Toews, David

"Bishop" David Toews was born 9 February 1870 in the Volga German colony of Lysanderhöh, son of the Rev. Jacob Toews and Maria Wiebe.  In 1880, the Toews family moved to Turkestan, and in 1884 to Newton, Kansas.  He moved to Gretna, Manitoba, as a teacher, and then on to Winnipeg to attend school.  He married Margaretha "Margaret" Friesen in 1900. He was ordained a minister on 18 August 1901. 

He served as chairman of the Conference of Mennonites in Canada from 1914 to 1940 and chairman of the Canadian Mennonite Board of Colonization from 1922 to 1946.  The board was responsible for bringing over 20,000 Mennonites from Russia to Canada from 1923 to 1930.

Bishop Toews died on 25 February 1947 and is buried in Rosthern, Saskatchewan.