A Celebration of Life service for Edwin Toews age 91 of Enid will be 10 am Saturday, January 23, 2016 in the Ladusau-Evans Chapel with Rev. Jay Risner and Rev. Lynford Becker officiating. Burial will follow in the Enid Mennonite Brethren Cemetery under the direction of Ladusau-Evans Funeral Home. The family will receive friends Friday evening from 5:00 to 6:30pm at the funeral home.
Edwin Toews was born June 23, 1924, on a farm north of Enid near Kremlin, to Daniel and Emma (Harms) Toews. He was the third of ten children. He attended Columbia Grade School and Kremlin High School, and proudly served his country in World War II. He met Virginia Wiebe at the wedding of his sister Mary to her brother Walter. They married October 24, 1947, and celebrated 68 years of marriage last October. They had two daughters, Myra Ann and Lois June.
Edwin loved farming and farmed in the Enid area for nearly 65 years, raising wheat and cattle. In addition to being a full-time farmer, he also worked full time at Vance Air Force Base for 40 years as an Aircraft Mechanic and Maintenance Inspector. After retiring in 1990, he stayed very active by serving his community as a volunteer for Wheatheart Nutrition, delivering meals for 20 years and serving on the Wheatheart board of directors for 13 years. He also stayed physically fit, going to the YMCA almost daily to swim and work out. He continued his passion for farming and his love and pride for his family’s homestead by regularly going out to maintain and supervise operation of the farm. In 2005, the homestead was recognized as an Oklahoma Centennial Farm.
Edwin was an avid OU football fan. He was a longtime season ticket holder and followed the Sooners to many bowl games, including one to Hawaii. He also loved baseball, especially the St. Louis Cardinals and Cleveland Indians. He attended many baseball games in St. Louis with his friend, the late Gene Zaloudek. His daughter Lois shared his love of sports. She accompanied him to several OU bowl games and watched countless football, basketball and baseball games with him on television. This is a cherished father-daughter memory.
Edwin was a member of the Enid Mennonite Brethren Church, where he was baptized at age 16. The original church stood on the land which is now the Mennonite Cemetery, where he will be laid to rest. He attended church faithfully and loved singing in the men’s chorus. In 2000 and 2007, he and Virginia traveled to Greeley, Colorado, where he participated in Hymns for Heifers!-- a concert by the Rocky Mountain Men’s Chorus benefitting Heifer Project International, a charity that he and his wife regularly supported.
Edwin Toews was a man of great integrity and faith. He was a man of his word and had deep compassion for others. He was a faithful family man, taking care of his mother and siblings when his father passed away in 1955. When his mother entered a nursing home, he never missed a day coming to see her in 7 years. He was a wonderful provider and was committed to caring for Virginia and his two daughters. His Christian faith was very important to him, and his life was a wonderful testimony to that faith.
He is survived by his wife, Virginia, his two daughters, Myra Torabi and Lois Tweeten, two grandchildren, Parker and Clarice Tweeten, two sisters, Bertha Thomas and Rubena Kokojan, and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, four brothers, and three sisters.
In lieu of flowers, please make memorials to the Heifer Project International with Ladusau-Evans Funeral Home serving as custodians of the funds.
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