution. “Michael was deeply involved in initiating the whole project and is happy about having made it possible by his choice,” said his mother, Rebecca Dyck ’75.

“My hope for the students receiving the benefit from Elfrieda's scholarship is that they will be committed to serving others professionally,” said Peter. “But always with care and love, always reflecting, and sometimes articulating, the love of God as demonstrated in Jesus Christ.”

To contribute to the Elfrieda Klassen Dyck Compassionate Nursing Scholarship or to learn more about endowing such scholarships, contact the Development Office at (574) 535-7558 or e-mail .