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Mennonite Weekly Review - November 2006 
Mennonite Weekly Review - November 6, 2006 - 84th Year, No. 45 - p. 12

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Henry J. Pankratz, 95, of Goshen, Ind., died Oct. 3, 2006. He was born Jan. 10, 1911, to Jacob B. and Helena Harder Pankratz at Mountain Lake, Minn.
He attended public school in Mountain Lake and graduated from high school in 1929. He was baptized in 1929 in Bethel Mennonite Church, where he remained a member to the end of his life. 
On Aug. 21, 1933, he married Elsie Penner.
He began farming with chickens, then turkeys, and gradually added acreage for grain farming and cattle. He became a leader in the farming community, serving on the boards of Production Credit Association and Minnesota Turkey Growers Association.
He served on the school board for 21 years. He was active in county and state 4-H. He belonged to Mountain Lake Community Club, Rotary, was appointed to several church committees and chaired a church building program.
One of his most meaningful associations was with Mennonite Economic Development Associates, which he joined as one of the early members in 1953. He made several trips on behalf of MEDA, including one in 1968 to Indonesia by way of Saigon, Vietnam, where he and four others found themselves sequestered in a hotel for a week during the Tet Offensive. He was elected vice president of MEDA and served as interim president.
He and Elsie traveled worldwide and spent many winters in Arizona.  They moved to Greencroft retirement community in 1992. 
Survivors include his wife of 73 years, Elsie; three daughters, Lenore Waltner and her husband, James, of Goshen, Louise Kreider and her husband, Emil, of Beloit, Wis., and Barbara Fast and her husband, John, of Harrisonburg, Va.; a son, Stanley Pankratz and his wife, Eileen, of Minneapolis, Minn.; a sister-in-law, Mabel Pankratz; 10 grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; two step-grandchildren and three step-great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by two sisters, Lena Pankratz and Anna Harder; and three brothers, Jacob, Peter and John.
Memorial services were held at Greencroft Meetinghouse in Goshen.  Burial will be in the Mountain Lake, Minn., cemetery Nov. 11, followed by a memorial service at Bethel Mennonite Church.

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Arlene Amstutz Steiner, 91, of Orrville, Ohio, died Sept. 27, 2006. She was born Oct. 22, 1914, to Daniel B. and Fannie (Zaugg) Amstutz in Dalton, one of 11 children. 
She graduated from Dalton High School and was a lifelong resident of Wayne County. As a member of the Amstutz Sisters’ Trio, she sang on The Calvary Hour broadcasts for 25 years and for many worship services and events throughout her life until recent years. She was an active member of Orrville Mennonite Church.
In 1940 she married Glenn L. Schrock. He died in 1952. In 1957 she married Ross L. Gerber, who died in 1973. Later she married James A. Steiner, who died in 1993.
Survivors include two sons, James L. Schrock and his wife, Susan, of Sidney, and Philip Schrock and his wife, Rayene, of Wooster; nine stepchildren, Nancy Conrad and her husband, Mark, of Coronado, Calif., David Gerber and his wife, Fern, of Hesston, Kan., Daniel Gerber and his wife, Janet, of Schaumburg, Ill., Dwight Gerber and his wife, Paula, of Elkhart, Ind., Amy Kauffman and her husband, Tom, of Toledo, Geneva Smucker and her husband, Dave, of Smithville, Gerald Steiner and his wife, Beulah, of Burbank, Eleanor Yoder and her husband, Marion, of Mechanicsburg, Pa., and Marilyn Eigsti and her husband, Eldon, of Buda, Ill.; four sisters, Anna Sommer Amstutz of Kidron, Ella Rohrer and Em Gonter Geiser, both of Orrville, and Jeanne Schafrath of Wooster; a brother, Duane Amstutz of Dalton; five grandchildren; 24 step-grandchildren and 31 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by two brothers, C.S. Amstutz and C.V. Amstutz; and three sisters, Pauline Miller, Leona Hostetler and Lavera Amstutz.
Memorial services were held at Orrville Mennonite Church. Burial was in Oak Grove Mennonite Cemetery near Smithville.

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Eunice May Histand, 92, of Greencroft Retirement Community in Goshen, Ind., died Sept. 29, 2006, at Goshen General Hospital. She was born May 30, 1914, in Versailles, Mo., to Amos and Nannie (Yoder) Gingerich.
She graduated from Hesston (Kan.) Academy in 1933 and Hesston College in 1936. She obtained a teaching certificate from Kansas State Teachers College in Hays and taught school for two years before her marriage to Nelson W. Histand, an ordained minister, on July 17, 1938.
Together they served Mennonite churches in Culp, Ark., Pryor, Okla., Dunlap, Ind., Noxubee County, Miss., Parnell, Iowa, and Carlsbad, N.M. In Carlsbad she was a teacher’s aide in a school for special education and disabled children. They also farmed in Oklahoma, Mississippi and Iowa. They retired to Hesston in 1981, where he died in March 1988. After moving to Greencroft in 1989 to be closer to family, she participated in many Greencroft and College Mennonite Church activities.
Her life was dedicated to caring for her family and the church. She treasured the friendships she had forged in each of the communities in which she lived. She was a gifted gardener. She was well known in the Greencroft community for her creation of and care for a beautiful, extensive flower bed. 
Survivors include four daughters, Marian Schwabbauer and her husband, Ivan, of Coralville, Iowa, Carol Lehman and her husband, Maurice, of Goshen, Delores Friesen and her husband, Stanley, of Fresno, Calif., and Catharine Lichti and her husband, Don, of St. Louis, Mo.; four sons, John Histand and his wife, Nancy, of Portland, Ore., Stan Miller Histand and his wife, Carol, of Soldotna, Alaska, and Goshen, Timothy Histand of Portland, Ore., and James Histand and his wife, Linda, of Goshen; a sister, Lois Bender of Kalona, Iowa; three brothers, Paul Gingerich of Kalona, Simon Gingerich of Elkhart and Clayton Gingerich of Kalona; 26 grandchildren; 41 great-grandchildren and a great-great-granddaughter.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Nelson; four brothers, Leroy Gingerich, Fred Gingerich, Truman Gingerich and Orie Gingerich; a sister, Charity Troyer; a grandchild, Melissa Lehman; and a great-grandchild, Nathan Lichti.
Memorial services were held at College Mennonite Church in Goshen. Burial will be at Eastlawn Cemetery, Hesston, Kan.

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Evelyn Rose Egli, 85, of Denver, Colo., died Sept. 25, 2006. She was born Jan. 2, 1921, to Edith and Amon Egli in Manson, Iowa.
She graduated from Manson High School in 1939. She then went to LaJunta, Colo., and entered the Mennonite School of Nursing, graduating in 1942. She moved to Portland, Ore., and worked there until making a decision to enter Mennonite Central Committee service.
After orientation in Goshen, Ind., she sailed to France to begin working with MCC. She worked in an old castle that was used for an orphanage, taking care of sick children from the war. She left there in 1947 and returned to Denver to become a surgical nurse at Presbyterian Hospital. She worked at various hospitals in Denver, including Rose Memorial, Swedish and Porters. She worked in OR, endoscopy and ER. She left Denver for other jobs in New York City, Santa Monica, Calif., and Chicago. She was a dedicated, compassionate nurse and ended her career in 1984. She continued to work as a volunteer at Lutheran after retirement.
She was a wonderful caregiver for years. She took care of her mother, Edith, and lived with her when her mother moved from Manson after the death of Amon. She loved to travel. Among her memorable trips were to Europe, London, Hawaii, Canada and the Holy Land. She enjoyed the outdoors and spent time in the mountains, camping, hiking, fishing and taking picnics to the parks. Her family has many found memories of activities such as these with “Aunt Evie.”
She was involved in the work of the church and was a dedicated Christian woman. She has attended and been a member of First Mennonite Church, Calvary Baptist Church and Riverside Baptist Church. She was a prayer warrior.
Survivors include a brother, Calvin Benjamin Egli and his wife, Norma.
She was preceded in death by a brother, Donald Earl Egli.
Memorial services were held in Denver. Graveside services were held in Manson at Rose
Hill Cemetery.




Mennonite Weekly Review - November 13, 2006 - 84th Year, No. 46 - p. 12


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Edgar M. Clemens, 80, of New Holland, Pa., died Sept. 3, 2006. He was born May 8, 1926, to Raymond and Esther (Moyer) Clemens in Souderton.
He married Rhoda Hostetter on Aug. 16, 1952, in Gap.
After high school, he served two years in Civilian Public Service. He graduated from Goshen (Ind.) College in 1950. He did graduate work at Penn State and at the University of New Hampshire and was awarded master’s degrees from both institutions. He taught high school sciences at Belleville Mennonite High School from 1951-54 and at Christopher Dock High School from 1954-59. He began teaching at Ithaca (N.Y.) High School in 1959 and taught chemistry there until his retirement in 1989. He moved to New Holland in 2004.
Throughout his 45 years in Ithaca, he took an active part in church and community. He was a member of Bethel Grove Bible Church, where he served as an elder and taught Bible studies and Sunday school. He loved to sing and was usually part of a choir, chorus or male quartet.
Survivors include his wife, Rhoda; six children, Fredric Clemens and his wife, Carol; Rosa Hines and her husband, Thomas; Jonathan Clemens and his wife, Ruth; Marcia Ludwig and her husband, Edmund; Conrad Clemens and his wife, Andrea; and Andrea Zuercher and her husband, Ian; three siblings, Olive Kuhns of Harrisonburg, Va., Mildred Yoder of Phoenix, Ariz., and R. Wayne Clemens of Souderton; and 19 grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by a daughter, Darlis.
A memorial service was held at New Holland Mennonite Church.


Mennonite Weekly Review - November 20, 2006 - 84th Year, No. 47 - p. 8

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Virgil H. Koehn, 91, of Greensburg, Kan., died Nov. 1, 2006, in Wichita. He was born Aug. 16, 1915, to Henry H. and Lena Wedel Koehn in Greensburg.
He was a lifetime resident of Kiowa County, living most of his life six and three-quarters miles south of Greensburg. He was a farmer and rancher. He was a member of Greensburg Mennonite Church. Kansas Livestock Association, Kansas Wheat Growers Association, Kiowa County Extension and Kansas Farm Bureau.
He married Lois Marie Dirks on Oct. 29, 1939, at Greensburg.
Survivors include his wife, Lois; a son, Harry Koehn and his wife, Linette, of Greensburg; three daughters, Beverly Seyfert and her husband, Charley, of Wichita, Shirley Unruh and her husband, Paul, of Greensburg, and Norma LaJudice of Arlington, Texas; two sisters, Gladys Schneider of Moundridge and Sophie Unruh of Greensburg; eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by a son-in-law, Ronald LaJudice; four brothers, Glenn, Fred, Ed and Amel Koehn; and three sisters, Nettie Smith, Maggie Koehn and Katie Schmidt.
Funeral services were held at Greensburg Mennonite Church. Burial was in Fairview Cemetery of Greensburg.

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Kenneth E. Short, 87, of Archbold, Ohio, died Nov. 3, 2006, at Fairlawn Haven Nursing Home. He was born Feb. 12, 1919, to Aaron and Verena (Yost) Short in Henry County near Archbold.
He married Ada Short on March 28, 1943.
During World War II he served in Civilian Public Service in Iowa and New Jersey. A lifelong resident of the Archbold area, he farmed and worked at Sauder Woodworking Co. in Archbold before retiring in 1988. Since retirement he worked at Sauder Village. He moved to Fairlawn Nursing Home on Jan. 17, 2006. He was a member of Central Mennonite Church.
Survivors include his wife, Ada; two sons, Marvin Short and his wife, Debbie, of Zionsville, Ind., and Wendell Short and his wife, Teresa, of Piedmont, Okla.; three daughters, Janice Short and her husband, Leon, of Archbold, Lois Lores of Stratford, Ont., and Sandra Stuckey and her husband, Gary, of Stryker; 12 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by a brother, Stanley Short; four sisters, Lucinda Riegsecker, Clara Richer, Irene Nofziger and Alice Short; and a great-grandchild.
Memorial services were held at Central Mennonite Church. Burial was in the Pettisville Cemetery.

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Merlin Schweitzer, 84, of rural Friend, Neb., died Sept. 26, 2006, after a courageous battle with heart disease and cancer. He was born Oct. 15, 1921, to Lee and Elma (Stutzman) Schweitzer on a farm northwest of Milford.
He worked for several farmers and spent one season in Pennsylvania picking potatoes. In September 1942 he was drafted and entered Civilian Public Service in lieu of military service. He spent nearly three years at Fort Collins, Colo., and then a year-and-a-half near Colorado Springs.
On Jan. 22, 1945, he married Lois Jene Miller in Goodland, Kan.
They lived in Colorado until his discharge, when they returned to Nebraska. They lived on a farm near Dorchester, and then in March 1959 they moved to their homestead near Friend. They operated a dairy farm for 30 years and grew crops and raised cattle. They enjoyed traveling throughout the United States and spent their 30th anniversary in Hawaii. In his retirement years he enjoyed raising a large garden. He was deeply committed to his children and grandchildren. He had a sense of humor that was interspersed with his hard work ethic. He was acquainted with suffering as a result of multiple medical problems since 1996.
He was baptized in his youth at Milford Mennonite Church and later became a member of Bellwood Mennonite Church of Milford.
Survivors include his wife of 61 years, Lois;  two daughters, Carolyn Peters and her husband, Dennis, and Shirley Spohn and her husband, Keith, all of Friend; two brothers, Cleve Schweitzer and Wilton Schweitzer, both of Milford; six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by a brother, Leonard Schweitzer; a sister, Alvera Stutzman; and an infant sister.
Funeral services were held at Bellwood Mennonite Church. Burial was in Andrew Cemetery of Friend.


Mennonite Weekly Review - November 27, 2006 - 84th Year, No. 48 - p. 8

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Harold Kuehny, 98, of Blackwell, Okla., died Nov. 3, 2006. He was born Dec. 7, 1907, to Henry and Katherine (Schnebele) Kuehny on the family farm northeast of Deer Creek.
He grew up attending Deer Creek Public Schools, graduating from Deer Creek High School. He then furthered his education at Bethel College in North Newton, Kan., where he was active in the college choir and participated on the football team. When his father died, he returned to the family farm and assisted with the farming operation and worked at the service station in Deer Creek.
On May 2, 1934, he married Maurine Reusser, and they settled in Deer Creek.
In 1938 he assumed full farming duties, and they moved to the farm in 1942. In 1952 he entered the dozer business for 25 years, building many terraces, waterways and ponds. He also ran a bulk fuel and tire retail business in Deer Creek for 10 years. He continued farming and harvested his last crop at age 90. They later moved to Blackwell.
He was an active member of Deer Creek Mennonite Church. He served in all offices of the Grant County Conservation Board. He also served on the Deer Creek School Board, the local telephone board and the election board. He held membership in the Milking Shorthorn Association and was a charter member of the Deer Creek Lions Club. His lifelong hobby was collecting rocks.
Survivors include his wife, Maurine, of Blackwell; three sons, Loren Kuehny and his wife, Loretta, of Medford, Paul Kuehny and his wife, Dixie, of Deer Creek, and Jerry Kuehny of Blackwell; nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by a sister, Esther Bechtel; and three brothers, Ralph, Carl and John Kuehny.
Services were held at Deer Creek Mennonite Church. Burial was in Bayard Cemetery in Deer Creek.

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Richard C. Mark, 73, of Elkhart, Ind., died Oct. 1, 2006. He was born June 21, 1933, to Albert and Vivian Mark in Appleton, Wis.
He married his college sweetheart, Ruth Litwiller, on July 2, 1955, in Hopedale, Ill.
He was a graduate of Goshen College in 1954 and Northwestern University School of Dentistry in 1958. After dental school, he served as a missionary dentist in Puerto Rico for two years. He and his wife, Ruth, then moved to Elkhart, where he practiced general dentistry for 36 years, retiring in December 1997. In 1986, he and Ruth established the not-for-profit agency Adoption Resource Services Inc., which has placed more than 300 children.
He was a man with an insatiable appetite for learning. Among his favorite pastimes, most of which were self-taught, were home repair and remodeling, automotive repair and restoration, being a graduate of the Master Gardener Program of Purdue University, airplane pilot, camping and traveling, kayaking, downhill skiing, photography, cooking, tropical aquarium keeping, beekeeping, co-instructor of TV repair at the Elkhart Area Career Center, woodworking, candlemaking and computer programming. All of these hobbies were enhanced when doing them with any or all of his four boys.
He was involved in multiple social and professional organizations, including being a Boy Scout Master of Troop 10, in Rotary Club and the Elkhart Dental Society. He was active in the Mennonite church since high school as Sunday school teacher, Bible school teacher, Sunday school superintendent and most recently, a member of College Mennonite Church.
Survivors include his wife, Ruth; four sons, Jeff Mark of Elkhart, Wesley Mark and his wife, Mary Harder, of South Bend, Wayne Mark and his wife, Jane, of Elkhart, and James Mark and his wife, Audra, of Elkhart; a brother, George Mark of Elkhart; and six grandchildren.


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Copyright 2003 - All rights reserved - Mennonite Publishing House, Scottdale, PA
Used with permission by the Archives of the Mennonite Church, Goshen, INDIANA
Permission granted to private family researchers to use selected portions of these files to tell their family stories.
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