Mennonite Weekly Review, April 4, 2005, 83rd Year, No. 14, p. 11

Ada B. Beachy, 79, of Greencroft Healthcare in Goshen, Ind., died March 24, 2005. She was born Sept. 22, 1925, to Abraham and Fannie (Miller) Miller in Trail, Ohio.
On May 14, 1950, she married Moses A. Beachy in Wilmot, Ohio.
They moved to Goshen in 1968. Prior to that they had lived in Puerto Rico for eight years. She was a homemaker and worked with children in day care. She served for 13 years at assignments in Puerto Rico, Red Lake, Ont., and Nicaragua. She was a member of East Goshen Mennonite Church since 1959.
Survivors include her husband, Moses Beachy; a daughter, Barbara Yoder and her husband, Pete, of Goshen; four sons, Paul Beachy and John Beachy, both of Colorado Springs, Colo., Philip Beachy and his wife, Katrin Andreasson, of Baltimore, Md., and Robert Beachy of Baltimore; four sisters, Mabel Miller of Wilmot, Ohio, Sara Lapp of Gap, Pa., Ida Troyer of Rutherford, Tenn., and Irma Miller of Wilmot; three brothers, Joe Miller of Guthrie, Ky., John Miller of Dundee, Ohio, and David Miller of Millersburg, Ohio; four grandchildren and two step-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by a brother, Abe Miller.
Funeral services were held at East Goshen Mennonite Church.

Walter E. Stuckey, 95, of Wauseon, Ohio, died March 10, 2005, at Heartland Nursing Home. He was born Dec. 7, 1909, to Aaron and Sarah Eicher Stuckey near Archbold. He was a lifetime resident of the Archbold-West Unity area.
As a young man, he committed his life to Christ and was baptized on Feb. 22, 1931. This commitment led to many years of service for the Lord in the Mennonite Church of Northwest Ohio.
On Sept. 5, 1934, he married Virgie M. Amstutz.
He had been a farmer and then was ordained to the Christian ministry on Nov. 6, 1938. He served as lead pastor of Lockport Mennonite Church near Stryker for 36 years until retirement on Dec. 1, 1974. Since retiring as pastor, he worked at Sauder Village near Archbold for 19 years, drove bus for Quadco Rehabilitation Center in Stryker for six years and ministered in his neighborhood and community.
During his tenure at Lockport, two new congregations were started: Pine Grove Mennonite Church south of Stryker and Salem Mennonite Church near Waldron, Mich. A new building was constructed for the Lockport congregation in 1963.
He was a member of Lockport Mennonite Church, Williams County Historical Society and TRSHA.
Survivors include his wife of more than 70 years, Virgie; a son, William and his wife, Rose, of West Unity; a daughter, Patricia Eberly and her husband, Jack, of Stryker; three brothers, Earl of West Unity, Ivan of Burr Oak, Mich., and Arthur of Archbold; two sisters, Anna Aeschliman of Stryker and Clara Frey of Wauseon; four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by a grandson, Walter J. Eberly; and three brothers, Chester, Joseph and Donald.
Funeral services were held at Lockport Mennonite Church. Burial was in the Lockport Cemetery.

Carl Grove Showalter, 93, of Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community in Harrisonburg, died March 4, 2005. He was born March 15, 1911, to H.D.H. and Flora Mae Grove Showalter of Broadway.
In June 1930 he graduated from Eastern Mennonite University. He then pursued studies at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond.
After his graduation from MCV with a bachelor's degree in pharmacy in June 1934, he returned to Broadway to own and manage Broadway Drug Store. He continued pharmacy practice until his retirement in 1990.
In July 1934, he married Louise Mensch of Skippack, Pa., who preceded him in death in June 1992 after almost 58 years of marriage.
He served on the board of directors of First National Bank of Broadway from 1941 until the bank was acquired by Farmers and Merchants National Bank of Winchester. In December 1949, he was appointed as a member of the Rockingham County School Board, a position he held until his retirement in June 1975. He was elected to the town council of Broadway and served 10 years. He was an active alumnus of EMU and served on the board of trustees, 1975-79. In 1984, he and his wife established the Carl G. and Louise M. Showalter Scholarship Fund at EMU for pre-medical, pre-pharmacy and pre-nursing students. In 1993 he became a founding sponsor of the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival.
He was a lifelong member of Trissels Mennonite Church near Broadway. He taught a Sunday school class for many years and served as Sunday school superintendent. As a trustee he took an active role in the construction of a new church building in 1950 and the annex and social hall in 1964.
Survivors include three sons, C. Robert and his wife, Charity, of Harrisonburg, Donald E. and his wife, Marlene, and Nelson L. and his wife, Phyllis, all of Broadway; a brother, James; three sisters, Ethel Strite, Kathryn Shank and Doris Trumbo; five grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Memorial services were held at Trissels Mennonite Church.

Esther Mae McDonald, 77, of North Newton, Kan., died March 20, 2005, at Kidron Bethel Retirement Village. She was born March 13, 1928, to Peter C. and Anna (Richert) Andres in Newton.
She graduated from Mennonite Bible Academy in North Newton in 1946. She was baptized May 14, 1944, at Zion Mennonite Church in Elbing.
On Oct. 15, 1966, she married J.C. McDonald in Kansas City.
After attending college, she worked as a nurse for more than 40 years, including in Taiwan from 1957 to 1962 at Mennonite Christian Hospital, at KU Medical Center in Kansas City for six years and as director of nurses at Bethel Home for the Aged for 15 years.
She was a member of Faith Mennonite Church of Newton. She worked with the library for many years. In her work on the Health and Wellness Committee she participated in various study groups. She was an advocate for the local Offender Victim Ministries, giving freely of her time and energy.
Traveling was a special joy for her, and she took numerous tours to various locations in the United States. Her special interest was lighthouses. Genealogy was another interest, especially connected to the 125th anniversary celebration of the Regier family coming to the U.S. from Europe. She enjoyed watching baseball games and tennis.
Survivors include two sisters, Sylvia Jantz of Hesston and Della Wiebe of Colorado Springs, Colo.; and two brothers, Eldon Andres of Peabody and Homer Andres of Ferndale, Wash.
She was preceded in death by her husband, J.C. McDonald.
Services were held at Faith Mennonite Church of Newton. Burial was in Greenwood Cemetery.

Susan A. Ruth, 95, of Souderton, Pa., died Feb. 11, 2005, at Souderton Mennonite Homes, where she and her husband had resided since 1987. She was born June 5, 1909, to Abraham M. and Susan Alderfer Landis of Lower Salford Township.
On March 29, 1929, she married Henry L. Ruth of Line Lexington.
They were farmers on the Landis homestead on Branch Creek until their retirement. After her children were grown, she worked as an aide in Grand View Hospital. On March 29, 2004, they celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary.
In 1931, she and her husband were founding members of the Finland Mennonite congregation.
Survivors include her husband, Henry; a son, John L. Ruth and his wife, Roma, of Harleysville; three daughters, Lois Kennel and her husband, Arthur, of Rochester, Minn., Martyne Wetzel and her husband, Conrad, of Urbana, Ill., and Carolyn of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.; a foster son, Siegfried Rebnegger and his wife, Elsie; 14 grandchildren; 25 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by a daughter, Eunice Mast, in 1994.
A memorial service was held at Souderton Mennonite Homes. Burial was in the Finland Mennonite Cemetery.

Mennonite Weekly Review, April 11, 2005, 83rd Year, No. 15, p. 16

Frieda Guengerich, 91, of Glendale, Ariz., died March 5, 2005, at Glencroft. She was born May 29, 1913, to Otto and Emma Wolberg Guengerich of Deer Creek, Ill.
She graduated valedictorian from Deer Creek High School in 1930. Earning a teaching certificate in 1935, she taught in the elementary grades. She attended Bluffton (Ohio) College for two years, then transferred to Goshen (Ind.) College and graduated in 1943.
She grew up in Calvary Mennonite Church in Washington, Ill., and made her profession of faith there.
A new chapter opened for her when she answered the Lord's call to go to Africa in 1946. This was an intimidating venture for a single woman in the days immediately after World War II. She began her assignment of teaching young girls at Charlesville Mission Station in the Belgian Congo. She worked under Congo Inland Mission, later known as Africa Inter-Mennonite Mission.
She was called home in 1960 to take care of her mother, who was in poor health. During this time she taught at the Deer Creek grade school. After her mother died in 1960, she then took care of her father, who died in 1967.
She returned to the mission field in 1968 to Zaire, teaching in the missions and church/school system. Because of health issues, she returned to the United States in 1975. After several months in Illinois, she moved to Phoenix. She was one of the earliest residents at Glencroft. She joined First Mennonite Church of Phoenix, where she taught the adult Sunday school class. She also served as a deacon.
In retirement she carried on a card ministry and corresponded with people across the country and in Africa. She filled her days with prayer, reading the Bible and books of historical interest and doing word games. She also labored on four volumes of her diaries, covering all but the last few years of her life.
Survivors include a brother, Lester Guengerich of Chandler.
She was preceded in death by a sister, Dorothy Schertz, in 1959.

Willie F. Classen, 85, died Jan. 31, 2005, at his home in Walnut Hill, Fla., after a lengthy illness. He was born Aug. 18, 1919, to Jacob R. and Anna Classen in Meade, Kan.
He accepted Christ as his Savior and was baptized June 20, 1937, and became a member of the Mennonite church.
He married Elizabeth Loewen, also of Meade, on Feb. 15, 1942. In 1953 they moved to Florida, where he continued farming.
His first love was serving the Lord. This was evident by his involvement in the church and community through the years. He and Elizabeth assisted in church work in Florida, Alabama and Mississippi in numerous ways, and he was currently a member of Mennonite Christian Fellowship in Atmore, Ala. Besides his church involvement, he also served on several agricultural organizations.
He enjoyed numerous hobbies, interests and challenges. He had a unique sense of humor and loved people. He had a deep concern for the salvation of his family.
Survivors include his wife of almost 63 years, Elizabeth; five children, Marianne Classen, Roy and his wife, Miriam, and Steve and his wife, Treva, all of Walnut Hill, Ken and his wife, Mabel, of Atmore, Ala., and Beverly Classen of Sarasota; a brother, George Classen of Sturgis, Mich.; 11 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by an infant son, four brothers and three sisters.
Funeral services were held at Atmore Memorial Chapel. Burial was in Freemanville Community Cemetery.

Benjamin Authur Wiebe Haury, 19, of Topeka, Kan., died Feb. 21, 2005. He was born May 19, 1985, in Newton, to David and Rose Wiebe Haury.
He attended McClure Elementary School and French Middle School and was a 2003 graduate of Topeka West High School. He was a sophomore at Hesston College. While at Topeka West, he participated in band, jazz band, tennis and scholar's bowl. At Hesston, he was studying computer science and biology.
From a young age he displayed a special interest in nature and the outdoors. He especially enjoyed fishing and camping with this father. He loved numbers and excelled in math. He was an avid reader. He loved playing games with family and friends. He looked forward to attending Camp Mennoscah in the summers, as well as vacations to Colorado and Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp with family.
He showed a kind and gentle spirit to others, especially his grandparents and younger cousins and friends. He was loved and will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
Survivors include his parents, David and Rose Wiebe Haury of Harrisburg, Pa.; a sister, Emily Haury, Goshen, Ind.; his grandmothers, Ada Mae Haury of Newton and Rubena Wiebe of Hillsboro; and 15 cousins.
He was preceded in death by his grandfathers, Robert A. Haury and Vernon R. Wiebe.
A graveside service was held at Greenwood Cemetery in Newton, and a memorial service was held at Southern Hills Mennonite Church in Topeka.

Mennonite Weekly Review, April 25, 2005, 83rd Year, No. 17, p. 8

Clarence Schrag, 93, died April 3, 2005, at Memorial Home, Moundridge, Kan. He was born May 3, 1911, to Jacob D. and Adina Kaufman northwest of Moundridge.
He graduated from Moundridge High School in 1930. He then taught one year at Pioneer Grade School. In 1936 he graduated from Salt City Business College in Hutchinson and began his seven-year employment as a stenographic clerk with Shell Oil Co. in Oklahoma.
He was baptized June 5, 1927, at Hopefield Mennonite Church and transferred his membership to Eden Mennonite Church in 1934. He knew the Bible well, was active in all church activities, served in the Sunday school department and loved singing with the Eden men's chorus. He also served as co-custodian at Eden for three years.
On Aug. 2, 1940, he married Leona L. Goering. The next year, during their time in Oklahoma, they suffered the devastating loss of a stillborn son, Sherwin Jay.
World War II took them to Terry, Mont., for a three-year term with Civilian Public Service, where he served first as accountant and later as camp director. They enjoyed their CPS experience tremendously, making many lifelong friends. Returning to Kansas in 1946, they established a farm near Moundridge.
He had a deep appreciation for the fruits of the soil and farmed for 36 years before they moved to Moundridge in 1982. He worked as a bookkeeper for Mid-Kansas Co-op and prepared income tax returns for people for many years.
He was a kind, loving, devoted husband and father, a gentle man with a dry sense of humor. He was honest, dependable and very loyal to his family. He graciously cared for Leona during her lengthy illnesses. When she died in 2000, they had been married 60 years. In 1996 he moved to Memorial Home.
Survivors include a daughter, Charlene Epp of Shawnee Mission; two brothers, John (J.O.) Schrag of North Newton and Milo of Moundridge; and a sister, Marie Wedel of North Newton.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Leona; two brothers, Alvin and Martin; a sister, Melinda Goering; and a son, Sherwin Jay.
Memorial services were held at Eden Mennonite Church.