Mennonite Weekly Review -
December 2006
Mennonite Weekly
Review - December 4, 2006 - 84th Year, No. 49 - p. 12
--------------------
Mildred I. Zehr, 82, of Bartlesville,
Okla., died Oct. 27, 2006. She was born to John and Marie Zehr in
Calhoun County, Iowa.
She accepted the Lord and was baptized at Manson (Iowa) Mennonite
Church. She attended Hesston Mennonite School and graduated from
Manson High School. She was employed by Phillips Petroleum in the
marketing department and worked in Des Moines, Iowa, Memphis, Tenn.,
and Bartlesville for 30 years.
She enjoyed traveling and her many dogs. It was a joy for her to visit
her nieces and nephews and their families. She and her friend, Frances
Pearson, were faithful church members and gave generously to those in
need.
Survivors include two brothers, Marvin Zehr and his wife, Florence, of
Manson, Iowa, and Melvin Zehr and his wife, Lois, of Fort Dodge, Iowa;
and nine nieces and nephews.
Memorial services were held at Manson Mennonite Church.
--------------------
Ralph Kenneth Kaufman, 87, of Fonda,
Iowa, died Aug. 18, 2006, at the Fonda Nursing & Rehab Center. He
was born Feb. 20, 1919, at Havelock, Iowa.
He graduated from Havelock High School in 1937. For two years after
high school, he worked as a farm hand for his neighbors. He farmed
before registering for the draft. He chose Civilian Public Service as
an alternative to going to war. He was assigned to Belton, Mont., and
worked as a truck driver hauling wood and fighting forest fires. He was
also a foreman of a crew for two years and two months. He then went to
Monroe, Mich., as a dairy tester, going to the University of Michigan
at Lansing for about six weeks to learn to be a dairy tester. He was in
Michigan 18 months.
He drove truck for Mennonite Central Committee in Akron, Pa., one
winter. He went to war-torn Poland on a Horses for Humanity Mission
trip sponsored by the Brethren service and the UNRRA. He was one of 100
cowboys/seamen caring for 1,600 horses on the ship. Farmland opened in
rural Fonda, so he moved to Fonda and started farming on his own.
He married Arnetta Detweiler in January 1956.
At Manson Mennonite Church he served on the church board, as an elder
and as Sunday school superintendent. He enjoyed raising livestock and
was an avid hunter and fisherman.
Survivors include his wife, Arnetta; a son, Peter Kaufman and his wife,
Janel, of Fonda; two daughters, Teresa Simpson and her husband, Roscoe,
of Lytton, and Christina Kauffman and her husband, Lyle, of Manson; two
brothers, Will Kaufman of Bartlesville, Okla., and Wayne Kaufman of
Hutchinson, Kan.; two sisters, Marie Kaufman of Glendale, Ariz., and
Bernice Johnson of Minier, Ill.; and eight grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by a sister, Marcille Davidhizar.
Funeral services were held at Manson Mennonite Church. Burial was in
Rose Hill Cemetery in Manson.
----------------
Mennonite Weekly Review - December 11, 2006 - 84th Year, No. 50 - p. 12
-------------------
Frank G. Woelk Jr., 50, of
Newport, Wash., died March 25, 2006, after a battle with cancer. He was
born April 6, 1955, to Frank G. and Edna V. (Fast) Woelk.
He attended Newport schools and was raised on a dairy farm in Spring
Valley. He was a member of Spring Valley Mennonite Church.
He loved cars and was an auto mechanic for many years, including
operating his own business. In 1989 he felt the Lord calling him into
pastoral ministry. In 1999, he became the pastor of Spring Valley
Mennonite Church, which he remained until his death.
He was a wonderful husband, father and grandfather and touched many
lives with great impact. He is greatly missed by his family, church
family and community.
Survivors include his wife, Mollie; four children, Sam Woelk and his
wife, Maria, of Goshen, Ind., Ben Woelk of Newport, JoAnna Boe and her
husband, Gabe, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and Suzi Weldon and her
husband, Josh, of Rathdrum, Idaho; three stepchildren, Rob Cox and his
wife, Jenny, Jason Cox and his wife, Cindy, and Dorothy Kaveshan and
her husband, Joe, all of the Newport area; 13 grandchildren; a brother
and five sisters.
----------------
Floris S. Miller, 85, of
Hesston, Kan., died Nov. 24, 2006, at Schowalter Villa. She was born
Nov. 26, 1920, to Emil and Sarah (Holdeman) Jantz in Goessel.
On June 19, 1952, she married Ivan Miller of Iowa City, Iowa, in
Hesston.
She attended Hesston College and graduated from Goshen (Ind.) College
with a bachelor of science in home economics and business. She taught
school in a variety of elementary and secondary settings and business
and home economics at the secondary level. Her final teaching position
was with Goessel High School, where she taught business courses. She
also co-owned the Miller Funeral Homes of Goessel and Hesston with her
husband, and together they provided services to Goessel and Hesston and
the surrounding communities for nearly 50 years.
She was an active member of the Goessel and Hesston communities, where
she was a member and leader in the Goessel YWCA and GWCA and the
Goessel Book Club. She was a lifelong member of Hesston Mennonite
Church and active in the Dorcas Circle. Even with these many roles, her
role as loving wife and mother and the making of a home mattered most
to her. She spent many hours in her later years making quilts and
comforters for Mennonite Central Committee.
Survivors include her husband, Ivan; a daughter, Phyllis J. Miller of
Arlington, Va.; a brother, Kerwin Jantz of Newton; and a sister, Beryl
Isaak of Inman.
She was preceded in death by two brothers, Milferd Jantz and Winston
Jantz.
Mennonite Weekly Review - December 18, 2006 - 84th Year, No. 51 - p. 11
-----------------------
Elizabeth M. Longacre, 93, of
Souderton, Pa., died Nov. 13, 2006, in Sellersville. She was born to
Henry and Katie (Moyer) Goshow in Towamencin Township.
She married Horace W. Longacre in 1930. They celebrated 76 years of
marriage in June.
She assisted her husband in the early years of their business, Longacre
Poultry, and was a seamstress all her life. She was known as a woman
devoted to her family. She was a member of Swamp Mennonite Church in
Quakertown, where she was active with the sewing circle.
Survivors include her husband, Horace; two sons, Kenneth Longacre and
his wife, Cora, and Henry Longacre and his wife, Carol, all of
Franconia; seven grandchildren; 23 great-grandchildren and a
great-great-grandchild.
She was preceded in death by a grandson and a great-grandchild.
Funeral services were held at Swamp Mennonite Church. Burial was in the
church cemetery.
----------------------
Herman Ruldoph Voth, 86, of
Newton, Kan., died Nov. 3, 2006, from injuries sustained in a fall Nov.
1. He was born May 20, 1920, to Henry H. and Katie Buhler Voth near
Goessel.
When he was 7, his family moved to a farm near Elbing. He attended
Newton High School. His family attended Emmaus Mennonite Church near
Whitewater, where he was baptized and became a member.
In 1941 he was drafted as a noncombatant, eventually serving in Europe.
During the occupation he was assigned to the regimental glee club and
traveled in France and Germany entertaining the troops. He was
discharged in 1946 and returned to Newton. He was employed at Kroger
grocery store and Goodyear Tire store and attended Pittsburg State
College.
On May 16, 1947, he married Dora Harder.
They lived in Newton, where he was employed with the Chrysler and
International Harvester dealership. When this closed, he was
transferred to the Wichita IH dealership and they moved to Wichita.
In 1954 he transferred his membership to First Mennonite Church in
Newton, where he remained a member the rest of his life. He enjoyed
working in the cassette taping ministry, the welcoming committee and
Homemakers Sunday School Class. While in Wichita he attended Open Bible
Mennonite Church near his home. When they moved to a home near
Whitewater in 1967, he was active in Emmaus Mennonite Church. He sang
with the Kansas Mennonite Men’s Chorus.
They moved back to Newton when he retired. He continued small motor
repair and the restoration of tractors and enjoyed gardening.
Survivors include his wife of 59 years, Dora; two sons, James Voth and
his wife, Barbara, of Newton, and Thomas Voth and his wife, Pamela, of
Wichita; his twin sister, Helen Claassen of Whitewater; and seven
grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by two sisters, Martha Busenitz and Anna
Penner; and two infant siblings.
Memorial services were held at First Mennonite Church of Newton.
-----------------
Etril J. Leinbach, 96, of
Goshen, Ind., died Nov. 14, 2006, at Goshen General Hospital. He was
born Feb. 8, 1910, to Leander Garber and L. Anna Leinbach in Nappanee.
He married Wilma Pearl Pletcher on Oct. 7, 1933, in Middlebury.
He attended New Paris High School, audited at Goshen College and took
classes at Goshen Biblical Seminary. He was a member of Clinton Frame
Mennonite Church.
He served on almost every committee of Indiana-Michigan Conference and
attended six Mennonite World Conference assemblies. He visited 47
states in the United States and 17 foreign countries.
He worked at Western Rubber in Goshen from 1930 to 1939 and had a bread
route in Millersburg, Benton, Syracuse and North Webster. In 1939 he
purchased half interest in Pletcher Dairy in Middlebury. As a pastor he
worked part time wallpapering and painting and drove a mail truck from
White Pigeon to Kalamazoo, Mich. He also drove a school bus for 15
years and worked in a cabinet shop for eight years.
He became an ordained minister in 1948 and served a total of 40 years.
He served 20 of those years at Moore Park Mennonite Church in Michigan,
eight years at Valparaiso Mennonite Church and retired in 1976. He was
an interim pastor for three years at Benton Mennonite Church and
six-and-a-half years at Emma Mennonite Church.
Survivors include his wife of 73 years, Wilma; two sons, Keith Leinbach
and his wife, Vi, of Haven, Kan., and Dale Leinbach and his wife, Edie,
of Toccoa, Ga.; three half-sisters, Dorcas Snyder, Violet Kaufman and
Cora Askrin, all of Goshen; two half-brothers, Verlin Garber of Boston
and Keith Anglemyer of Wakarusa; nine grandchildren and 15
great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by three half-sisters, Myrtle Shaum, Lovina
Hershberger and Hazel Toney; and a half-brother, Leroy Garber.
Memorial services took place at Clinton Frame Mennonite Church. Burial
was in Clinton Union Cemetery in Goshen.
-------------------
Stanford E. Ressler, 78, of
Wooster, Ohio, died Oct. 12, 2006, at Wooster Community Hospital. He
was born Sept. 5, 1928, to Charles and Marian (Lintern) Ressler in
Akron.
He was a resident of the Wayne County Care Center in Wooster for a
number of years. He was a member of Wooster Mennonite Church.
Survivors include his sister, Carol June Hiner of Dalton, and a niece
and nephew.
He was preceded in death by a brother, William Ressler.
Services were held at Zak-Monbarren Funeral Home in Dalton. Burial was
in Dalton Cemetery.
Mennonite Weekly Review - December 25, 2006 - 84th Year, No. 52 - p. 8
----------------
Roma J. Eicher, 64, of Albany,
Ore., died Dec. 9, 2006. She was born Nov. 21, 1942, in Harper, Kan.
Her life was filled with music, church, community and family, including
the Mennonite Church General Board, Mennonite General Assembly
planning, Mennonite Mission Network board, the music committee at
Lebanon Mennonite Church, Music Teachers National Association and
president-elect of Oregon Music Teachers’ Association. Her community
positions included Greater Albany Public School Board, YMCA Board, and
co-managing the Linn County Fair on short notice in the mid-1970s.
She painstakingly built a career in music throughout her life. She
founded the Conservatory for Music in 1986, creating a professional
music and arts center for her community. She was active as a teacher,
performer, adjudicator and presenter. An active member of MTNA since
1966, she held a national certification in piano. She will be dearly
missed by her family and friends.
She married Sam Eicher on June 14, 1963.
Survivors include her husband, Sam; three daughters, Marisa Jo De Masi,
Dani Kaye Lack and Jaqui Lyn Forney; two adopted sons, Tyson Samuel
Ezra and Travis John Albert; a brother, Don Diller of Phoenix, Ariz.;
and three grandchildren.
Services were held at Lebanon Mennonite Church.
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.
May not be mass-produced in any form for commercial purposes.