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Mennonite Weekly Review - February 2007
Bowers, Thomas P.;  Good, Alvin D. Heinrichs, Abraham;   Hofer, LeeAllenHunsberger, Orpha Lucille Brown   Lichti, Rudolph A.;   Schroeder, Marlene Beth;   Schumacher, Vera LaVahn Schwartzentruber, Elmer;   Souder, Grace B.;    Thesman, Jacob “Jake”Vernon


Mennonite Weekly Review - February 5, 2007 - 85th Year, No. 6 - p. 11

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Rudolph A. Lichti, 92, of Newton, Kan., died Jan. 22, 2007, at Presbyterian Manor. He was born June 30, 1914, to Daniel H. and Barbara (Horsch) Lichti in Paso Robles, Calif.
He married Elda Ewert on Aug. 5, 1949, at Newton.
He grew up in Reedley, Calif., and was a member of First Mennonite Church in Reedley until 1979. He faithfully served his local church and Pacific District Conference in many capacities, including as country director for Mennonite Central Committee in Vietnam from 1961 to 1964. He worked in the fruit industry as a bookkeeper for packing operations, and he also raised his own fruit. After their retirement, he moved with his wife to Glendale, Ariz., where he worked at Glencroft Retirement Center for several years in the marketing department. In 1995 they moved to North Newton to be closer to his family, and in 2001 moved to Presbyterian Manor in Newton. He was a current member of Grace Hill Mennonite Church.
Survivors include his wife, Elda, of Newton; a son, Marlin Lichti and his wife, Monica, of Newton; three brothers, Ernest Lichti and Herbert Lichti, both of Reedley, Calif., and Alfred Lichti of North Fork, Calif.; two sisters, Hildagard Bolinder of Selma, Calif., and Olga Neufeld of Fortuna, Calif.; and two grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by two sisters, Dorothea Kohfeld and Peggy Irby.
Services were held at Grace Hill Mennonite Church. Burial was in Grace Hill Cemetery.

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Abraham Heinrichs, 83, of McPherson, Kan., died Nov. 21, 2006, at the Sterling House Assisted Living Center. He was born Sept. 27, 1923, to Jacob J. and Helena Heinrichs in Volt, Mont.
He was raised on a farm. He attended Tabor College in Hillsboro and received his master’s degree in education in Missoula, Mont. He taught school and worked in school administration in Lustre, Mont., Meade and Ulysses. Although he taught many different subjects, his greatest joy was teaching math to high school students.
He was a member of Ulysses Mennonite Brethren Church. He was active in church teaching Sunday school and occasionally substituted for ministers on Sunday morning.
Survivors include his wife of 63 years, Virginia (Barkman) Heinrichs; five sons, Roger and his wife, Gail, of Denver, Colo., Ralph and his wife, Kathy, of Wichita, Jack and his wife, Janet, of Emporia, Robert of Ulysses and Phillip and his wife, Debbie, of Hillsboro, Ore.; two daughters, Roseann Carter and her husband, Robert, of Ulysses, and Cindy Harris and her husband, Kevin, of McPherson; a sister; 22 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Funeral services were held at Parkview Mennonite Brethren Church in Hillsboro. Burial was in Gnadenau Cemetery in rural Hillsboro.


Mennonite Weekly Review - February 12, 2007 - 85th Year, No. 7 - p. 12

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Elmer Schwartzentruber, 97, of New Hamburg, Ont., died Dec. 21, 2006, at Nithview Home. He was born April 17, 1909, to Christian and Elizabeth (Wagler) Schwartzentruber in Wilmot Township.
He was a member of Steinmann Mennonite Church, Baden, Ont., where he was ordained deacon on Aug. 31, 1941, and minister on Aug. 12, 1951. He served the congregation until 1979, when he was named pastor emeritus. Since 1993 he was a resident of Nithview Home, where he enjoyed assisting and encouraging fellow residents.
He was involved on the conference level with the Christian Nurture Council and as secretary of Home Interests. He served as executive secretary for the Amish Mennonite Conference of Ontario and saw the name changed to Western Ontario Mennonite Conference on the journey through to Inter-Mennonite Conference to MCEC and the fellowship of the Mennonite Conference of Canada. He was in the first graduating class of Ontario Mennonite Bible Institute, Kitchener, in 1954.
On Jan. 9, 1930, he married Magdalena (Mattie) Wagler. She preceded him in death on Aug. 10, 1996.
Survivors include four daughters, Fern Erb and her husband, Carl, of New Hamburg, Mary Otterbein and her husband, Mel, of Kitchener, Ruth Umble and her husband, Rick, of Atglen, Pa., and Carol Joy Purves of Kitchener; 11 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by two grandchildren and his brother, Solomon.
Services were held at Steinmann Mennonite Church. Burial was in Steinmann Mennonite Cemetery, Baden.

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LeeAllen (Lee) Hofer, 69, of rural Tea, S.D., died Jan. 31, 2007. He was born June 28, 1937, to Christy and Edna Hofer. They farmed near Carpenter, and it was here that he gained a work ethic and passion for making fine food.
He spent four years in the United States Navy as a cook on a destroyer at the end of the Korean War.
He married Doris Epp on May 25, 1957.
He loved his family and enjoyed taking them on fishing and camping trips, tours of dams, state and national parks and other engineering and natural wonders. In later years he loved taking his son, his sons-in-law and grandchildren on hunting and fishing trips. He was a pilot and loved to fly with his son.
His passion for the outdoors spawned forays into hunting and fishing-related businesses. These included supplying several bait shops with live bait and hand-tied lures and processing deer on the kitchen table. He and his wife founded the family business, Lee’s Meats and Sausages, in 1980. He was a sportsman, hunting and fishing all over the United States, Canada and Mexico as well as in Africa. He was proud of his collection of trophy fish and wildlife.
He was involved in numerous sportsman and wildlife conservation organizations, as well as the Tea airport and Delp township boards. He was an active member of Good Shepherd Community Church (Mennonite) in Sioux Falls.
Survivors include his wife, Doris Hofer; three children, Valerie Anderson and her husband, Jim, of Sioux Falls, Rhonda Else and her husband, Cregg, of Sioux Falls, and Chris Hofer and his wife, Angela, of Tea; his father, Christy Hofer, of Huron; a sister, Kaye Corcoran of Billings, Mont.; a brother, Wayne Hofer of Huron; 10 grandchildren and a great-grandchild.
A memorial celebration was held at First Assembly of God in Sioux Falls. There was a private family burial at Vermillion Cemetery.

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Marlene Beth Schroeder, 79, of Goessel, Kan., died Jan. 15, 2007, of complications from melanoma. She was born May 22, 1927, to Jacob H. and Justina (Regier) Schroeder in rural McPherson County. 
She was baptized at Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church. She graduated from Goessel High School in 1945. She attended Bethel College for three summers, obtaining a certificate to teach in rural schools. 
On April 11, 1950, she married Lloyd Schroeder of Goessel. 
Together they ran a grain and poultry farm, while she also worked at Mennonite Press and Ruzen Flowers in Newton. In 1976, they founded their Pine Creek Farm Christmas tree business.
An avid craftsperson, she excelled in a variety of decorative arts. Her hand-painted ornaments and decorated wreaths were favorites of her Christmas tree customers. 
She taught Sunday school, led the women’s mission group for many years and was the first woman to be elected deacon at Goessel Mennonite Church. She was the Goessel church’s correspondent for Mennonite Weekly Review and represented her congregation at Western District and General Conference annual meetings. She was Western District’s representative to the General Conference Women in Mission board and was on the Bethel College Women’s Association Council.
She delighted in praising others, always quick with an encouraging word or card. She fought back to health from a heart attack in 1990.
Survivors include her husband; Lloyd; three daughters, Rhonda Ramsey and her husband, Stewart, of Lenexa, Jana Schroeder and her husband, Lauro Medina, of Tepotzlan, Mexico, and Ardie Goering and her husband, Wynn, of Albuquerque, N.M.; two sisters, Esther Ratz-laff and Evelyn Banman; a brother, Alden Schroeder; and three grandchildren.
She was preceded her in death by a son, JaDean, in 2001; two brothers, Sam and Edward Schroeder; and four sisters, Sara Wunderlick, Margaret Riesen, Edna Nickel and Alice Pankratz.

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Alvin D. Good, 86, of Tangent, Ore., died Nov. 15, 2006, at Corvallis Hospital. He was born May 8, 1920, to Dan and Sarah (Roth) Good.
He was a grass seed farmer for 40 years. When he retired from that he sold used equipment, specializing in John Deere tractors.
In his youth he accepted Christ and served the Lord all his life. On Aug. 31, 1941, he married Dorothy Yoder.
Survivors include his wife, Dorothy; three children, Richard, Daniel and Mildred, all of Oregon; two sisters, Della Hofstetter of Apple Creek, Ohio, and Nellie Kief of Albany; eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Memorial services were held at Lebanon Mennonite Church.


Mennonite Weekly Review - February 19, 2007 - 85th Year, No. 8 - p. 8

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Jacob Vernon “Jake” Thesman, 80, of Kremlin, Okla., died Dec. 3, 2006. He was born Oct. 8, 1926, in Kremlin to Jacob J. and Anna E. Voth Thesman.
He attended Columbia Grade School and graduated from Kremlin High School.
He married Leora Rempel on Aug. 26, 1948, in North Enid.
He was a farmer and carpenter. He was a member of the Kremlin School Board for 15 years. He worked for Kremlin schools as a maintenance man, bus driver and was the clock keeper for basketball games. He was president of Kremlin Lions Club, mayor of Kremlin and was Kremlin Citizen of the Year in 2000. He was a member of Enid Mennonite Brethren Church, where he served as deacon, Awana Pals leader and representative for Mennonite Mutual Aid Insurance and sang in the choir.
Survivors include his wife, Leora; a son, Bob Thesman of Shawnee; two daughters, Jolita “Jodi” Gossen and her husband, Roger, of Kremlin, and Debbie Wright and her husband, Jeff, of Riverside, Calif.; two sisters, Bertha Ann Toews and Gladys Regehr; six grandchildren and a great-grandson.
Memorial services were held at Enid Mennonite Brethren Church. Burial was in the church cemetery.

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Orpha Lucille Brown Hunsberger, 96, of Broken Bow, Neb., died Dec. 20, 2006. She was born March 7, 1910, in Cleveland, Ohio.
She graduated from Middlebury College in Vermont in 1927. She taught biology and home economics in New London, Conn., before moving to Wadsworth, Ohio.
There she married Willard Daykin Hunsberger in 1936. He was the grandson of Ephriam Hunsberger, the first pastor of Wadsworth Mennonite Church in 1852, and the nephew of Noah Hirschy, the first president of Bluffton College.
After their children began school, she began teaching fifth grade at Lincoln School in Wadsworth, where she was a much-loved teacher for many years. She enjoyed singing and playing the piano. She was active in the community as a member of the Art and History Club and the Wadsworth Peace Group. She served many terms on the local library and hospital boards. She and Willard loved to travel. After retirement they visited Western Europe, the former Yugoslavia, Chile, Brazil, Alaska and many other places in the United States and Canada.
She was a member of First Mennonite Church of Wadsworth. When she was 93, she moved to Broken Bow to be closer to her family.
Survivors include four children, Deborah Hunsberger of Omaha, Grace Gehret and her husband, Peter, of Castle Rock, Colo., Grace’s twin, Gretchen Gallentine and her husband, James, of Broken Bow, and Frank Hunsberger and his wife, Chris, of Grand Rapids, Ohio; eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Willard.
Memorial services were held at First Presbyterian Church of Broken Bow.


Mennonite Weekly Review - February 26, 2007 - 85th Year, No. 9 - p. 8

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Grace B. Souder, 88, of Sellersville, Pa., died Feb. 14, 2007, at Lehigh Valley Hospital of Allentown after a heart attack the previous week. She was born to Elmer and Addie (Baum) Detwiler in Blooming Glen. 
Her hobbies included birdwatching, handsewing, latch hooking and raising houseplants. She was a member of Blooming Glen Mennonite Church and a charter member of Penn Foundation Ladies Auxiliary of Sellersville. She loved her entire family.
Survivors include her husband of 69 years, Paul F. Souder; three children, P. Don Souder and his wife, Sharon, of Orrville, Ohio, Grace Marie Gerber and her husband, Steve, of Sellersville, and Feryl K. Souder and his wife, Connie, of Sellersville; eight grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; three step-grandchildren and step-great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her sister, Esther Gehman, and an infant brother, Linford.
Funeral services were held at Rockhill Mennonite Community of Sellersville. Burial was in Blooming Glen Mennonite Church Cemetery.

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Vera LaVahn Schumacher, 91, of Bluffton, Ohio, died Feb. 16, 2007, at Mennonite Memorial Home after a brief illness. She was born June 4, 1915, to Ephraim and Ida Steiner Amstutz in Richland Township, rural Bluffton. 
On June 1, 1945, she married Harold P. Schumacher. He preceded her in death on March 16, 1996. 
She was a homemaker, wife and mother. In her early years she worked at Ruffs in Bluffton. She was an active volunteer at the MCC Et Cetera Shop in Bluffton for 23 years and loved creating floral arrangements from donated materials for resale.
As a longtime member of Grace Mennonite Church in Pandora, she served as a Sunday school teacher, deacon and a member of Women in Mission.
She attended Bucher School and was a graduate of Bluffton High School. During World War II, she joined her husband in Civilian Public Service at the Exeter Training School in Rhode Island.
Survivors include two sons, Thomas J. Schumacher and his wife, Joyce, and Timothy R. Schumacher and his wife, Janet, both of Pandora; two daughters, Nancy L. Neff and her husband, Robert, of Bluffton, and Susan Cook and her husband, Charles, of Toledo; 14 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Harold; four brothers, Clarence U., Francis, Allen and Willis Amstutz; four sisters, Lillian M. Amstutz, Burdella Geiger, Mabel Jones and Rhoda Burkholder; and an infant son, Eugene Paul Schumacher.
Services were held at Grace Mennonite Church, Pandora. Burial was in Pleasant Ridge Cemetery in Pandora.

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Thomas P. Bowers, 22, an Eastern Mennonite University student from Harrisonburg, Va., died Feb. 14, 2007, at Rockingham Memorial Hospital of complications from Duchennes disease (childhood muscular dystrophy).
He was a junior honors student at EMU, majoring in economics with minors in accounting and history. He was a 2003 honors graduate of Harrisonburg High School.
“Thomas was a strong, diligent student. He kept on going even when he was tired. He was a strong person who wanted to learn all he could,” said Joshua Akers, an EMU senior computer science major from Christiansburg. “You couldn’t tell from looking at his work that he was dealing with physical limitations.” Akers assisted Bowers in the Academic Support Center with a voice recognition computer program that allowed him to dictate e-mails and do course assignments.
He is survived by his parents, Mark and Deborah Bowers of Harrisonburg; a brother, John P. Bowers; a paternal grandmother, maternal grandparents, two aunts, one uncle and nine cousins.
The funeral was held at Main Street United Methodist Church, Petersburg, W.Va., with burial at Cherry Hill Cemetary, Upper Tract, W.Va.


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Used with permission by the Archives of the Mennonite Church, Goshen, INDIANA
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