Mennonite World Review - May 2012
Obituaries are emailed to MennObits before MWR is printed. Wording may vary in printed version.
Mennonite World Review - May 14, 2012 - 90th Year, No. 14 - p. 19
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Guengerich, Harold Wayne
Harold Wayne Guengerich, 93, of Denver, Colo., died Dec. 11, 2011, from a massive stroke. He was born July 23, 1918, to Joel S. and Magdalene Yoder Guengerich in Plainview, Texas.
The family moved to Iowa when he was 6 months old, and there he grew to manhood working on the family farm. He attended a one-room country school through the eighth grade. As an early teen he accepted Jesus, was baptized and joined Wellman (Iowa) Mennonite Church.
He married Lydia Miller on June 21, 1942, in a double wedding with his brother Glenn, who married Lydia’s sister Elsie.
The month after their wedding, he entered Civilian Public Service for conscientious objectors. He was sent to Fort Collins for eight months, then transferred to Denver General Hospital, where he worked on the mental ward. After his release from CPS, they chose to stay in the Denver area.
He was a turkey farmer in Iowa and again near Tiny Town, Colo. He spent many years delivering milk for Gem Dairy and later Royal Crest Dairy. He ran a lawn, snow and handyman service, with many of the neighborhood widows as his clients. He completely retired at age 89, when all of the widows had died.
Survivors include his adopted daughter, HazelAnn Stauffer and her husband, Carl; a brother, Glenn Guengerich and his wife, Elsie; and two grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 59 years, Lydia, on Sept. 3, 2001; a sister, Edna Stoltzfus; three brothers, Earl, Albert and Willard Guengerich; and his adopted son, Kenneth.
Memorial services were held at Garden Park Mennonite Brethren Church of Denver. Burial was in Crown Hill Cemetery of Denver.
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Wert, Robert K.
Robert K. “Bob” Wert, 72, of Goshen, Ind., died April 4, 2012, in Indianapolis. He was born Aug. 21, 1939, to Daniel D. and Esther (Umberger) Wert in Annville, Pa.
He graduated from Lancaster (Pa.) Mennonite School in 1957 and attended Eastern Mennonite College, Harrisonburg, Va., where he met Esther Glick. On Aug. 25, 1961, they were married. He graduated in 1963 with bachelor’s degrees in Bible and history.
After two years teaching at LMS, in 1966 the family moved to inner-city Washington, D.C., to do two years of voluntary service with Eastern Mennonite Board of Missions. After developing an after-school drop-in center for inner-city youth, he realized his lifelong purpose — helping people improve their lives. In 1970 he earned a master’s degree in social work at Howard University in Washington. As part of a mission group of Church of the Savior, he helped start the Learning Center as a project of For the Love of Children. He worked as a social worker for three years.
He taught social work at Bethel College in North Newton, Kan., from 1973 to 1975. Then he and the family joined an intentional community in Shepherdstown, W.Va., where he counseled inmates at a Maryland state prison. In 1978 he moved to Goshen, Ind., where he worked as an addictions counselor for Oaklawn Psychiatric Center in Elkhart and later focused on counseling children and youth. He worked with the Jubilee Fund program at College Mennonite Church and did short-term service in Puerto Rico.
Survivors include his wife, Esther; two sons, Don Carufel-Wert and his wife, Terri, of Madison, Wis., and Dave Hockman-Wert and his wife, Cathleen, of Corvallis, Ore.; two sisters, Nancy Wert Augsburger of Annville, Pa., and Lois Chamness of Thompsontown, Pa.; two brothers, Dan Wert of Lititz, Pa. and Jim Wert of Toronto, Ont.; and two grandchildren.
Memorial services were held at College Mennonite Church, Goshen, Ind. Burial was in Violett Cemetery.
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Neufeld, Gladys Willems
Gladys Willems Neufeld, 92, died April 4, 2012. She was born Feb. 16, 1920, to George and Anna Willems in Reedley, Calif.
She married Dan Neufeld in 1941, following him to Civilian Public Service in North Fork and Three Rivers, Calif., and Terry, Mont.; and on to teaching assignments at Freeman (S.D.) Academy and Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kan., before returning to Reedley. They were always active members of the local Mennonite Brethren church wherever they lived. They helped to start Neighborhood MB Church in Visalia and Kingsburg Mennonite Brethren Church, and served in the MB church in Fremont, Calif. Dan served as principal of Immanual Academy and director of Hartland Camp. They were directors of the MB U.S. Christian Service Program for a decade.
She is remembered as one who served: sister, wife, mother, grandmother, church planter, MCC Nearly New Store volunteer, rose gardener and friend. She gave her children a final gift on a Sunday afternoon just 10 days before she entered her eternal rest. She sat in her hospital bed and simply, yet profoundly, thanked her family for their kind care for her over the years, blessed them, and stated how she was proud of them. She articulated her desire to be reunited with her husband, Dan, in the presence of our Lord. This gift was completely in keeping with who she had been over the years. She led a simple, Christ-centered life that touched those around her.
Survived include her children, Paul and Judy Neufeld of Wasco, Phyllis Byers of Awanhee, Joyce and Bill Braun of Fresno and Christine and Sam Wall of Madera; four grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Daniel A. Neufeld.
Memorial services were held at Kingsburg MB Church.
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Nafziger, Andrew J.
Andrew J. Nafziger, 85, of Souderton, Pa., died April 19, 2012, at Souderton Mennonite Homes of complications due to Parkinson’s Disease. He was born March 11, 1927, to Eli and Magdelena (Boshart) Nafziger in Corfu, N.Y.
He attended Lancaster Mennonite High School. He was employed as a motor coach driver for Perkiomen Tours for 33 years. He was best known for his many years of touring around the country as a driver and tour guide with his wife, Ruth (Kulp) Nafziger.
He enjoyed singing, reading and bird watching. He spent 19 winters in Sarasota, Fla., with his wife, Ruth, where he enjoyed shuffleboard and his fruit trees. He was a member of Boyertown Mennonite Church and a member of Zion Choral Society for 22 years.
Survivors include his wife of 63 years, Ruth; two daughters, Marilyn Macquarrie and her husband, W. Lea, of Daytona Beach, Fla., and Sylvia “Sib” Charles and her husband, Jesse, of Lancaster; a brother, Melville P. Nafziger of Landisville; two sisters, Adeline N. King and Catherine N. Esch, both of Landisville; and two grandsons.
He was preceded in death by six brothers and one sister.
Funeral services were held at Bally Mennonite Church. Burial was in Boyertown Mennonite Church Cemetery.
Mennonite World Review - May 28, 2012 - 90th Year, No. 15 - p. 19
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Swartzentruber, Levi G.
Levi G. Swartzentruber, 87, of Winesburg, Ohio, died April 17, 2012, at Walnut Hills Nursing Home in Walnut Creek. He was born March 27, 1925, to Gideon and Susan (Hershberger) Swartzentruber in Holmes County.
On Jan. 14, 1951, he married Iva Yoder of Arthur, Ill.
He was a member of Walnut Creek Mennonite Church and was a self-employed building contractor for more than 50 years. His passion was his volunteer work. He served on the Holmes County Mennonite Central Committee Beef Canning Committee for many years, having built its building in Berlin. He was involved with the Ohio Mennonite Relief Sale from its inception, logging thousands of miles distributing brochures and collecting pies, quilts and furniture items for the sales. He and Iva also attended numerous Mennonite relief sales outside Ohio. He worked on nearly a dozen Mennonite Disaster Service disaster cleanup and rebuilding projects in five states.
He made four trips to Guatemala and one to Nicaragua to assist with earthquake relief and rebuilding under United World Missions. On two occasions he traveled to Papua New Guinea, where he helped with construction of a school and hospital.
Survivors include his wife, Iva; five children, Jim Swartzentruber and his wife, Rachel Hofstetter, of Jeromesville, Velma Stauffer and her husband, John, of New Market, Va., Richard Swartzentruber and his wife, Kelly, of Salem, Ore., Merlin Swartzentruber and his wife, Vicki, of Goshen, Ind., and Rose Zehr and her husband, Ed, of Sugar Valley, Ga.; 11 grandchildren and three great-grandsons.
He was preceded in death by his brothers, Eli, Dan and Gideon.
Services were held at Pleasant View Mennonite Church near Winesburg. Burial was in Walnut Creek Mennonite Church Cemetery.
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Doehrmann, Ronda Jean Wyse
Ronda Jean (Wyse) Doehrmann, 52, of Bellefontaine, Ohio, died from melanoma under the care of Hospice on May 11, 2012, in her home. She was born on Feb. 2, 1960, to Donald and Fern (Stuckey) Wyse in Wauseon.
She lived and worked in the Archbold area at The Home Restaurant, Sauder Woodworking and later stayed home raising her children. Her love for people equipped her to care for the children of others in her home and later to assist the elderly in their homes. In 2006 she moved with her husband and one son to Hesston, Kan., where she worked at Hesston Community Childcare. In 2008, she and Tony moved to Bellefontaine when they began serving at Jubilee Mennonite Church. She was a former member of Lockport Mennonite Church in Stryker and a covenant member of Jubilee Mennonite Church in Bellefontaine.
Survivors include her husband, Noel “Tony” Doehrmann, whom she married on May 19, 1979, in Archbold; a daughter, Brady Hoylman and her husband, Barry, of Pettisville; two sons, Jacob Doehrmann and his wife, Kasey, of Archbold and Eli Doehrmann of Fayette; a brother, Ross Wyse and his wife, Karen, of Archbold; a sister, Roxanne Kauffman and her husband, Neal, of Joliet, Ill.; and two grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by a brother, Byron.
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Boese, Glen L.
Glen L. Boese, 83, of Springfield, S.D., died May 18, 2012, after a short stay at North Central Heart Hospital in Sioux Falls. He was born Nov. 28, 1928, to Gustav and Katy (Ries) Boese.
The family moved to Springfield in 1945, where he met Phyllis Thomas. They married Aug. 18, 1951.
A graduate of Freeman Academy, Freeman Junior College and Sioux Falls College, he received a master’s degree from Mennonite Biblical Seminary (Chicago) in 1956. In 1958 he moved the family to the farm his parents owned near Springfield, where he farmed and later taught school until 1984. He taught industrial arts at Freeman Academy and junior college, Springfield High School and Bon Homme High School. In 1982 he was recognized as the Outstanding South Dakota Industrial Arts Instructor of the year.
He lived the principle of “live simply so that others may simply live.” His desire for justice and equality for the less fortunate was evidenced by his work for the Salvation Army and voluntary service in Gulfport, Miss., with disadvantaged youth. He was active with Mennonite Disaster Service, serving as the South Dakota vice president for many years. After a career of farming and teaching, he served more than eight years in Zaire under Africa Inter-Mennonite Mission and more than four years at the Hopi Mission School, Kykotsmovi, Ariz., through Mennonite Voluntary Service.
He was a longtime member of Friedensberg Bible (Mennonite) Church, rural Avon. His hobbies were raising horses and carpentry.
Survivors include his wife, Phyllis; five children, Theodore Boese and his wife, Cindy, of Freeman, Thomas Boese and his wife, Doreen, of Rockford, Ill., Dorothy Regier of Imperial, Neb., Vincent Boese of Springfield, and Steven Boese and his wife, Jan, of Ottawa, Kan.; 14 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by a brother, Robert Boese, and sister Violet Ruppelt.
The family is planning a memorial service for June 2 at Friedensberg Bible Church.