Anabaptist World
October - December 2024
Mennonite World Review & The Mennonite merged September 2020
Anabaptist World, October 2024, page 54, Vol. 5, No. 10
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Albrecht, Frank
May 6, 1958 - August 24, 2024
Albrecht-, Brother Frank Albrecht, 66, a revered leader, educator and community advocate, died of ALS on Aug. 24, 2024. His life was a testament to unwavering dedication to service, spanning over four decades and touching countless lives, praising the Lord until his last breath. Born May 6, 1958, in Pigeon, Mich., on a hog farm, his humble beginnings propelled him into a lifelong journey of service.
His commitment to the Mennonite faith and community led him to become a founding member of Community Mennonite Church of Lancaster, Pa. His passion for expanding his outreach and messages of peace took him to Colombia with Mennonite Central Committee, where he played a pivotal role in establishing mediation programs in public and private schools throughout the country. For 20 years, he served with devotion at Laurel Street Mennonite Church. His influence extended beyond the church into the heart of Lancaster city. In 1980, he moved to South Anne Street to better connect with his diverse student population as an educator.
His dedication to his students was evident through his initiatives, such as the South Anne Street Boyz canoe trips, which provided local youth with enriching experiences. An educator at heart, he made significant contributions in many schools in Lancaster County. He was a cornerstone of student support services, known for energetic involvement and personal connections with students.
In June 2023 he was diagnosed with ALS and by November relied on a wheelchair. He remained resolute in his commitment to education and community service for as long as he was able. He will be remembered as a beacon of kindness, wisdom and unwavering love. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Soto; daughters Yentli and Sara; sons-in-law Sam and Patrick; and siblings Chuck and Linda Albrecht.
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King, Shirley Sprunger
November 1, 1945 - August 31, 2024
Sprunger King-, Shirley, 78, died at home on Aug. 31, 2024. She was born Nov. 1, 1945, to Vernon and Lilly (Bachmann) Sprunger, missionaries in the Belgian Congo. From a boarding school in Africa and Concord High School in Indiana, she went on to Bluffton College, where she learned to play and love the organ. She received a master's degree from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. There she met Vernon King. They were married in Covington, Ky., on June 13, 1969.
In 1970 they moved to Atlanta, where he was a Voluntary Service unit leader and she worked with music at the public library and a radio station. They later served as country liaisons for Mennonite Central Committee in Haiti. After a move to Newton, Kan., she began a 25-year career as Music Department chair and organ instructor at Bethel College. She also served as organist at Bethel College Mennonite Church. She was the organist-harpsichordist for the Wichita Symphony Orchestra for 26 years. She shared her talents as a recitalist, presenter of church music workshops and organ consultant. She was elected to the Board of the National Guild of Organists. In 1987, she was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship in Argentina. She received her DMA from the University of Kansas in 1988. In 2003, she began a new role as dean of academic advising and organ instructor at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa.
Vernon and Shirley retired in Goshen, Ind., in 2014, and Eighth Street Mennonite Church and Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary welcomed a fine organist. She cherished music and gifted this love to her students. Long after they graduated, she maintained contact with students, played at their weddings and followed their families' lives. In 2023, her students honored her with a recital. Her deep faith showed when she chose music for funerals. She loved to cook and was hospitality personified. Giving the gift of food to others was her great joy. She had an open and inquisitive mind. She valued diversity. She enjoyed traveling. She tempered strong opinions with kindness and generosity.
Survivors include her husband, Vernon; sons Tillman (Jennifer) and Ethan (Amy); four grandsons; and a brother, Wilmer Sprunger (Kenlyn).
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Kauffman, Robert Lee "Bob"
March 25, 1932 - September 11, 2024
Kauffman-. Robert "Bob" Lee, 92, died Sept. 11, 2024. He was born March 25, 1932, in Middlebury, Ind., the second of five children of Rollo and Mary Kauffman. Upon graduating from high school, his father put him in charge of the family's propane business for two-and-a-half years.
In 1953, he chose alternative service and worked as a custodian at Indianapolis Methodist Hospital. In the hospital elevator, he noticed "Mary" on the name tag of a certain student nurse. Two years later, they were married and moved to Bluffton, Ohio, after he had completed a semester at Bluffton College and she had graduated from nursing school.
In 1958, he began his accounting career at Mennonite Hospital in Bloomington, Ill. Over 20 years, he worked his way up to vice president of finance. He and Mary started their family in 1958, raising two girls and two boys. In 1979, they were called to serve with the Mennonite Church in Taipei, Taiwan. They lived there for three-and-a-half years. Both boys attended Taipei American School. Returning to Bloomington in 1983, he worked as a fiscal analyst at BroMenn Healthcare in Normal, Ill., until retirement in 1997. He was a faithful member at the Mennonite Church of Normal, Ill., for more than 60 years.
He is survived by his wife, Mary; his children, Susan Kauffman, Laurie (David) Yost, Jim (Alma) Kauffman and Tim (Tran) Kauffman; five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
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Good, Ernest Roy
November 12, 1934 - September 14, 2024
Good-. Ernest Roy, 89, of Carlsbad, N.M., died Sept. 14, 2024. He was born Nov. 12, 1934, in Spring City, Pa., to Allen and Hannah Good, the youngest of nine children. His mother died a few months after his birth. Ernest embraced his Mennonite faith and chose to do alternative service instead of going to war. He served at Philhaven mental hospital, where he met Ellen Weaver, a bookkeeper. They were married in 1958 and were devoted to each other for 66 years.
His adventurous spirit led them to move west in 1964. He and Ellen, with their young family, moved to Amarillo, Texas, where he attended barber college. In 1965, they moved to Carlsbad. Ernest barbered for 46 years - building, owning and operating Ernie's Barbershop on Lea Street - eventually adding self-storage units. Ernest and Ellen were founding members of Carlsbad Mennonite Church. They poured their heart, soul and finances into building it up. Ernest served by doing many behind-the-scenes tasks and as an elder in his later years. They practiced expansive hospitality, welcoming many people into their home and bringing local people to the church. He was generous, welcoming and compassionate.
In his later years he volunteered cutting hair at Lakeview, cashiering at the CARC Farm store and painting for Transitional Housing. When he and Ellen moved to their Lakeview apartment, they converted their back porch to a small barber shop, and he continued to cut the hair of his most loyal customers. He enjoyed hunting, golfing, walking and being with family.
Ernest is survived by his wife, Ellen; children Richard (Rachel) of Carlsbad, Marjorie (David Engle) of Carlsbad, Vernon (Jane) of Goshen, Ind., and Michael of Peralta, N.M.; eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Transcribesd by: John Ingold
Anabaptist World, November 2024, page 50, Vol. 5, No. 11.
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Diller, June Geiger
June 28, 1928 - September 10, 2024
Diller-. June (Geiger), 96, died Sept. 10, 2024, at Beatrice Community Hospital in Nebraska. She was born June 28, 1928, in Bluftton, Ohio, to Hiram and Cecile (Starkey) Geiger. She was a member of St. John Mennonite Church, Pandora, Ohio, where she was baptized. She graduated from Pandora High School in 1946. She was then employed as a secretary at Triplett Electrical Co. in Bluffton. She married Donavin Diller on Aug. 29, 1947, at St. John Mennonite Church. They lived in Pandora from 1947 to 1950. The family then moved to Omaha, where Donavin attended Grace College of the Bible and June attended night classes at the college. In 1954 the family moved to Goshen, Ind., so Donavin could attend Goshen Biblical Seminary, where June typed many of Don's papers. In 1957, the family moved to Lame Deer, Mont., where June and Don were commissioned to serve as missionaries to the Northern Cheyenne at Petter Memorial Mennonite Church, where they served until 1962. Their son Larry was born there in 1959. June served as an active pastor's wife at First Mennonite, Aberdeen, Idaho; First Mennonite, Phoenix, Ariz.; First Mennonite, Beatrice, Neb.; Bethel Mennonite, Mountain Lake, Minn.; and Bethel, Milford, Neb. She was active in the church women's groups and church committees. She served as a church pianist, organist and sang in the church choirs. They moved back to Beatrice after Donavin retired in 1996, and June was currently a member of the First Mennonite Church. In retirement she traveled to Israel and Switzerland with Donavin and enjoyed several cruises with family and friends. Survivors include her husband of 77 years, Donavin; daughter Laura (Millard) Hair of Hornick, Iowa; son Larry (Donna) Diller of Albuquerque, N.M.; seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by a brother, Kenneth Geiger; sisters Lucille Buller and Ruth Reilly; sons Richard and Randall; and a grandson, Nicholas Diller.
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Reinford, Cleta R. Ruth
November 19, 1927 - September 21, 2024
Reinford-. Cleta R., 96, of Landis Homes, Lititz, Pa., died Sept. 21, 2024. She was born on a farm near Harleysville, Pa., daughter to Paul L. and Naomi (Clemens) Ruth. On June 4, 1949, she married Daniel J. Reinford, and they celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary together this June. They lived in Kulpsville, Pa., for 45 years. They lived in Harrisonburg, Va., and later in Nazareth, Ethiopia during Dan's teaching sabbatical years. They were able to be closer to their children and grandchildren when they moved to Lancaster in 2001. Cleta readily made friends wherever she lived and faithfully corresponded with many friends from all over the world. She was a homemaker for most of her adult life. Her compassionate heart, visitation and hospitality supported her husband in the 16 years he served as pastor at Upper Skippack Mennonite Church. She was the church bulletin editor at Upper Skippack and Spring Mount Mennonite churches. She was employed for four years at North Penn High School, where she enjoyed relating to many students in the cafeteria snack shop. She volunteered at the Thrift Shop in Souderton and the Mennonite Heritage Center in Harleysville. She made many thousands of posters for distribution by chaplains to Montgomery County prisons. She was active in women's sewing groups. She loved her family as it grew over many years. She was a faithful sender of birthday cards. Her love language included the delicious meals and baked goods she served. After moving to Landis Homes in 2020, she participated in the Landis Homes Sing for the Moment Choir. She will be remembered for her love of singing, especially her daily spontaneous "Jesus loves me" in the last year of her life. In addition to her husband, she is survived by their five children, Merle (Ruth Ann Bauman), Glenn (Lorraine Sommers), Rhoda (Jonathan Charles), Joel (Valerie Mauck) and Neil (Donna Harnish); 12 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; and brothers Vernon (Janet) Ruth and Leonard (Esther) Ruth. She was preceded in death by her brother, Walton; and her sister, Eleanor Ruth.
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Yoder, Ruth Naomi Martin
March 16, 1932 - August 23, 2024
Yoder-. Ruth Naomi Yoder, 92, of Goshen, Ind., died Aug. 23, 2024, at her home. She was born March 16, 1932, in Elkhart County, to George and Berniece (Weldy) Martin. On Oct. 3, 1954, she married Carl Edward Yoder. He died Nov. 19, 2015. A 1950 graduate of Wakarusa High School, she was a homemaker and enjoyed making quilts. She worked at Peddler's Village, as an invoice clerk at the former Lucille's Apparel in Goshen and as an aide at Elkhart General Hospital. She was a member of Olive Mennonite Church, where she taught Sunday school and Bible school, and was the church librarian for many years. She helped begin Hudson Lake Mennonite Church in New Carlisle, where she taught Sunday school and Bible school. Surviving are three daughters, Bonnie (Jim) Gerber of Mishawaka, Charlotte (Gerd) Neumann of Goshen and Rebecca (Frank) Stichter of Goshen; three grandchildren; and a brother, Earl Martin of Fort Wayne. Preceding her in death were her parents; her husband, Carl; a grandson, Christopher Gerber; and a sister, Mary Woodard.
Transcribed by: John Ingold