Volker Arthur Thiessen , March 02, 1936 — September 22, 2018

Abingdon, VA – Volker Arthur Thiessen passed away on September 22, 2018. He was born in Germany on March 2, 1936. During World War II his family fled from the Russian occupied zone to the English occupied zone.

He was raised and attended school in Emden, Germany, a port city on the North Sea near the Dutch Border. He studied for two years in Great Britain, and, like so many other immigrants, lawfully entered the United States in 1960 with only a suitcase and a work visa,… Read More » seeking opportunity in America. He worked in the shipping industry, initially in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for a few years before being transferred to Chicago.

In Chicago he met Patricia Ann Swan, who would become his wife of 49 years. After her death, he moved to Abingdon for his final years to be close to his remaining family. He loved his wife and his children and was a dedicated family man.

He took his family on innumerable road trips across the United States—to the lakes in the Midwest, to the beaches of Florida and California, and to visit the great national parks and the mountains of the American West, leading to both of his boys’ love of the outdoors during their formative years. His interests were to travel, to garden, and, in later years, to make jams and preserves from the freshest fruit, a skill he learned from his wife. Cheerful and carefree, he valued his privacy and his independence.

He was preceded in death by his parents Otto and Ingeborg Thiessen, of Emden, Germany; his wife Patricia Thiessen; and his son Douglas Thiessen, of West River, Maryland. He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Eric and Joanne Thiessen, of Abingdon; his brother and sister-in-law, Rudiger and Veronika Thiessen, of Munich, Germany; his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Donald and Helen Swan, of Chicago, Illinois; and his grandchildren, including Karl, Isaac and Josephine Thiessen of Abingdon. A private graveside service will be held in Forest Hills Memory Gardens.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to the Abingdon United Methodist Church, 101 East Main Street, Abingdon, VA 24210. Those wishing to express sympathy online may do so by visiting www. farrisfuneralservice.com and signing the online guest register.

The Thiessen family is being cared for by Farris Funeral Service & Crematory, 427 East Main Street, Abingdon, VA 24210, (276) 623-2700.

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