Mennonite Weekly Review, November 1, 2004, 82nd Year, No. 44, p. 12
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Doris S. Shenk
Doris S. Shenk, 83, of Goshen, Ind., died Oct. 13, 2004, at Greencroft
Healthcare after suffering from Alzheimer's disease for seven
years. She was born Feb. 23, 1921, to Clarence and Elizabeth (Alderfer)
Sell in Philadelphia, Pa.
She married Stanley C. Shenk on June 20, 1942, at Souderton (Pa.)
Mennonite Church.
She was baptized at Souderton Mennonite Church. She was a 1938
graduate of Souderton High School, a 1986 graduate of Goshen College
and obtained a teaching degree at Eastern Mennonite College,
Harrisonburg,
Va.
She taught school in several settings in the 1940s. From 1958
to 1965 she taught at Franconia Mennonite School, now Penn View
Christian School, in Souderton. From 1965 to 1975, she was
administrative
assistant to the dean of Goshen College. From 1949 to 1957, she
was a homemaker, serving as a pastor's wife at South Union Mennonite
Church, West Liberty, Ohio.
She was a member of Clinton Frame Mennonite Church in Goshen and
the Mennonite Church's Women's Missionary and Service Commission.
She served as an instructor of Keystone Bible Institutes and,
with her husband, co-directed 10 tours to the Holy Land from the
1970s to the 1990s.
She enjoyed making family scrapbooks, reading church periodicals,
playing Scrabble, singing and traveling. She was known for her
organizational ability, for her children's stories while in ministry
with her husband, and her deep love for family and church.
Survivors include her husband, Stanley; four children, Dave and
his wife, Shirley, of Elkhart, Dan and his wife, Vera, of Goshen,
Rhoda Keener and her husband, Bob, of Shippensburg, Pa., and Phil
and his wife, Alice, of Bookhnog, Dagestan, Russia; 13 grandchildren
and six great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by a sister, Blanche Sell; and a brother,
Clarence Sell Jr.
A memorial service was held at Clinton Frame Mennonite Church.
A family graveside service was held at Violett Cemetery in Goshen.
----------------
Alva Yoder
Alva Yoder, 88, of Hydro, Okla., died Oct. 15, 2004, at his home
in the same room he was born in. He was born April 11, 1916, to
Joni and Susan (Miller) Yoder 13 miles west of Hydro.
He was raised northwest of Hydro, where he attended Mulberry School.
As a young man he accepted Christ and became a member of Pleasant
View Mennonite Church.
He worked on the farm alongside his father. In 1942, he served
in Civilian Public Service in Fort Collins, Colo., and Terry,
Mont., as a surveyor for four years. He returned to the Hydro
area and on April 21, 1946, married Ellen Marie Slagell in Pleasant
View Mennonite Church. He continued to farm until he retired in
1994.
He was a volunteer for Choice Books for 10 years and in later
years was a volunteer at the Et Cetera Shop. He was active in
his church, serving as elder, participant in Bible school, Sunday
school and other offices.
He enjoyed traveling as a family in the United States, Bangladesh,
India and Lebanon. He enjoyed his cattle and his grandchildren.
He also wrote in a diary for more than 35 years until he couldn't
see any longer, writing about his memories and stories for children.
Reading his Bible and listening to Bible tapes was a favorite
pastime.
Survivors include his wife, Ellen; a son, Bob Yoder and his wife,
Becky, of Hydro; two daughters, Phyllis Miller and her husband,
Ralph, of Chouteau and Karen Kendall and her husband, Terry, of
Greentown, Ind.; three sisters, Fannie Stutzman of Topeka, Ind.,
Barbara Ann Thomas of Hydro and Lizzie Chupp of Adair; and seven
grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by a brother, Amos; and three sisters,
Mary, Delilah and Susan.
Funeral services were held at Pleasant View Mennonite Church.
Burial was in Pleasant View Mennonite Cemetery.
---------------------
Elva L. Goering
Elva L. Goering, 91, of North Newton, Kan., died Oct. 14, 2004.
She was born May 25, 1913, to John B. and Jessie Schrag Goering
on a farm northwest of Moundridge, the first of 16 children.
She was baptized June 16, 1929. She graduated from Moundridge
High School in 1932. In 1935, she enrolled in Bethel College for
training to become a nurse, but her plans were interrupted when
her mother died in April 1936. There were offers of adopting the
six younger siblings, ranging from age 6 to infant twin brothers.
She and her sister, Frieda, decided to give up their plans so
as to care for the family. They moved to a farm north of Canton
in August 1936. The Depression severely impacted their finances,
so in 1942 she took a job as a cook in the dietetic department
of McPherson Hospital. She worked there until 1950.
She married Dan Goering on June 10, 1955. He died Jan. 6, 1980.
Her church membership was transferred from Eden Mennonite Church
near Moundridge, to Zion Mennonite Church in Elbing, to First
Mennonite Church at Pretty Prairie. She served in different capacities
in Women's Mission Society and taught Sunday school and vacation
Bible school. After they retired from farming, she worked as a
part-time cook at Prairie Sunset Home and worked there until 1982.
She moved in 1994 to Schowalter Villa in Hesston. Her church membership
was transferred to First Mennonite Church, Newton. She moved to
Kidron Bethel Retirement Home in October 1999.
Survivors include two stepdaughters, Lola Miller of Moundridge
and LaVera Ayers and her husband, Phillip, of Portland, Ore.;
a stepson, Donald Goering and his wife, Sherry, of Hugoton; two
sisters, Martha Sundgren of Denver, Colo., and Joan Epp of Goessel;
six brothers, Arthur Goering of Newton, John Goering of Gresham,
Ore., Leonard Goering of Newton, James Goering of Dayton, Va.,
Harry Goering of Menifee, Calif., and Larry Goering of Ayden,
N.C.; seven step-grandchildren; 16 step-great-grandchildren and
a step-great-great-grandchild.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Dan; a step-son-in-law,
Leo Miller; six brothers, Walter, Alvin, Willard, Daniel, Herbert
and Ralph; and a sister, Frieda Regier.
Mennonite Weekly Review, November 8, 2004, 82nd Year, No. 45, p. 8
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Ralph Shetler
Ralph Shetler, 84, of Scotts Mills, Ore., died Oct. 18, 2004.
He was born Feb. 15, 1920, to Milton and Ada (Miller) Shetler
in Cheraw, Colo.
In 1931, his family moved to Hesston, Kan. He graduated from Hesston
Academy in 1938. He took one semester of college at Hesston.
On May 30, 1943, he married Margaret Pursley in the Hesston College
chapel. They moved to Oregon immediately afterward.
He was drafted and opted for Civilian Public Service in lieu of
military service. He served nearly two years at CPS Camp #55,
in Belton, Mont., and the final six months on a dairy farm at
Tracy, Calif. After CPS, they returned to Oregon.
He became a Christian and a member of Hesston Mennonite Church
at a young age. Since 1967 he was a member of Zion Mennonite Church
of Hubbard, Ore.
He worked in sawmills in Oregon and spent about 15 years caring
for research animals and working as a storekeeper at the medical
school and Oregon Regional Primate Research Center. In 1976-77,
he and Margaret spent time in voluntary service in eastern Kentucky.
He enjoyed computers, genealogy and figuring out family connections.
He was active with Oregon Mennonite Historical and Genealogical
Society and helped put the obituaries from Gospel Herald and Herald
of Truth on the Internet. They traveled quite a bit in later years,
including a trip to Europe.
Survivors include his wife, Margaret; six children, Marvin and
his wife, Shirl, of Aumsville, David and his wife, Susana, of
Coral Gables, Fla., Howard and his wife, Rosie, and Jerold and
his wife, Joan, both of Scotts Mills, Ruby Honan and her husband,
Tim, of Carbondale, Colo., and Lawrence and his wife, Flo, of
Lakeside, Mont.; 10 siblings, Leland of Mountain Home, Idaho,
LaVerne Horst of Warden, Wash., Helen Reeder of Marysville, Wash.,
Floyd of Kelso, Wash., Eldon of Wamic, Walter of Moses Lake, Wash.,
Paul of Filer, Idaho, Ruth Stutzman of Kimberly, Idaho, Harold
of Twin Falls, Idaho, and Lois Decker of Montrose, Colo.; 27
grandchildren
and 15 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by a stillborn son, Daniel, in 1956.
Memorial services were held at the Zion Mennonite Church east
of Hubbard. Burial was in Zion Mennonite Church Cemetery.
Mennonite Weekly Review, November 15, 2004, 82nd Year, No. 46, p. 12
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Joyce E. Kuhns
Joyce E. Kuhns, 66, of Souderton, Pa., and most recently of Wayland,
Iowa, died Nov. 3, 2004. She was born to Park N. and Mary (Detweiler)
Eberly in Mount Joy, Pa.
During high school, she was a summer staff member at Laurelville
Mennonite Camp. She graduated from Donegal High School in Mount
Joy, and from Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Va.,
with a bachelor's degree in elementary education. After graduation
from EMU, she taught in the Donegal school district for three
years. She then served in Araguacena, Brazil, as a missionary
school teacher, where she met her husband, Dennis Kuhns.
After their marriage in 1970, the pastoral couple served in
Pennsylvania,
Virginia, Ohio and Iowa churches. Her ministries included being
a Sunday school teacher, youth pastor, Bible study leader and
song leader. In recent years she was involved in prison ministries
through Gospel Echoes, as well as leading Bible studies in a women's
prison. Her hobbies were birdwatching, gardening and the woodcarving
of birds. But she most of all enjoyed being a grandmother.
Survivors include her husband of 34 years, Dennis; two daughters,
Jennifer K. Hershberger and her husband, Marc, of Lansdale, and
Kris Anne Swartley and her husband, Jon, of Souderton; four siblings,
Jean Eberly of Lititz, James Eberly of East Petersburg, Jay M.
Eberly of Mount Joy and Donna Lambert of Hampton, Va.; and three
grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by three brothers, Galen, Ronald and
LeRoy Eberly.
Memorial services were held at Souderton Mennonite Church. Burial
was in the church cemetery.
------------------------
Frances M.T. Swartzendruber
Frances M. T. Swartzendruber, 73, of Scottsdale, Ariz., died Oct.
29, 2004, after a seven-year battle with cancer. She was born
Dec. 21, 1930, in France.
In 1949, she joined the Mennonite Central Committee team in a
children's home in the suburbs of Nancy, France, as a
secretarymonitrice.
There, in 1950, she met her future husband, H. Dwight Swartzendruber,
an MCC volunteer. They were married on May 19, 1952, and she
accompanied
him to his home in Iowa.
In 1957, the family moved to Karachi, Pakistan, where her husband
began a career in international relief and development work with
Church World Service. For nine years, while he was working in
the New York headquarters, she worked with United Methodist Board
of Global Ministries' Africa and Medical Offices.
In 1979 they moved to Reston, Va., and began a second career,
often working as a team providing consultant services to a number
of agencies, mostly in Africa, which engaged in emergency relief.
In 1993 they moved to Scottsdale, Ariz., where she retired while
her husband continued to work half-time in a number of consulting
assignments in Africa. Her main interest in her retirement years
was her family, staying in contact with her granddaughters, although
from a geographic distance. She and her husband also engaged in
extensive travel, both to explore new places and to return to
some of their favorite spots.
Another of her interests was helping to launch Artisans Around
the World, which will open a new Ten Thousand Villages store in
Glendale.
Survivors include her husband of 52 years, H. Dwight; three sons,
Fred of Reston, Va., Dan of Ashland, Mass., and David of Broadway,
Va.; and five granddaughters.
Services were held at Trinity Mennonite Church in Glendale and
at Park View Mennonite Church in Harrisonburg, Va.
----------------------
Rosa Bartel Thimm
Rosa Bartel Thimm, 82, of Beatrice, Neb., died Oct. 26, 2004.
She was born Nov. 6, 1921, to John and Susie Bartel in Hillsboro,
Kan.
She graduated from Bethel Deaconess Hospital in Newton, Kan.,
in 1947 as a registered nurse. She worked in Newton as a nurse
for physician Eugene Enns for a number of years. In 1955, she
worked at Brook Lane Farm, a psychiatric hospital near Hagerstown,
Md.
She married Randolph Thimm of Beatrice on Aug. 30, 1959. Together
they farmed in the Beatrice area. He preceded her in death in
1987.
Survivors include a daughter, Sheryl Stewart and her husband,
Jon, of Lincoln; a son, Randolph William Thimm Jr. and his wife,
Amy, of Firth; two sisters, Elda Bartel of Goessel, Kan., and
Helen Bargen of North Newton, Kan.; a sister-in-law, Myrta Bartel
of Hillsboro, Kan.; and five grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Randolph; a sister,
Wanda Swanson; and a brother, Johnnie M. Bartel.
Services were held at First Mennonite Church of rural Beatrice.
Burial was in the church cemetery.
------------------
Jeannette Isaac
Jeannette Irene (Rutschman) Isaac, 83, of Whitewater, Kan., died
Oct. 15, 2004, of a cerebral hemorrhage. She was born Jan. 11,
1921, to David and Elise (Zuercher) Rutschman at Newton.
She graduated from Whitewater High School and the Bible Institute
of Los Angeles. It was at BIOLA that she met Frank Isaac, who
sang in a quartet with her brother, Laverne. They were married
on July 5, 1942, and resided in California for several years.
In 1949, they moved to the Zuercher homestead near Whitewater
to help her father with the farm. They worked together on that
farm for more than 50 years.
At an early age, she accepted Christ as her Savior, was baptized
and became a lifelong member of the Swiss Mennonite Church of
Whitewater. A committed Christian, she served the Lord with a
sweet and humble spirit in such endeavors as the Gideons, Berean
Academy, the Grace Missionary Home, church choir, Missionary Circle
and teaching vacation Bible school and Sunday school.
An excellent homemaker and caregiver, she always put the needs
of her family first and prayed for them daily.
Survivors include four children, Gary Isaac and his wife, Jean,
of Newton, Sherry Fisher and her husband, Norm, of Prairie Village,
Nancy Klassen and her husband, Stephen, of Mountain Lake, Minn.,
and Cindy Kurr and her husband, Gary, of Newton; a brother, Laverne
Rutschman of North Newton; and 10 grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Frank; a sister, Evelyn
Langenegger; and brothers Waldo, Orrin, Henry and Pete.
------------------
Robert William Milne
Robert William Milne, 85, of Glendale, Ariz., died Oct. 17, 2004.
He was born Oct. 12, 1919, to George and Almeda (Bowman) Milne
in Mannheim, Ont., the third of six children.
He grew up on a farm in Mannheim, milking cows and making cheese
to sell in the local market. He loved to play hockey and softball.
He also loved music, playing a harmonica and singing tenor.
As a conscientious objector to military service, he worked in
a road construction camp near Lake Superior, where his main task
was to bake bread for 180 men every day. He attended Ontario Mennonite
Bible School, where he met Freda Mae King. He married her on Oct.
26, 1944, at Elida, Ohio.
His life was filled with a wide variety of experiences, which
included two years in Beltsville, Md., working at the government
agricultural station. He also spent six years in Denbeigh, Va.,
as plant manager of Colony Farms Dairy and owner/operator of a
small restaurant and two years in Fortuna Ledge, Alaska, under
Mennonite Board of Missions, where he managed a general store
and a regional Standard Oil outlet. He also lived 20 years in
Goshen, Ind., where he was plant manager for Eby's Dairy in Elkhart
and later helped build boats for Starcraft. For two years he lived
in London, England, where he helped maintain and renovate the
London Mennonite Centre. He also spent 27 years in Glendale, Ariz.,
where he worked in maintenance and renovation projects for Trinity
Mennonite Church for eight years before he retired.
After retirement, he was a volunteer handyman, doing odd jobs
for many people. He volunteered many hours at Habitat for Humanity,
Faith House and Glencroft Retirement Community. His greatest
fulfillment
came from serving others.
Survivors include two children, Ronald Milne and Beverly Hershberger;
10 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Mennonite Weekly Review, November 22, 2004, 82nd Year, No. 47, p. 8
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Theodor A. Goossen
Theodor Andrew "Ted" Goossen, 92, of Beatrice, Neb.,
died Oct. 29, 2004. He was born Oct. 9, 1912, to Andrew P. and
Helen Penner Goossen on a farm north of Hoag.
After elementary school he attended two years of Mennonite Bible
School. He was baptized and became a member of First Mennonite
Church of rural Beatrice on May 24, 1931.
On May 27, 1941, he married Dorthy Claassen.
He spent his days milking cows and tending crops. He shared implements
and work with his brother Bill, though they lived on opposite
sides of Beatrice.
He was deeply involved in the life of First Mennonite Church.
Over the years he held almost every position, including deacon.
He had a strong bass voice and sang in a quartet that provided
worship music for Sunday morning and many funerals. He was a dignified,
gracious and gentle man.
His hobbies were photography and playing cards. He kept a picture
history of the family that fills many photo albums. After son
Harvey began to help on the farm, he and Dorthy were able to travel
to California and Oregon to visit family. After retirement he
regularly played cards with cousins and friends on Tuesday afternoons.
Ten years ago, they bought an apartment in the Regency. In the
fall of 2001, Dorthy needed more care and moved into Homestead
House. He joined her there in the spring of 2002. Several weeks
ago they moved into a room at Good Samaritan, where he died.
Survivors include his wife, Dorthy; a son, Ron, of California;
a daughter, Darlene of Beatrice; and seven grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by a son, Harvey, on Oct. 11, 2000.
Funeral services were held at First Mennonite Church of rural
Nebraska. Burial was in Mennonite Cemetery.
-------------------
Margaretha Ediger
Margaretha Ediger, 78, of Mission, B.C., died Oct. 28, 2004. She
was born Feb. 2, 1926, in the Crimea in Russia.
She lived in Brazil as a child, then immigrated to the United
States to attend college and seminary, where she met and married
Menno Ediger.
They worked side-by-side in churches in Turpin, Okla., and Sudbury
and at the Welcome Inn drop-in center in Hamilton. She became
ordained in the Mennonite church, and together they served churches
in Markham, Ill., and Boise, Idaho. After working with Mennonite
Central Committee in the Mennonite colonies in Bolivia for five
years, they settled in Mission, B.C., in 1990.
They became faithful and loved members of St. Stephens Christian
Community. She was involved in many volunteer activities in British
Columbia, most recently with MCC, Mission Hospice Society and
Hidden Treasures Thrift store in Abbotsford. She was a passionate
advocate for peace and social justice and served on the MCC Peace
Committee for many years. She had a gift for friendship and
hospitality,
sharing freely her legendary baking, flowers and produce from
her garden, and countless meals with friends.
Survivors include five children, Stephanie, Elizabeth Hildebrand
and her husband, Lloyd, Mike Ediger and his wife, Diane, Mary
Ross and her husband, Robert, and Evelyn; two sisters, Elizabeth
and Trude; and six grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Menno, in 2002.
Funeral services were held in Mission, B.C.
------------------
Mattie E. Schertz
Mattie E. Schertz, 103, of Goshen, Ind., died Oct. 12, 2004, at
Greencroft Health Care, where she had been a resident the past
two years. She was born May 19, 1901, to John A. and Bertha Schertz
Imhoff near Roanoke, Ill.
On Jan. 15, 1929, she married Peter H. Schertz, and for 44 years
they lived on the family farm near Lowpoint, Ill. He preceded
her in death on Dec. 28, 1973.
She was a lifelong member of Metamora Mennonite Church, where
she was involved in the Sunday school program and the Women's
Missionary and Service Commission. She will be remembered for
her hospitality, her willingness to help in any situation, and
her deep commitment to the Mennonite Church, her family and a
wide circle of friends.
After living all her active years in Woodford County, Ill., she
moved to Greencroft Retirement Community in Goshen at age 95.
Survivors include two daughters, Marjorie Liechty and her husband,
Russel, of Goshen, and Ardith Wilson and her husband, Ralph, of
Minneapolis, Minn.; six grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren
and a great-great-grandchild.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Peter H; five sisters,
Elsie Imhoff, Ada Kennell, Freda Reiff, Clara Battler and Wilma
Stealy; and one brother, Clarence Imhoff.
Services were held at the Greencroft Meeting House and at Metamora
Mennonite Church. Burial was in Stewart-Harmony Cemetary, Metamora,
Ill.
Mennonite Weekly Review, November 29, 2004, 82nd Year, No. 48, p. 12
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Loyd Edwin Schlabach
Loyd Edwin Schlabach, 88, of Greenwood, Del., died Nov. 9, 2004.
He was born Oct. 8, 1916, to Lorenzo and Polly Miller Schlabach
in Thomas, Okla.
He was a farmer and a member of Greenwood Mennonite Church.
Survivors include his wife, F. Josephine Schlabach; two sons,
Jay E. Schlabach and Allen E. Schlabach, both of Milford; four
stepchildren, Clifford D. Baker and Daryl E. Baker, both of Oregon,
and Berta K. Kauffman and Carla J. Yoder, both of Greenwood; five
brothers, Paul Schlabach of Souderton, Pa., Fred Schlabach of
Seaford, and Timothy Schlabach, Titus Schlabach and Evangel Schlabach,
all of Greenwood; two sisters, Martha Tucker of Lima, Ohio, and
Pollyanna Eby of Bellville, Pa.; and 15 grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his first wife, Edna E. Zook Schlabach;
a brother, Walter Schlabach; and a sister, Mary Bender.
Services were held at Greenwood Mennonite School. Burial was in
Greenwood Mennonite Church Cemetery.