Memorable Manitobans: Isaak J. Warkentin (1885-1971)

Educator.

Born at Hoffnungsfeld on 27 November 1885, son of Rev. John Warkentin (1859-1948) and Sarah Loewen (1860-1930) and brother of Bernard W. Warkentin and Jacob B. Warkentin, he attended Winkler School, Gretna School, and took Normal School training at Altona from 1904 to 1905.

After teaching in rural schools for three years, including at Haskett School (1909), he attended Wesley College, graduating with a BA degree in 1912. He was Principal of the intermediate school at Winkler from 1912 to 1913, later going to Leipzig, Germany to study at the university there. Shortly after the outbreak of the First World War, he was interned as a prisoner of war at Ruhleben, being released in November 1918.

From January to June 1919, he attended the Central Normal School then he taught at Winkler School (1919-1921) and the Mennonite Educational Institute (1921-1924). He was Principal of the Lowe Farm School (1926-1944) then the Steinbach School (1944-1951). He retired in 1951 but taught for a few more years, at Goodwill School (1951-1952) and Elma School (1952-1953).

On 3 August 1924, he married Maria Warkentin (c1899-1970). They had four children: Helen Warkentin (b 1925), John Henry Warkentin, Bernhard Alfred Warkentin (b 1935), and Frances Winnifred Warkentin (b 1936).

He died at Steinbach on 6 October 1971.

Sources:

Birth registration, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 7 October 1971, page 37.

Reflections of Lowe Farm, 1899-1999 by the Lowe Farm History Book Committee, page 236.

We thank Nathan Kramer for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 24 April 2022

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

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