Mennonite Weekly Review - May, 2004

Obituaries are emailed to MennObits before MWR is printed. Wording may vary in printed version.


Mennonite Weekly Review - May 3, 2004 - 82nd Year, No. 18, p. 8

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Cecil Dale Eichelberger, 76, of rural Hydro, Okla., died April 13, 2004. He was born Dec. 28, 1927, to Henry and Nora (Swartzendruber) Eichelberger.

He was raised north of Hydro, where he attended Hopewell Rural School and Jabbok Bible School, and graduated from Hydro High School in 1946. Upon graduation he served two years in I-W in Pueblo, Colo., and Wichita, Kan.

On April 20, 1951, he married Thelma Switzer in Weatherford. They made their home north of Hydro.

Survivors include his wife, Thelma; four sons, Douglas of Hydro, Jeff and his wife, Marla, of Hydro, Terral and his wife, Lauri, of Owasso, and Drew and his wife, Kimberly, of Oklahoma City; three daughters, Susan Jepsen and her husband, Brad, of Shelton, Neb., Koleen Newfeld and her husband, Ron, of Williston, Fla., and Stacy Royalty and her husband, Robbie, of Thomas; a sister, Mary Anna Ruegg of Durham, N.C.; 12 grandchildren and a great-grandchild.

Funeral services were held at Pleasant View Mennonite Church near Hydro. Burial was in the Pleasant View Cemetery.


Mennonite Weekly Review - May 10, 2004 - 82nd Year, No. 19, p. 12

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Andrew James Rinner, 80, of North Newton, Kan., died April 27, 2004, at Kidron Bethel healthcare. He was born Jan. 13, 1924, to Arnold and Mabel (Eicher) Rinner in Wayland, Iowa.   

He grew up on a farm, but was always more interested in playing the piano as a child. This interest continued through his adult years and developed into a great love for organ music. He also enjoyed reading and educational pursuits.

He had a year at Bluffton (Ohio) College before being drafted. He served in Civilian Public Service at Hill City, S.D., Ypsilanti (Mich.) State Hospital and La Plata, Puerto Rico.

At Ypsilanti he met Esther Lehrman, and they were married on June 30, 1949, in Aberdeen, Idaho.

After his return from Puerto Rico, he was a student at Alexian Brothers School of Nursing in Chicago and received his R.N. diploma, followed by a year at Bethel College for his bachelor’s degree. Later he received his master’s degree from the University of Colorado. 

He worked as a teacher and assistant director of Grace Hospital School of Nursing in Hutchinson  and at Bethel Deaconess Hospital School of Nursing in Newton. After the school of nursing closed, he taught at Wichita State University, worked for the American Red Cross blood bank and at Meadowlark Homestead in Newton.

He served on the Kansas State Board of Nursing and the Bethel College board of directors.

He was active at Wayland Mennonite Church, First Mennonite Church of Hutchinson and Bethel College Mennonite Church of North Newton. He enjoyed travel, and was particularly interested in visiting cathedrals in Europe and hearing organ concerts. He enjoyed oil painting and playing in the handbell choir at church. 

Survivors include his wife, Esther; two daughters, Jeanette Grantstein and her husband, Steve, and Amy Dueckman and her husband, Wayne; and five grandchildren. 

He was preceded in death by a brother, Marvin; and a sister, Gertrude Boese.

Memorial services were held at Bethel College Mennonite Church.

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Esther Ruth Ensz Suderman, 79, of Hillsboro, Kan., died April 21, 2004, after a 12-day hospitalization at Newton Medical Center. She was born Feb. 11, 1925, to John and Sara (Schmidt) Ensz in Visalia, Calif.

She was baptized at age 14 at First Mennonite Church of Reedley, Calif.

She graduated from Visalia High School in 1942, attended Bethel College in North Newton for two years and graduated from Fresno (Calif.) State College in 1946. She then taught school for six years in Oildale, Arvin and Oakland, Calif.

She spent the summer of 1948 in Rosthern, Sask., as part of a Mennonite Voluntary Service team. In 1950 she traveled to Europe, and while in Germany met Paul Suderman, who was co-director of a Mennonite Central Committee camp that built homes for refugees. They were married April 5, 1952, in Reedley. They lived in the Hillsboro area. Since 1960 they lived on the Suderman home place farm.

She taught for one year at Hillsboro Elementary School. In 1965 she began work with the Kansas Social and Rehabilitation Services as a foster care and adoption social worker. She felt that she was a partner with God in placing children in adoptive homes. She retired in 1985.

Being part of Ebenfeld Mennonite Brethren Church and the larger church body was important to her. She served as a Sunday school teacher for children and adults. She was church librarian and served with her husband as a deacon couple. They were active with MCC and Mennonite Disaster Service. In 1979 they took a trip to Europe, India, Bangladesh, Japan and Hawaii. Other trips involved service opportunities with MDS.

Survivors include her husband of 52 years, Paul; four children, Greg and his wife, Beth, of Elkhart, Ind., Dena Braun and her husband, Ron, of North Newton, Barry and his wife, Elaine, of Tulsa, Okla., and Ronda King and her husband, Nick, of Mexico City; three sisters, Marianna Habegger of Reedley, Adeline Sprunger of Canton, Okla., and Norma Jones of Greenview, Calif; eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by two brothers, Elmer and Harold.

Services were held at Ebenfeld MB Church of Hillsboro.


Mennonite Weekly Review - May 17, 2004 - 82nd Year, No. 20, p. 12

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Waldo M. Schrag, 93, died April 19, 2004, at Mennonite Friendship Manor, South Hutchinson, Kan. He was born Sept. 18, 1910, in McPherson County, to Peter P. and Rosina Schrag.

He was a resident of Pretty Prairie from 1924 until 1994, when he moved to Mennonite Friendship Manor. He was a farmer.

He was a member of the First Mennonite Church, Pretty Prairie, and Gideon’s International. He was one of the founders of Central Kansas Bible Academy, which became Central Christian Elementary School and High School.

On June 1, 1933, he married Elma Rutschman at Whitewater. She preceded him in death on Sept. 3, 1997.

Survivors include two sons, Elwyn L. Schrag, Kansas City, Mo., and Marlin D. Schrag, Valley Center; six grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by three brothers, Jonathan, John and Benjamin; and two sisters, Maria and Elsie.

Funeral services were held at First Mennonite Church, Pretty Prairie, with burial in the adjoining church cemetery.

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Elda Ruth Ensz Suderman, 79, of Hillsboro, Kan., died April 21, 2004, after a 12-day hospitalization at Newton Medical Center. She was born Feb. 11, 1925, to John and Sara (Schmidt) Ensz in Visalia, Calif.

She was baptized at age 14 at First Mennonite Church of Reedley, Calif.

She graduated from Visalia High School in 1942, attended Bethel College in North Newton for two years and graduated from Fresno (Calif.) State College in 1946. She then taught school for six years in Oildale, Arvin and Oakland, Calif.

She spent the summer of 1948 in Rosthern, Sask., as part of a Mennonite Voluntary Service team. In 1950 she traveled to Europe, and while in Germany met Paul Suderman, who was co-director of a Mennonite Central Committee camp that built homes for refugees. They were married April 5, 1952, in Reedley. They lived in the Hillsboro area. Since 1960 they lived on the Suderman home place farm.

She taught for one year at Hillsboro Elementary School. In 1965 she began work with the Kansas Social and Rehabilitation Services as a foster care and adoption social worker. She felt that she was a partner with God in placing children in adoptive homes. She retired in 1985.

Being part of Ebenfeld Mennonite Brethren Church and the larger church body was important to her. She served as a Sunday school teacher for children and adults. She was church librarian and served with her husband as a deacon couple. They were active with MCC and Mennonite Disaster Service. In 1979 they took a trip to Europe, India, Bangladesh, Japan and Hawaii. Other trips involved service opportunities with MDS.

Survivors include her husband of 52 years, Paul; four children, Greg and his wife, Beth, of Elkhart, Ind., Dena Braun and her husband, Ron, of North Newton, Barry and his wife, Elaine, of Tulsa, Okla., and Ronda King and her husband, Nick, of Mexico City; three sisters, Marianna Habegger of Reedley, Adeline Sprunger of Canton, Okla., and Norma Jones of Greenview, Calif; eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by two brothers, Elmer and Harold.

Services were held at Ebenfeld MB Church of Hillsboro.


Mennonite Weekly Review - May 24, 2004 - 82nd Year, No. 21, p. 8

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Ruth Lawrence Dick, 90, of Newton, Kan., died May 7, 2004. She was born July 5, 1913, to Russell and Lavina Barton Lawrence in Larned.

She graduated from Hutchinson Junior College in 1933, and Baker University of Baldwin City in 1935. She also attended Bethel College of North Newton, Wichita State University and Emporia State Teachers College.

She married William Dick on Oct. 13, 1946, in Wichita.

She was a Methodist church youth director and elementary schoolteacher, and was the librarian at Valley Center High School until retiring in 1975.

In 1954 she became a member of First Mennonite Church in Newton, where she taught Sunday school, vacation Bible school and served as youth group sponsor and president of the Women’s Society. She was a Bethel Hospital board member and president of Bethel Hospital Women’s Auxiliary. She was instrumental in merging the Axtell and Bethel hospital auxiliaries into the new Newton Medical Center auxiliary.

She committed her life to the pursuit of world peace at a young age. In 1934 she visited her congressman in Washington, D.C., as part of the Peace Action Committee. In 1935 she attended the National Council for the Prevention of War in Washington. In 1945 she raised enough money to buy a carload of wheat for Wheat for Relief. In 1948-49 she worked in Germany with her husband in the construction of a new town for German civilians displaced during World War II.

Survivors include two daughters, Ruth Anne Abraham and her husband, Jacob, of Austin, Texas, and Lillian Quiring* and her husband, David, of Liberal; a sister, Kathryn Long of Neodesha; four grandchildren; a great-grandchild and two foster granddaughters.

She was preceded in death by her husband, William; a sister, Elinor Grove; and a brother, Russell Lawrence.

A memorial service was held at First Mennonite Church of Newton. Burial was in Greenwood Cemetery, Newton.

*Correction in May 31, 2004 MWR - A survivor's name was incorrect in last week's obituary of Ruth Dick. Lillian Goering should have been Lillian Quiring.

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Susan Ackerman, 89, of rural Chenoa, Ill., died April 4, 2004, at Livingston Manor in Pontiac. She was born March 13, 1915, to Cornelius and Anna Kroeker Suderman in Comins, Mich.

She graduated from Midland (Mich.) High School and went through nurses training at Mennonite Hospital in Bloomington.

She married Frank Ackerman on Feb. 18, 1945, in Highland Park, Mich.

She was a homemaker and a part-time registered nurse at Mennonite Hospital in Bloomington, at Detroit (Mich.) Hospital and Fairbury Hospital for many years. She retired in 1993.

She was a member of Meadows Mennonite Church. She volunteered at Meadows Home and the Spare and Share Shop in Gridley. She was active in Women in Mission in her church and was a member of South Chenoa Circle Card Club.

Survivors include her husband, Frank; a son, Ronald and his wife, Nga, of Chenoa; three daughters, Joyce Baergen and her husband, Donald, of Edmonton, Alta., Lois Smith and her husband, Rex, of Park Ridge; and Doris Egli and her husband, David, of Kansas City, Mo.; a brother, Bernard Suderman of Topeka, Ind.; two sisters, Katherine Glenn of Dixon and Elizabeth Suderman of Sumpter, S.C.; nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by four brothers and three sisters.

Funeral services were held at Meadows Mennonite Church. Burial was in Pike Township Cemetery, rural Chenoa.


Mennonite Weekly Review - May 31, 2004 - 82nd Year, No. 22, p. 8

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Milton C. “Tony” Graber, 89, of Hesston, Kan., died May 16, 2004. He was born June 10, 1914, to Chris and Mary (Stucky) Graber near Moundridge, Kan.

Family responsibilities began early, and by age 10 he was plowing and caring for the horses. In 1934, when his father sold half of his oil rights to a driller, the first oil well in the area was drilled on their farm. He worked several years for Continental Oil, digging burn pits, slush pits and “cellars.”

He married Alta Kaufman in September 1939 at First Mennonite Church of Christian in Moundridge.

They lived on a farm east of Hesston. Along with farming, he built round top machine sheds with his brother Rich and graded roads for Emma Township. He took pride in hard work and doing a job well.

Serving the church was important to him. He spent many hours working as a trustee, teaching Sunday school and helping to build the new church. Since he enjoyed hosting people, and his wife was an excellent cook, their home became a place where family, workers and friends would eat and discuss events.

When his youngest son Jim decided to farm, he and Alta built their dream house just north of the farmstead. He built a machine shed and planned to spend many hours building, repairing and adapting farm equipment. However, he soon began to lose his sight due to glaucoma. He continued to feed sheep, buck bales, dig tree holes and help the family in any way that he could.

In 2002, they moved to Schowalter Villa in Hesston. After Alta’s death, he was forced to adjust to the loss of her eyes and her companionship. He relied on the Villa staff and enjoyed their humor and support, always expressing his gratitude for what they did for him.

Survivors include three children, Betty Hartzler and her husband, Ken, Jerry and his wife, Pat, and Jim and his wife, Ruby; and seven grandchildren.

Services were held at First Mennonite Church of Christian. 


Copyright 2003 - All rights reserved - Mennonite Publishing House, Scottdale, PA
Used with permission by the Archives of the Mennonite Church, Goshen, INDIANA
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