Mennonite Weekly Review - July, 2010
  Alger, John PaulGaeddert, Jessie BrownHershberger, Velma Hershberger;   Jennings, John;   King, Clifford E.;   Klopfenstein, Wayne W.;   Koch, Roy S.;   Ropp, Katie Leona;   Martens, Nick;  Weaver, Dale M.;   Welty, Ellen Louise Wagner;   Witmer, Clifford S.;   
Mennonite Weekly Review - July 5, 2010 - 88th Year, No. 24 - p. 9

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Alger, John Paul

John Paul Alger
, 87, of Broadway, Va., died May 25, 2010, at Loyalton of Harrisonburg. He was born July 4, 1922, to John H. and Anna Hostetter Alger in Broadway.

He was a farmer, dairy retailer and electrician. He taught Sunday school in several West Virginia schoolhouses and was a Sunday school superintendent and song leader at Zion Mennonite Church.  He served as president of Virginia Mennonite Aid Plan. He was ordained deacon in 1960 and served several congregations in the district until his retirement in 1990.

On Feb. 19, 1949, he married Retha Romaine Mishler. She preceded him in death on Dec. 21, 2009.

Survivors include a son, Victor E. Alger and his wife, Judy Y. Alger, of Broadway; a daughter, Wanda L. Alger and her husband, Scott Waples, of Spokane, Wash.; two brothers, Robert S. Alger and his wife, Ruth, of Dayton, and Ralph J. Alger of Dayton; three sisters, Catherine Lapp and her husband, LeRoy, of Morgantown, W.Va., Mildred Glick and her husband, Ike, of Alberta in Canada, and Nellie Alger of Broadway; and two grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Retha; a daughter, Phyllis Alger; and a brother, Nelson Alger.

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Weaver, Dale M.


Dale M. Weaver, 71, of New Holland, Pa., died June 13, 2010, at the Mount Joy Hospice Center after a brief battle with cancer. He was born Oct. 17, 1938, to Victor F. and Edith M. (Martin) Weaver in New Holland.

He served his 1-W alternative service with Mennonite Central Committee’s Pax program in Greece from 1958 to 1960. He was former president and CEO of Victor F. Weaver Inc. in New Holland and New Holland Custom Woodwork. His business interests included serving on the boards of Blue Ball National Bank (now Susquehanna Bank) for 35 years and Mennonite Economic Development Associates for many years.

His strong faith fueled a passion for the world and his community through involvement in his local congregation, and he actively supported Mennonite schools, missions and many other Christian agencies. In his retirement years he directed his energies into enhancing the local community. He was instrumental in the creation of, and served as the founding board chair of, both the Garden Spot Village retirement community and the New Holland Recreation Center. He was a lifelong member of Weaverland Mennonite Church in East Earl.

Survivors include his wife of 48 years, Irene (Martin) Weaver; three daughters, Dawn Isley and her husband, Geoff, of Grantham, Sue Weaver of Lancaster and Tina Smigocki and her husband, Gene, of Lancaster; a sister, Janet Newswanger and her husband, Larry, of Landisville; and three grandsons.
Memorial services were held at Weaverland Mennonite Church of East Earl.

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Koch, Roy S.


Roy Swartz Koch, 96, of Goshen, Ind., died June 12, 2010, at his home. He was born Sept. 6, 1913, to Charles and Minerva (Swartz) Koch near St. Jacobs, Ont., the seventh of 10 children.

He married Martha Horst on Aug. 8, 1942, and they were married for nearly 68 years.

He was a graduate of the University of Western Ontario at Waterloo and of Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart. He was ordained as a pastor in 1936 at age 23 and as bishop in 1951. In addition to pastoring congregations for more than 34 years, he was a teacher, administrator, writer, editor and development officer.

He pastored St. Jacobs (Ont.) Mennonite Church from 1936 to 1957. From 1957 to 1970 he served at South Union Mennonite Church in West Liberty, Ohio. He also filled the bishop’s role in Ontario and Ohio. While pastoring in Ontario, he also taught at Ontario Mennonite Bible School and Institute in Kitchener during the 1940s and 1950s, serving as its principal from 1952 to 1957. He frequently traveled as a speaker, evangelist and storyteller, wrote numerous articles for church and secular papers, and edited the ministers’ section of the Builder and the Mennonite Renewal Services newsletter.

He served as moderator of the Ohio and Eastern Conference in the 1960s and moderator of the Mennonite General Conference from 1963 to 1965. He served on the Mennonite Church’s Board of Missions, Board of Education and Commission for Christian Education. In the early 1970s he was Indiana-Michigan Conference minister, then served as Bethany Christian High School’s development director. He was executive secretary of Mennonite Renewal Services well into the 1980s.
Survivors include his wife, Martha; six children, Robert and his wife, Linda, of Colorado Springs, Arlene Holdeman and her husband, Ken, of Bloomington, Minn., Richard and his wife, Rhonda, of Goshen, Rodney of Salem, Ore., Jane Oyer and her husband, Stanley, of Middlebury, and Sheila Graber and her husband, Millard, of Goshen; 17 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by eight siblings; another sibling, Gladys Martin, died eight days after him; and by a grandchild, Joyce Graber.
Funeral services were held at East Goshen Mennonite Church. Burial was in Violett Cemetery.


Mennonite Weekly Review - July 12, 2010 - 88th Year, No. 25 - p. 13

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Klopfenstein, Wayne W.


Wayne W. Klopfenstein, 88, of Colorado Springs, Colo., died June 9, 2010. He was born Oct. 14, 1921, to Mable Eicher and James G. Klopfenstein in Seward, Neb.

He married his loving wife, Miriam Fink, on Nov. 7, 1942, and they were happily married for 67 years.

They moved to Colorado Springs in 1955. He was a restaurant owner for 55 years. He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him.

Survivors include his wife, Miriam; seven children, James Klopfenstein and his wife, Marilyn, of Kentucky, Ronald Klopefenstein and his wife, Verna, of California, Sharon Mullet and her husband, Art, of Kansas, Linda Francis, whose husband, Greg, is deceased, Roger Klopfenstein and his wife, Patty, Jack Klopfenstein and his wife, Dara, and Douglas Klopfenstein of Colorado; five siblings, Dorothy Morningstar, Ted Klopfenstein, Edith Wogomon, Keith Klopfenstein and Wilber Klopfenstein; 20 grandchildren; 29 great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by five siblings, Zola Rediger, Ferne Graber, Bernice Hauder, Betty Klopfenstein and Harry Klopfenstein.
Services were held at Memorial Gardens Funeral Home Chapel.

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King, Clifford E.


Clifford E. King, 85, of Colorado Springs, Colo., died May 19, 2010. He was born June 12, 1924, to L.O. (Levi Oliver) and Anna Mae (Erb) King near Hutchinson, Kan.
He married Mona Bebe Yoder of Crystal Springs, Kan., on June 20, 1948.

During World War II he served in Civilian Public Service at Glacier National Park, at Kalamazoo (Mich.) State Hospital and at the Mennonite Central Committee headquarters in Akron, Pa. He graduated from Hesston (Kan.) College, Goshen (Ind.) College; Goshen Biblical Seminary and Tulane (La.) University.
His vocational work included pastor at East Holbrook Mennonite Church in Cheraw, executive director of Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp and Frontier Boys Village in Divide, division head of El Paso County Social Services Department, and executive director of Maple Lawn Homes, Eureka, Ill. He served on hospital boards in Rocky Ford, Walsenburg and La Jara. He helped launch Silver Key Senior Services and served as its first board chair. He served as president of the Health Association of the Pikes Peak Region. He helped create the Retired Senior Volunteer Program in Wood-ford County, Ill. He established a child daycare center adjacent to the retirement community of which he was executive director, for which he received an Illinois Governor’s Award, a Mennonite Health Association Award and international recognition from CNN TV.

He was a member of Beth-El Mennonite Church of Colorado Springs, where he served three separate terms as interim pastor and was involved in many activities, including as Mennonite Weekly Review congregational correspondent.

Survivors include his wife of 61 years, Mona; five children, Venita Birky of Colorado Springs, Shirley Gaye Metheny of Lecompton, Kan., Robert of Danville, Ill., Richard of Colorado Springs and James of Sao Paulo, Brazil; a sister, Lila Mae Janzen of Harrisonburg, Va.; 15 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by a sister, Esther Mullet; and four brothers, Sanford, Donald, Allen and Kenneth.
Memorial services were held at Beth-El Mennonite Church.

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Ropp, Katie Leona


Katie Leona Ropp, 95, of Hesston, Kan., died June 8, 2010, at Schowalter Villa Retirement Center. She was born Jan. 5, 1915, to Moses S. Ropp and Katherine Eimen Ropp in Pigeon, Mich.

She and her family later moved to Kalona, Iowa, where she attended grade school. In 1933 she graduated from Kalona High School. She attended Goshen (Ind.) College one year.

Over a number of years she worked in a general store as a clerk and bookkeeper, at a children’s home in Kansas City, Mo., and as a secretary at the local high school in Kalona. In 1944 she moved to Hesston and became matron of Green Gables at Hesston College. In 1946 she became the first full-time accountant for the college and worked in finances until 1986, when she retired and moved to the Schowalter Villa campus. Over the years she developed many friendships with faculty and staff at Hesston College plus many from the local community. In her 40 years at Hesston she served under five of the seven presidents and attended six of their inaugurations. Many hours were spent reading, writing the Ropp family history and contributing to the recording of historical records for Hesston College and Schowalter Villa through the years.

She was a member of Hesston Mennonite Church. She accepted Christ as her Savior in her youth and enjoyed attending church and its related activities. Her friendly and joyous spirit made her special.

Survivors include four nephews, Keith Erb of Sun City, Ariz., Curtis Miller of Pretty Prairie, Lyle Miller of Bakersfield, Calif., and Vernon Miller of New Boston, Ill.; and three nieces, Geneva Spicher Yoder of Hampton, Va., Carol Erb Dickhut of Sterling, Ill., and Donnabel Spicher Hostetler of Hesston.

She was preceded in death by four sisters, Cleora Spicher, Blanche Miller, Alta Erb and Rozetta Miller; and an infant brother, Omar Ropp.

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Hershberger, Velma Hershberger


Velma Arlene (Hershberger) Hershberger, 85, of Hesston, Kan., died June 27, 2010, at Schowalter Villa. She was born Nov. 28, 1924, to Ora J. and Bertha (Guengerich) Hershberger near Parnell, Iowa.

She married Herman L. Hershberger on Oct. 15, 1950, at West Union Mennonite Church near Parnell.  They farmed for several years in Iowa. In 1956 they moved to Hesston.

She was a member of Hesston Mennonite Church and served as a Sunday school teacher. She was a homemaker and did laundry for Hesston College students in the late 1960s and early 1970s. She also worked in the kitchen at Schowalter Villa. She worked at The Hesston Record for 20 years, retiring in 1990. She was editor of the South Central Conference Messenger for 16 years. After she and Herman retired, they volunteered at Schowalter Villa driving residents to doctor appointments. She also helped feed residents. They were Schowalter Villa Volunteers of the Year in 1999 and 2004.

Survivors include her husband, Herman, of Hesston; daughter Mary Lou Hershberger of Grabill, Ind.; son Kermit Dee Hershberger and his wife, Beth, of Hesston; daughter Vietta Krehbiel and her husband, Deve, of Hesston; sisters Dorothy Miller of Tama, Iowa, and Doris Redding of Parnell, Iowa; seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. She is also survived by many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.

She was preceded in death by a nephew, Timothy J. Redding.
Memorial services were held at Schowalter Villa Chapel in Hesston. A private burial was at Eastlawn Cemetery in Hesston.

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Martens, Nick


Nick Martens, 87, of Inman, Kan., died June 23, 2010. He was born Feb. 5, 1923, to Henry and Lizzie Friesen Martens. He grew up on a farm near Inman.
In his first year of grade school he contracted polio, which paralyzed his arms and legs. With patience, therapy and many prayers, he gradually regained strength and after three months was carried into Lake Valley School. By fifth grade he could run and play and continued to gain strength. He attended Inman High School.
On Aug. 30, 1947, he married Wilma Friesen at Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church near Goessel. They established their home in Inman. After the birth and death of twin sons, Dennis and Darrell, in 1949, they became parents to four additional sons.

In 1945 he became a partner at Inman Electric. He helped bring electricity to farms in McPherson County. They added plumbing, furnaces, appliances and electronics to the business. He was pleased that sons Orlin and Eldon continued in the business in 1992. He served as a volunteer fireman for 10 years, on the Inman City Council, 16 years as a school board member, on the Pleasant View Home building committee and later on the board, and then in retirement at Inman Grade School assisting students.

He was baptized at Hoffnungsau Mennonite Church on May 12, 1940, and maintained his membership for more than 70 years. He lived his faith quietly and was supportive of the church and its programs in many ways including the camping program at Camp Mennoscah, doing voluntary service by taking his family to Chicago in 1965, and assisting with the MCC relief sale.

Survivors include his wife, Wilma; four sons, Delon and his wife, Joretta, Orlin and his wife, Debbie, Weldon and his wife, Jenny, and Eldon and his wife, Cindy; two sisters, Hilda Froese and Marie Regehr; two brothers, John and Wilbur; nine grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by a brother, Elmer; infant twin sons, Darrell and Dennis; and a grandson, Graham.

Mennonite Weekly Review - July 19, 2010 - 88th Year, No. 26 - p. 9


Witmer, Clifford S.


Clifford S. Witmer, 95, of Morton, Ill., and formerly of Sterling, died June 17, 2010, at Apostolic Christian Restmor. He was born March 26, 1915, to Samuel and Edith (Hensler) Witmer on their farm in Morrison.

He married Grace F. Shank on March 12, 1941. She preceded him in death on Sept. 30, 2006.

He farmed in the Dixon/Sterling area for 40 years before retiring and moving into town. When his wife had a stroke in 2005, they moved to Morton to be near their two daughters.

He was a lifelong member of Science Ridge Mennonite Church in Sterling. He will be remembered for his conscientiousness, quietness, always ready smile and twinkling eyes. He loved his Lord, his family, his farm and his livestock, in that order. He loved gardening, woodworking and visiting the shut-ins. He was often seen reading his Bible. He was a wonderful brother, husband, father and grandfather and a great example of faithfulness to his Lord and Savior.
Survivors include two daughters, Madeline Saltzman and her husband, Kenneth, of Morton and Linda Zimmerman and her husband, Ray, of East Peoria; three sisters, Flossie Horst of Mount Morris, Lorna Witmer of Sterling and Alice Ebersole and her husband, Merle, of Dixon; five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Grace; two brothers, Harry and Henry; and four sisters, Mary Emily Witmer in childhood, and Ethel Ebersole, Gladys Hess and Mabel Hess.

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Welty, Ellen Louise Wagner


Ellen Louise Welty, 86, died July 4, 2010, at her home in McDonough, Ga., due to Parkinson’s disease. She was born May 26, 1924, to Seman and Ethel Wagner of Mount Cory, Ohio.

She married Russell Welty on July 31, 1943. They had celebrated almost 67 years of marriage.

In addition to being a wife of a preacher and mother to three, she ministered as a foster parent, teacher’s aide and taught many Sunday school classes, even until her late 70s. She loved sewing, flower gardening, camping, traveling and was an avid bird watcher.

Survivors include her husband, Russell; two sons, Dean Welty of Winnipeg, Man., and Timothy Welty and his wife, Ruth Ann, of McDonough; a daughter, Jeanene Wiens and her husband, Vern, of Glenlea, Man.; a brother, Wendell Wagner and his wife, Marjorie, of Massillon, Ohio; a sister-in-law, Madonna Wagner of  Findley, Ohio; eight grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; and a special foster daughter, Tammy.She was preceded in death by an infant son, an infant grandchild and a great-grandchild.

Memorial services were held at Atlanta Mennonite Fellowship and Berea Mennonite Church in Atlanta, Ga.

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Jennings, John


John Jennings
, 91, of Goshen, Ind., died June 18, 2010. He was born Aug. 29, 1918, to Pastor William and Anna (Good) Jennings in Knoxville, Tenn., and was the youngest of 11 children.

He attended the University of Tennessee and Goshen College. There he met and married Polly Blosser Jennings on April 12, 1941.  They shared 63 years together.
He owned John Jennings and Associates Insurance Agency for 32 years and was a leader in life insurance sales, becoming a member of the national Million Dollar Round Table. He was one of the founders of Greencroft Retirement Communities and served as chair of the board from 1962 to 1978.

Survivors include three daughters, Marilyn Berkey and her husband, Jim, of Austin, Texas, Elaine Buerge and her husband, Steve, of Fort Scott, Kan., and Vicki Jennings of South Bend; five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

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Gaeddert, Jessie Brown


Jessie Brown Gaeddert, 88, of Lakewood, Colo., died April 24, 2010, of injuries sustained in an automobile accident as she and her husband took relief kits for Haiti to deliver to Mennonite Central Committee in Kansas. She was born Sept. 27, 1921, to missionary parents in China.

She attended school in China through her junior year in high school, then had her senior year at Freeman (S.D.) Academy. She attended Bethel College in North Newton, Kan., where she received both a bachelor’s degree and a nursing degree.

After World War II, she went with the first director of MCC to Europe to help bring food and supplies into Germany. She then returned to Bethel College, working at Bethel Deaconess Hospital and acquiring additional academic work. She became the director of the health center on campus and taught physiology, anatomy and advanced first aid.

On Aug. 27, 1952, she married Menno Gaeddert, whom she had met at Bethel College. They lived in Newton, Kan., for one year, then moved to Lawrence, Kan., where she worked as a nurse at a local hospital and taught the obstretrics course to the nurses from the Kansas University Medical Center. They moved to Kansas City in 1957, where they helped start Rainbow Mennonite Church. In 1959 they moved back to Newton, then in 1962 moved to Denver, where they were active at Arvada Mennonite Church.

She served six years on the General Conference Mennonite Church foreign mission board. Related to this she had the opportunity to travel to China and see her childhood home and to travel to Taiwan. She and her husband, Menno, also took personal trips to Europe, Paraguay, Peru and Bolivia. They served in Taiwan in 1989, where she was in charge of the mission guest rooms and helped teach English to university students.

She was active at Arvada Mennonite Church, served on the board of Arvada Resource for Missions and Service and volunteered at Ten Thousand Villages and with the Gideon Auxiliary.

Survivors include her husband, Menno; a daughter, Diane Witwer and her husband, Ray; three sons, Ken Gaeddert and his wife, Deb, Don Gaeddert and his wife, Marie, and Dwayne Gaeddert and his wife, Patti; and grandchildren.

Funeral services were held at Olinger’s Mortuary.


No issue on July 26, 2010

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