Otto Rueve was born on May 28, 1902 in Bokel, Germany, about 150 km east of Bremen. Otto immigrated to Canada in 1924, and purchased land between Bruno and Cudworth in 1929 in the Leofeld District.
Ida Kohle was born on June 24, 1913, and was the daughter of Clemens and Mary (Lutter) Kohle. Clemens and Mary were married in 1904, in one of the first wedding masses at St. Peter’s parish in Muenster. The wedding was held in the little log church.
Otto and Ida were married in 1937, and lived near Leofeld. In 1944, they purchased land and moved to a farm south of Muenster, just north of St. Gertrude church. It was here that they raised their family of 5 children: Lawrence, Rose Marie, Arthur, Armella and Eileen.
Otto and Ida moved to Muenster in 1967, exchanging houses with Lawrence and Agatha. St. Peter’s Parish was now their home parish. Otto and Ida attended chapel most every morning. In 1986, Otto and Ida moved to Humboldt. Otto passed away in 1991 and is buried at St. Gertrude cemetery. Ida passed away in 1998, and is also buried at St. Gertrude.
Lawrence took over farming in 1967 at the same time teaching in Muenster for nine years. Lawrence passed away in 1987, and is buried at St. Gertrude cemetery. Lawrence and his wife Agatha Klane raised 6 children: Kevin, Keith, Rhonda, Kent Ryan and Everett. Agatha still lives on the farm as well as son Keith and his wife Gail.
Rose Marie married Frank Zimmerman, and has 4 children: Delphine, Clinton, Denise, and Anna Marie.
Arthur passed away in 1987, and is buried in Bruno. He and wife Alice Dust have one daughter, Carrie.
Armella married Wilfred Paproski, and has 2 children: Myles and Lyle.
Eileen married Marcellus Pulvermacher.
The symbols and theme chosen for our Stained Glass window are as follows:
At the top of the window is a hymn book. We chose a hymn book in remembrance of Ida, who loved to sing. Grandma loved gospel songs, and we remember her singing as she washed the supper dishes in the evening. The title of the song in the hymn book is Holy God, or in German, Grosser Gott, a song that was very special to Otto and Ida, and as well to Lawrence who loved this song when he played the organ at St. Gertrude.
Through the centre of the window we have a landscape of the farmyard as it is now, highlighted with the red hip roof barn that Lawrence and Agatha had moved onto the farm in 1975. As well, it shows the evergreens that Otto and Ida planted when they were on the farm, as well as the evergreens that Lawrence and Agatha planted. We also have some bright orange tiger lilies in the lower middle section, the wild flowers that the family looked forward to seeing every spring.
In the bottom panel of the window, we have a farm yard scene. Otto loved his cattle, and had names for many of them, and would call them as he fed them in the morning and evening. Also in the bottom panel is a vegetable garden showing the necessity of a large garden for the early farmers, as well as the love for gardening that Ida had.
The family of Otto and Ida appreciate the opportunity to have this beautiful stained glass window as a remembrance to Otto and Ida and to the family they raised.
Submitted by: Kevin Rueve
Installation Date: May 21, 2011
Blessing Date: July 21, 2011