Mennonite World Review - November 2015
Obituaries are emailed to MennObits before MWR is printed. Wording may vary in printed version.
Mennonite World Review - November 9, 2015 - 93rd Year, No. 23 - p. 19
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Maria Thieszen, 99, of Henderson, Neb., died Oct. 16, 2015. She was born May 22, 1916, to Abraham and Agathea (Peters) Thieszen on a farm southeast of Henderson.
She was baptized and became a member of Bethesda Mennonite Church. She graduated from Grace Bible School in 1947. After graduation, she and Edna Schultz served as missionaries with Go Ye Mission in Oklahoma for 15 years.
After her mother died, she and Edna moved back to Henderson and became involved with children's ministry, teaching after-school Bible classes, teaching vacation Bible school and helping at Bible camps. For 18 years they were managers of the Story Time Bus, a 42-passenger bus that was their mobile home as they traveled to different communities ministering to children.
In 1979 they moved to the Good Samaritan Village in Hastings. She worked in the housekeeping department in the nursing home and later in the dietary department. After retirement, she spent many years doing voluntary work at the village. In 2001, she was named Volunteer of the Year by the Nebraska Health Care Association and also the Good Samaritan Volunteer of the Year.
It was with great joy and satisfaction for her to teach the Word of God to 30 to 40 children a week in the children's day care at The Village. In September 2012, she moved to Henderson Health Care.
Survivors include Edna Schultz and a host of nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by two brothers, Abe P. and Daniel Thieszen; a sister, Eva Friesen; two sisters-in-law, Margaret Thieszen and Clara Thieszen; a brother-in-law, Albert Friesen; and a nephew, Wilbur Thieszen.
Graveside services were held at Faith Evangelical Bible Cemetery, one mile south of Henderson. Memorial services were held at Faith Evangelical Church, Henderson.
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Wayne M. Miller, 87, of Shipshewana, Ind., died Oct. 27, 2015, after living with the effects of kidney disease and long-term diabetes. He was born Nov. 14, 1927, to Samuel S. and Rachel M. Miller in Topeka.
On July 17, 1954, he married Leabell S. Troyer in Inman, Kan. She preceded him in death on Jan. 15, 2014.
Initially trained as an X-ray technician at La Junta (Colo.) Mennonite Hospital, he later received certification from Columbia University and served as administrator of Conejos County Hospital in La Jara, Colo., for 21 years. Toward the end of his career he served as administrator at Ausable Valley Home in Fairview, Mich. He was an active member of Gideons International for 45 years. He was a member of Shore Mennonite Church in Shipshewana.
Survivors include two daughters, Kathy (Dennis) Troyer of Shipshewana and Becky (Jim Maves) Manning of Grayling, Mich.; four sons, Kevin (Rebecca Stoltzfus) Miller of Ithaca, N.Y., Jonathan (Christian Yoder) Miller of Washington, D.C., Jeff (Kay Nofziger) Miller of Goshen and Eric (Melody) Short-Miller of Bellingham, Wash.; four sisters, Wilma Jean "Jeannie" Schrock of Shipshewana, Willowdean Schleining of Goshen, Winifred Lehman of Slave Lake, Alta., and Karon Weaver of Goshen; 12 grandchildren and a great-granddaughter.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Leabell; and a sister, Sharon Koelzer.
Memorial services were held at Shore Mennonite Church in Shipshewana. Memorials may be given to Gideons International or Mennonite Mission Network.
Mennonite World Review - November 23, 2015 - 93rd Year, No. 24 - p. 15
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Willis J. Wollmann, 90, of Moundridge, Kan., died Oct. 26, 2015, at Pine Village. He was born May 10, 1925, to Joseph and Elisabeth Ewert Wollmann.
He grew up in Freeman, S.D. He served in Civilian Public Service during World War II. He married Naomi Tieszen on Sept. 8, 1951.
In 1952 he graduated from Washington University School of Dentistry in St. Louis. They then moved to Moundridge, where he practiced general dentistry.
He served on the city council and also as mayor and was influential along with other civic leaders in bringing manufacturing companies to Moundridge. When there was a shortage of suitable housing lots, he purchased land and developed the Wollmann Addition. A pilot since 1958, he was influential in developing the Moundridge Airport and also served on the county airport board for many years.
He was a member of First Mennonite Church of Moundridge since 1952, where he served in various capacities.
Survivors include his wife, Naomi; four daughters, Janet Wollmann and her husband, Marvin Leslie, of Wichita, Jean Wollmann and her husband, John Schmidt, and W. Joyce Goldstein and her husband, Glenn, all of Overland Park, and Marilyn Regier and her husband, Steven, of Wichita; and four grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by a son, Wayne.
Memorial services were held at First Mennonite Church in Moundridge.
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Rachel Weaver Kreider, 106, died Oct. 30, 2015, in Goshen, Ind.
She was born May 28, 1909, in Goshen, to Samuel E. and Laura Johns Weaver.
She grew up on farms in LaGrange County and rural Goshen. Valedictorian of her class at Goshen High School, she graduated from Goshen College in 1931. There she met Leonard Kreider. They were married June 20, 1933, and she joined Leonard at Ohio State University, where she earned a master's degree in philosophy.
After a year in New York City, they moved to North Newton, Kan., where Leonard taught at Bethel College. In 1949 they moved to Wadsworth, Ohio.
For more than a century, she was a writer. Before she was a teenager she had written two novels. Later in life she helped many people write their own life stories.
As a genealogist, she was known especially for the 850-page Amish and Amish-Mennonite Genealogies (with Hugh Gingerich), which covered all the Amish immigrants to North America and their descendants until 1850. Her many published writings include a history of First Mennonite Church of Wadsworth; a history (with Ford Coolman) of the Mennonite cemeteries of Medina County, Ohio; a history of Eighth Street Mennonite Church in Goshen; and many articles in publications such as Mennonite Life and The Yoder Newsletter.
She served the Central District Conference of the General Conference Mennonite Church on the publications, historical and home missions committees.
She and Leonard loved to travel, making 20 overseas trips. She took much joy in her grandchildren and her second family, Eighth Street Mennonite Church.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Leonard; her brother, Arthur Weaver; half-brother, Stahley Weaver; infant sister, Esther; and two daughters, Anna Juhnke and Sara Hartzler.
She is survived by a son, L. Emil and his wife, Louise, of Harrisonburg, Va.; a sister, Eunice Regier of Tulsa, Okla.; eight grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
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Ruth Erlene Entz Buller, 52, of Inman, Kan., died Nov. 7, 2015. She was born April 25, 1963, to Oscar and Helen Entz in Newton.
She graduated from Berean Academy in 1981, Hesston College in 1983 and Bethel College in 1985 with a degree in home economics education.
She worked for four years at The Mixing Bowl in Hesston. She then entered Mennonite Voluntary Service in Brandon, Man., and was there for three years, helping with a food pantry and ESL ministry. Then she became a dorm parent at Mennonite Collegiate Institute in Gretna, Man., for two years. She returned to Newton and earned special education credentials. She got a job at Newton High School in the special education department for five years and taught family and consumer science for one year. She served as a cook at Camp Mennoscah for a number of summers.
She married Eric Buller on Aug. 18, 2001. They moved to Ransom, where Eric was a pastor, and she taught family and consumer science for a year at Ransom High School. She was a paraprofessional for a year at Arrowhead West in Dodge City for children up to 3 years old who had special education needs. She then worked as a private home aide for a number of people in Ransom.
She proclaimed her faith in Jesus Christ by being baptized and becoming a member of First Mennonite Church of Newton while in high school. Wherever she lived, she was active in church life. She lived out her Christian faith by serving others.
She was a seven-year survivor of melanoma cancer, which included three brain operations. She shared with many church groups her journey with cancer, which was interwoven with her deep love and faith in God. Her Christian witness impacted many people.
Survivors include her husband, Eric; two sons, Peter and Josiah; her mother, Helen Entz; a sister, Mary Kulp and her husband, Joel; and a brother, Alan Entz and his wife, Joan.
She was preceded in death by her father, Oscar Entz; a niece, Jayce Buller; and nephew, Noah Olson.
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Luella Wiens Lohrentz, 82, of North Newton, Kan., died Aug. 13, 2015. She was born April 4, 1933, to Ed E. and Martha (Androes) Wiens near Dalhart, Texas.
The family moved to Inman in 1935. At an early age she accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior and later in baptism accepted him as Lord.
She graduated from Inman High School in 1951. In 1950 she met Vernon Lohrentz at a youth retreat at Camp Mennoscah, and they were married on June 1, 1953. She graduated from Bethel College in 1955. They attended Mennonite Biblical Seminary from 1957 to 1960, and she earned a full year of credit.
She was a faithful pastor's wife at Greensburg and Ransom; Hydro, Okla.; Bloomfield, Mont.; Freeman, S.D.; and Grace Hill Mennonite Church, Whitewater. She helped as a pianist and organist, taught Sunday school, vacation Bible school and catechism. She served as a pastor's secretary for 25 years, always as a volunteer. She began teaching secretarial studies in 1970 at Freeman Junior College. She earned a master's degree in 1976 at South Dakota University.
In 1978, she and Vernon attended a Marriage Encounter as a 25th anniversary gift. Later they were invited to become part of a presenting team for a new Mennonite Marriage Encounter program. They were part of MME presenting teams in more than 50 weekend events in 17 states and provinces.
In 1979 they moved to Newton, where she became a payroll accountant at Bethel Hospital and then Newton Medical Center, retiring in 1998. She was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2005. They moved to Kidron Bethel retirement community in 2006.
Survivors include her husband, Vernon, of North Newton; three sons, Paul Lohrentz and his wife, Pam, of Hutchinson, David Lohrentz and his wife, Megumi, of Madison, Wis., and Tim Lohrentz of Petaluma, Calif.; two daughters, Jean Lohrentz of Newton and Susan Lohrentz and her husband, Carl Lind, of Seattle; a brother, Eldon Wiens of McPherson; two sisters, Glenna Heidebrecht of McPherson and Doris Menarelli of Prescott, Ariz.; 11 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.