Walenta Family

Constantine K. J. Walenta, son of Rev. and Mrs. Wenzel Walenta, was born in Allentown, PA., on December 22, 1877. At the age of 15, he entered the Mission House at Plymouth, Wisconsin, passing through the Academy, College, and Theological Seminary, graduating from the Seminary in 1902. He was licensed and ordained at Reeseville, Wisconsin, in June, 1902. His pastorates included: First Reformed Church at Reeseville, Wisconsin (1902-1922) and First Reformed Church at Sauk City, Wisconsin (1922-1929). He died January 12, 1929 of pneumonia, at the age of 51. He was noted for his fine singing voice and his interest in and knowledge of music. He married Louisa Graf of New York City on April 18, 1913. They had three daughters. Howard Walenta was born on November 26, 1916, in Brooklyn, New York to Max John Henry and Magdalena (Hildenbrand) Walenta. He received a bachelor's degree from Columbia University in 1938 and a bachelor of divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary of New York in 1940. He was ordained July 10, 1940 in St. Mark's E&R Church, Brooklyn, NY. Pastorates included: First Reformed Church of Bellerose, Long Island, NY (1940-1945); St. Peter's UCC, DuBois, Clearfield County, PA. (1945-1957); Calvary UCC, Bethlehem, PA. (1957-1970); St. John's UCC, Fogelsville, PA. (1970-1984). He was president of the East Penn Association of the UCC, 1960-1962; member of the Board of Trustees of St. Paul's Orphans and Old Folks Home, Greenville, PA.; head of the Friends of the Library Association of DuBois; chairman of the civic committee of the DuBois Ministerial Association; and past president of the Bethlehem Ministerial Association. He was married to Ruth (Fleming) Walenta, they had three daughters and one son. Max John Henry Walenta was born July 15, 1879 in Timothy, Wisconsin to Wenzel and Rose Ziegler Walenta. He attended Mission House, graduating in 1900, and Union Theological Seminary, graduating in 1903. He was licensed and ordained in 1903 in Brooklyn, New York into the New York Classis, German Synod of the East. Pastorates included: St. Luke's Brooklyn, NY (1903-1907); Supply Pastor, Berlin c/o Waukesha, Wisconsin (1908-1910); and St. Mark's Evangelical Reformed Church in Ridgewood, Long Island, New York (1910-1957). At various times he was president and stated clerk of the New York Classis, president of the Synod of the East, Reformed Church of the United States, vice-president of New York Synod. In the community, he served as president of the Evangelical Home for the Aged on Bushwick Ave. (1920, 1942) and on Board of Directors and Advisory Board. He was married to Magdalena Hildebrand on June 29, 1910. They had one son (Rev. Howard Waltena) and one daughter (Mildred E. Seyffarth). Victor E. Walenta was born January 27, 1902. He was licensed May 30, 1928 in Bridgeport, Conn. of New York Classis. He was ordained September 9, 1928, Titusville, PA., into the West New York Classis. Pastorates included: St. Paul's, Titusville, PA. (1928-1938); Grace, Kohler, Wisconsin (1938-1942); Fourth E&R, Cleveland, Ohio (1942-1968); Friedens UCC (1968-1979). He died in Cleveland, Ohio on January 19, 1997. Wenzel Walenta was born near Carlsbad in Bohemia, Austria, in 1856. He was baptized and confirmed as Roman Catholic. At the age of 17, at the end of his apprenticeship, he came to America, landing at New York City in 1873. He began studying with Rev. W.A. Helffrich and was confirmed as a member of the Reformed Church in Ziegle's Church in 1875. Rev. Helffrich sent him to the Mission House Theological Seminary, supplying the necessary funds for Mr. Walenta's final preparation for the ministry. After graduation from Mission House Theological Seminary in 1879, he was licensed and ordained. Pastorates included: Salem Ebenezer Church, Newtown, Wisconsin (1879-1883); St. Luke's German Reformed Church, Philadelphia, PA. (1883-1887); Emanual Mission, Brooklyn, New York (1887-1930). The Emanual Mission Church was merged in 1923 with a mission congregation at Richmond Hill, building a new church at Woodhaven on Long Island. He suffered from bronchitis throughout his life, and died at his home in Woodhaven on April 11, 1930 as a result of a two week illness. He was a member of the Board of Home Missions for 10 years, serving 2 years as President and 6 years as Secretary. He was also a member of the Publication Board of the Central Publishing House at Cleveland, OH. He filled the position of Professor of German at Ursinus College in 1883. He married Rosa Ziegler, with whom he had three sons, Constantine J. Walenta and Max John Henry Walenta, both of whom became ministers; and Wilhelm F. who became a medical doctor. He married Katie after the death of Rosa, and had Calvin (died in the war, buried in Bordeaux, France) and Louise (married an engineer, Louis Schneider); Paul Herman (pastor); Victor Eugene (pastor).