Mennonite Weekly Review, October 4, 2004, 82nd Year, No. 40, p. 8
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Helen Marie Kenagy
Helen Marie Kenagy, 64, of Carlsbad, N.M., died July 23, 2004,
after being involved in a two-vehicle accident. She was born Dec.
28, 1939, to Clarence Vernon and Nellie Hartzler in Cass County,
Mo.
She graduated from high school at Harrisonville, Mo., in 1957.
For two years she attended Hesston (Kan.) College, where she began
her Registered Nurse training. During the next two years, she
completed her RN training at Kansas City General Hospital and
then worked as a nurse until she married. During her last year
of training she began to have problems with arthritis.
She married Marvin Kenagy on May 25, 1962, in Garden City, Mo.
After marrying, they lived in Kansas City, where she continued
nursing. They entered voluntary service in September 1962 and
lived in Narberth, a suburb of Philadelphia, Pa. After their service,
they moved back to Missouri and farmed.
In January 1973, they moved to Carlsbad, N.M., and lived in town
for four years. They bought Rocky Arroyo Ranch and lived there
seven years. During this time their house burned down. With the
help of friends and family, they built a new home. In 1984, the
family moved to Queen Ranch.
As a rancher's wife and mother, she was busy with sewing, gardening,
canning, cooking meals, keeping books and running errands. She
was a giving person and always helped her children and others.
Because of her arthritis she struggled with pain, yet had a cheerful
and positive attitude. She loved to laugh and have her family
around her.
She accepted Christ at a young age. Praying for others was one
of her gifts. She was involved in church activities, such as women's
sewing group, the Bible Memory program and service projects. One
of the things she enjoyed the most was being youth sponsor with
Marvin. The relationships she built encouraged youth in the development
of their faith, talents and interests.
Survivors include her husband, Marvin; four children, Becky, Wayne,
Brenda and Karla; a sister, Esther; and 12 grandchildren.
------------------------
Ronald Dwight Wedel
Ronald Dwight Wedel, 72, of Moundridge, Kan., died Sept. 13, 2004.
He was born Aug. 13, 1932, to Jacob A. and Lillie E. Wedel at
Newton.
He lived in the Moundridge community all of his life. He was baptized
upon his confession of faith at Eden Mennonite Church on May 16,
1948. He graduated from Moundridge High School in 1950.
He married Florene M. Flickner on Aug. 28, 1956.
He enjoyed farming and farm life, but most of all he loved working
with sheep. He began raising sheep in 4-H and continued for more
than 60 years. He loved to show his sheep and exhibited a champion
ewe or ram at more than 40 state or national shows. He was on
the board of directors for the American Southdown Sheep Breeders
Association for 18 years and served as president in 1984-85. In
an effort to keep his flock one of the best in the country, he
imported Southdown rams from New Zealand. The North American Livestock
Exposition honored him in 1994, naming the show "The Ronald
Wedel Family National Southdown Show" in dedication to his
many years of service to the sheep industry.
He served as district secretary for Mennonite Hilfs-Plan Insurance
Company for 34 years. He served on the board of directors for
29 years. He was involved in community activities: 4-H club leader,
Moundridge FFA Ag Advisory Board and Moundridge Centennial Committee.
He had a passion for politics and served as precinct committeeman
for 35 years.
Family was important to him. He enjoyed the activities of his
children and grandchildren. He moved to Memorial Home in 2002.
Survivors include his wife, Florene; three sons, Duane and his
wife, LaDonna, Dwight and his wife, Dixie, and Dennis; and six
grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by an infant brother, Robert Howard.
Memorial services were held at Eden Mennonite Church of rural
Moundridge. Burial was in Eden Mennonite Church Cemetery.
-------------------
Gilmer Krehbiel
Gilmer Krehbiel, 85, died June 4, 2004, at Memorial Home in Moundridge,
Kan. He was born June 20, 1918, to Peter O. and Anna (Goering)
Krehbiel in rural McPherson County.
He graduated from McPherson High School in 1937. He attended Bethel
College for two years. Upon his confession of faith, he was baptized
on June 4, 1933, at Eden Mennonite Church of rural Moundridge.
He married Verna Regier on April 30, 1941, at Alexanderwohl Mennonite
Church of rural Goessel. They shared life's blessings and trials
for 63 years.
He loved farming, so after their marriage they moved to his childhood
farm, where he and his father farmed together for many years.
Later, his son Darrell joined in the farming operation. Together
they raised crops and ran a dairy. He retired in 1982, and he
and Verna moved to Pine Village in Moundridge. For many years,
he continued to help with many of the farm activities. He was
a hard worker and his own mechanic and fixed whatever needed fixing.
He took his spiritual life seriously and attended Eden Mennonite
Church, serving as a trustee and on various church committees.
He loved to help others, both family and friends, and was an active
member in Mennonite Disaster Service.
He was quiet, considerate and compassionate, always concerned
about the needs and happiness of his family and those around him.
He was very involved in the lives of his children and grandchildren,
and delighted in his great-grandchildren.
Survivors include his wife, Verna, of Moundridge; three children,
Darrell and his wife, Mary, of McPherson, Millie Peterson and
her husband, Ray, of Salina, and Paul and his wife, Connie, of
Minier, Ill., a sister, Helen Goering of Moundridge; six grandchildren
and eight great-grandchildren.
Memorial services were held at Eden Mennonite Church. Burial was
in Eden Mennonite Church Cemetery.
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Florine May Plenert
Florine May (Waltner) Plenert, 79, of Wichita, Kan., died Aug.
30, 2004. She was born April 9, 1925, to Benjamin P. and Adina
J. (Graber) Waltner on a farm in Freeman, S.D.
She and her older sister, Mildred, grew up on that farm near Freeman
Academy and Junior College. She attended elementary school in
a one-room rural school, Diamond Valley.
After graduating from Freeman Junior College, she taught in a
rural school for a year. She then enrolled at Bethel College in
North Newton, Kan. She graduated from Bethel in 1947. At that
time she met Harold Plenert. They were married Aug. 28, 1949,
in Freeman's Salem Mennonite Church, and enjoyed 55 years of marriage
together.
She was a longtime member of Lorraine Avenue Mennonite Church
in Wichita.
She had a variety of teaching experiences, including teaching
English in Kingman (Kan.) Elementary School, fifth and sixth grades
in Viborg, S.D., and music in rural schools near Moundridge, Kan.
After moving to Wichita in 1961, she taught in a Bible school
program in a mobile unit donated by Eden Mennonite Church. She
finished her teaching career at Chisholm Trail Elementary School
in Wichita, where she taught fifth and sixth grade for a number
of years.
In recent years she spent many enjoyable hours with her two
grandchildren,
sharing her love of gardening, music, crafts and cooking.
Perhaps her greatest gift was in reaching out to care for and
help others. Her life was filled with countless acts of love for
students, friends, relatives and church members. She was extremely
loyal and caring and used her creative skills in many ways to
support others. She loved nature, and she knew her father would
have treasured the beautiful preserve of trees and waterways,
now known as the Freeman Arboretum, between their former farm
and the Academy.
Survivors include her husband, Harold; two children, Connie of
Wichita and Keith of Council Bluffs, Iowa; and two grandchildren.
Mennonite Weekly Review, October 11, 2004, 82nd Year, No. 41, p. 8
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Marie J. Hershberger
Marie J. Hershberger, 81, of Apple Creek, Ohio, died Sept. 24,
2004, at Brenn-Field Nursing Center in Orrville. She was born
June 8, 1923, to Joe and Sarah (Hershberger) Stutzman in Holmes
County.
She married Roman L. Hershberger on Jan. 4, 1942. He preceded
her in death on Nov. 19, 2001.
In her early years she managed Chuck Wagon Restaurant and also
worked for Lerch's Doughnuts. She accepted Christ as her personal
Savior in her youth and was a member of Wooster Mennonite Church.
She was a great mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She
missed her husband, Roman, after his death, and now they are
hand-in-hand
in heaven. She was loved and will be greatly missed by her family
and friends.
Survivors include four children, Debbie Neuenschwander and her
husband, Conrad, of Kidron, Maynard Hershberger and his wife,
Dorothy, of Portage, Mich., Roman Dale Hershberger and his wife,
Joyce, of St. Cloud, Fla., and Gary Hershberger and his wife,
Denise, of Wooster; three brothers, Ervin Stutzman of Sarasota,
Fla., Ivan Stutzman of Berlin, and Harold Stutzman of Richmond,
Va.; three sisters, Katie Stutzman of Berlin, Esther Miller of
Fern Park, Fla., and Lula Nussbaum of Wooster; 13 grandchildren
and 19 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Roman; two sons, Samuel
and Larry Hershberger; and a brother, Tony Stutzman.
----------------------
Bernhard H. Reimer
Bernhard H. "Bernie" Reimer, 72, of Beatrice, Neb.,
died Oct. 3, 2004, at Parkview Care Center. He was born Jan. 5,
1932, to Bernhard and Gertrude Penner Reimer at Beatrice.
He graduated from Beatrice High School in 1950. He served two
years of alternative service in 1950-51, when he worked with refugees
in Germany the first year and worked at a hospital in Denver the
second year. He attended Bethel College in North Newton, Kan.,
and then returned to Beatrice and farmed.
He married Alda L. Epp on Jan. 1, 1976, in Henderson. They owned
and operated a grain and dairy farm in rural Beatrice. In 1995
they moved into Beatrice. He was a lifelong member of First Mennonite
Church of Beatrice.
Survivors include his wife, Alda; and two sisters, Marion Jane
Reimer of St. Paul, Minn., and Catharine Irene Friesen of Dunwoody,
Ga.
Funeral services were held at First Mennonite Church of rural
Beatrice. Burial was in First Mennonite Cemetery.
Mennonite Weekly Review, October 18, 2004, 82nd Year, No. 42, p. 16
-----------------
Daniel Augsburger
Sharon Daniel Augsberger, 71, of Sarasota, Fla., died July 26,
2004, of cancer. He was born June 1, 1933, to Clarence and Estella
Augsburger in Delphos, Ohio.
He married Garnieta Brenneman on June 27, 1954.
He was a member of the Mennonite Church since his youth. He was
baptized at Elida, Ohio, and carried his faith and integrity into
his work and business associations.
His first career was in agriculture as manager of cultivation
of extended farmlands for a clay mining company in eastern Ohio.
He entered a second career, and his favorite vocation, of directing
sales staff and traveling for 22 years as vice president of sales
for Empire Plow.
A people person, he built a wide network of friends across the
United States. A playful person, he could cite an exceptional
steakhouse or locate chocolate in almost any city. A principled
person, he could talk about his faith as a disciple of Christ
with unabashed freedom and witness. He was known as a man of deep
conviction and sincere love of others.
He was a member of Bahia Vista Mennonite Church in Sarasota. He
loved music and enjoyed singing and listening to the music of
others. His baritone solo voice was warm and natural, his favorite
songs formed a central stream of his spirituality. A great storyteller,
his keen memory and dramatic personality brought past events to
life for his listeners. His love of Scripture and biblical stories
enriched his life and practice of discipleship.
Survivors include his wife of 50 years, Garnieta; three children,
Darlene Ramsey and her hsuband, John, Wayne and his wife, Cindy,
and Keith and his wife, Erika; five siblings, Fred of Fresno,
Ohio, Don of Sarasota, Myron of Harrisonburg, Va., Ann Good of
Elizabethtown, Pa., and David of Claremont, Calif.; and five
grandchildren.
Memorial services were held at Bahia Vista Mennonite Church.
-----------------
Anna N. Leaman
Anna N. Leaman, 95, of Landis Homes Retirement Community in Lancaster,
Pa., died Oct. 5, 2004. She was born to Witmer and Ella Esbenshade
Barge in Sterling, Ill.
Prior to living at Landis Homes the past nine years, she had lived
in Willow Street for many years.
She was married to Tobias D. Leaman for 62 years. He died in 1992.
She was a homemaker, and she also operated a poultry, egg and
baked goods stand in the Philadelphia Farmers Market for many
years. Earlier in life she had worked at the former Stehli Silk
Mill in Lancaster.
She was a member of Mellinger Mennonite Church in Lancaster, where
she was active for many years as a Sunday school teacher and involved
with the sewing circle. She enjoyed sewing and pieced and knotted
many comforters over the years for Mennonite Central Committee.
She was a great woman of prayer and was very interested in the
mission work of the church. She had been a member of Farm Women
Society No. 21.
Survivors include two sons, Robert B. Leaman and his wife, Fay,
and John B. Leaman and his wife, Joyce, both of Lancaster; three
daughters, Elnora L. Frank and her husband, Donald, of Lancaster,
Dorothy L. Jantzi and her husband, Vernon, of Harrisonburg, Va.,
and Anna B. Kennel and her husband, David, of Willow Street; a
sister, Elnora Cope of Lancaster; 12 grandchildren; 28
great-grandchildren
and a great-great-grandchild.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Tobias; a son, Donald
B. Leaman; and two sister, Ethel Leaman and Alta Shenk.
Funeral services were held at Mellinger Mennonite Church. Burial
was in the church cemetery.
Mennonite Weekly Review., October 25, 2004, 82nd Year, No. 43, p. 8
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Doris Wade Rupe
Doris Amelia Wade Rupe, 87, died Sept. 27, 2004, in Goshen, Ind.
She was born Sept. 25, 1917, to Clark and Mary Conrad Wade in
Sterling, Ill.
After earning a degree in medical laboratory technology at Franklin
School of Science and Art in Philadelphia, she graduated from
Goshen College in 1946.
She worked at Harper Hospital in Detroit for 14 years, then at
Swedish American Hospital in Chicago, where she met Lloyd O. Rupe.
They married May 15, 1948. She worked at Jackson Clinic in Madison,
Wis., while he completed medical training. When they moved to
Elkhart, she began a new career as a homemaker and community volunteer.
She enriched family and friends by keeping and sharing a lovely
home rich in flowers, fine food, art and music. They raised three
biological children and three foster children from Germany and
Austria.
As a member of Prairie Street Mennonite Church, she served as
elder, choral director and chair of the music committee. She directed
the junior choir, and she belonged to the Choristers Guild.
She was a volunteer all her life, first at Hull House in Chicago,
then at Oaklawn in Goshen and later in the church's Mennonite
Women. She and her husband gave the land for Prairie Street Child
Development Center in Elkhart, and she served on the board until
her death. They also established scholarship funds at Goshen College
and Sterling (Kan.) College.
Survivors include a daughter, Nancy Rupe-Cressy and her husband,
Michael, of Mishawaka; two sons, John C. Rupe and his wife, Linda,
of Fayetteville, Ark., and Daniel W. Rupe of Hudson, N.Y.; a foster
daughter, Elfi O'Brien of California; a foster son, Ulrich "Ulli"
Eggert of Detroit; a sister, Helen Alderfer of Goshen; a brother,
Harold Wade of Valrico, Fla.; two grandchildren and eight
foster-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, L.O. Rupe; foster son
Darko Rapotez; and a brother, Ralph Wade.
Funeral services were held at Prairie Street Mennonite Church.
Burial was in the church cemetery.