Mennonite Weekly Review - April 2007
Bargen, Eldon Kliewer; Dick; Elizabeth Epp; Eitzen, Ruth Carper; Grieser, Ruby; Janzen, Herman
J.;
Koehn, Earl D.;
Lohrenz, Leander “Lee” John; Miller, John Wertz;
Shank, Esther M.; Weaver-Armato, Sharon LeAnne; Yoder, Lester David;
Mennonite
Weekly Review - April 2, 2007 - 85th Year, No. 14 - p. 8
---------------
Earl D.
Koehn, 85, of North Newton, Kan., died March 25, 2007, at Kidron
Bethel Health Care. He was born Nov. 11, 1921, to Lawrence and Martha
(Schultz) Koehn of Pawnee Rock.
After he attended high school in Pawnee Rock, he continued his
education at Bethel College in North Newton, where he graduated in
1948. He continued working at Bethel as manager of the physical plant
and purchasing agent for 38 years.
While at Bethel College he met Louise Duerksen. They were married Oct.
14, 1950. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Oct. 14,
2000.
Survivors include his wife, Louise; three sons, Dennis of Goshen, Ind.,
David and his wife, Terri, of Novato, Calif., and Brent of South Bend,
Ind.; a brother, Galen Koehn of North Newton; a sister, Leona Clithero
of Newton; and three grandchildren.
A memorial service was held at Bethel College Mennonite Church of North
Newton.
Mennonite
Weekly Review - April 9, 2007 - 85th Year, No. 15 - p. 17
-------------------
Leander “Lee” John Lohrenz, 78, of
Lawrence, Kan., died Feb. 20, 2007, at his winter home in Yuma, Ariz.
He was born June 26, 1928, to Jacob W. and Mary Seibel Lohrenz.
He grew up on the family farm near Aulne, Kan., and graduated from
Hillsboro High School. He attended Tabor College in Hillsboro, then
taught in a one-room country school for two years. He was drafted into
the U.S. Army and served in counter-intelligence in Germany. He
remained in the Army Reserves and achieved the rank of colonel.
After active duty, he returned to his education and graduated from
Wichita State University in 1955. He later earned his master’s degree
and doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Kansas.
After completing his education, he worked at the VA Hospital in
Leavenworth and at the Menninger Foundation in Topeka. In both settings
he helped begin an alcohol treatment program. He entered private
practice in 1976. He served as president of the Kansas Psychological
Association and the Kansas Association of Professional Psychologists.
At WSU he met his future wife, Marguerite Hardesty, and they were
married Sept. 2, 1957.
He was baptized as a youth in Ebenfeld Mennonite Brethren Church of
rural Hillsboro. He appreciated his Mennonite heritage and recently
enjoyed a Mennonite Heritage Cruise to the Ukraine. In later years he
joined Wyandotte United Methodist Church and currently was a member of
First United Methodist Church in Lawrence. He was a member of Kiwanis
clubs in Leavenworth and Lawrence and of the Military Officers
Association.
Survivors include his wife, Marguerite; three children, Lee Ann Lohrenz
of Santa Ana, Calif., Mark Lohrenz of Lawrence, and Lori Teague and her
husband, Earl, of Keller, Texas; a stepsister, Arlene Rempel of
Peabody; and five grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by a brother, Paul, who died in infancy; and
three sisters, Zelma Thiessen, Luella Wohlgemuth and Leona Ginn.
Funeral services were held at Wyandotte United Methodist Church in
Kansas City, Kan.
-------------------
John
Wertz Miller, 84, of Kalona, Iowa, died March 28, 2007, at
Pleasantview Home after a long illness. He was born Aug. 12, 1922, to
Urie and Amanda (Wertz) Miller in Kalona.
He graduated from Center High School in 1942 and attended Hesston
(Kan.) College. On Oct. 4, 1944, he married Arlene Hochstetler at Lower
Deer Creek Mennonite Church of rural Kalona.
They lived in Iowa City for 57 years, where he was employed for Sieg
Auto Supply for 39 years until his retirement in 1988. They moved to
Kalona in 2001. He was an active member of Lower Deer Creek Mennonite
Church and the Model A Car Club. He enjoyed volunteering at the Crowded
Closet and working on cars.
Survivors include his wife, Arlene; two daughters, Jane Gingerich of
Punta Gorda, Fla., and Julie Derstine and her husband, Daryl, of
Blooming Glen, Pa.; a sister, Kathryn Yoder of Kalona; and four
grandchildren.
Funeral services were held at Lower Deer Creek Mennonite Church. Burial
was in the Lower Deer Creek Cemetery.
Mennonite
Weekly Review - April 16, 2007 - 85th Year, No. 16 - p. 8
-----------------
Esther
M. Shank, 80, of Calico Rock, Ark. died March 30, 2007, of
cancer at Community Medical Center of Izard County. She was born March
23, 1927, to Charles and Crissie (Yoder) Shank in Orrville, Ohio.
The family moved to Goshen, Ind., in 1940. She became a member of
College Mennonite Church, graduated from Goshen High School in 1945 and
Goshen College in 1949.
She chose a celibate life of service, starting in a service unit at
Richmond (Ind.) Mental Hospital. She received her Registered Dietitian
degree after study and training at Western Reserve University and
Cleveland Medical Center. She served as instructor and dietitian at
Messiah College in Grantham, Pa., in hospitals at Elkhart and Goshen in
Indiana, in La Junta, Colo., Santa Fe, N.M., and at Schowalter Villa
Retirement Center at Hesston, Kan. Since 1983 she served at the
Community Medical Center in Calico Rock, where she also lived her
retirement and last days as the town’s esteemed “Miss Esther.”
She was active both as a pillar in Calico Rock Mennonite Fellowship and
in civic affairs. She was an avid gardener and member of the local
Garden Club and of the town library committee. Her 80th birthday, just
prior to her death, was for her a day of joyous celebration surrounded
by her church family, former colleagues and many friends, who will miss
her deeply.
Survivors include sisters Mary Lehman and her husband, Ernest, and Lois
Musselman and her husband, Glenn, all of Goshen, and Mary Kay Felton
Snider and her husband, Howard, of Parrish, Fla.; a brother, David A.
Shank and his wife, Wilma, of Goshen; and a sister-in law, Anne Shank
of Sarasota, Fla. She was a special “Aunt Esther” to her 19 nieces and
nephews.
She was preceded in death by brothers John, Paul and Ernest, and sister
Ruth.
A memorial service will be celebrated May 6 at Calico Rock Mennonite
Fellowship. A Goshen-area memorial service will be held at “The
Gathering Room” in Greencroft Evergreen Place.
Mennonite
Weekly Review - April 23, 2007 - 85th Year, No. 17 - p. 8
--------------------
Eldon
Kliewer Bargen, 76, of North Newton, Kan., died March 29, 2007.
He was born Dec. 6, 1930, to Bernhard B. and Esther Bargen in Wichita.
He grew up as a “campus kid,” the son of a Bethel College professor. He
graduated from Newton High School in 1948 and Bethel College in 1954,
after taking a stand for peace in resistance to military conscription.
He married Helen J. Bartel of Hillsboro on Dec. 28, 1951.
He made his occupation as an educator, draftsman, woodworker and
mission service worker. He made a lifetime commitment to nonviolent
service to community, beginning with his young family, by serving a
term of Mennonite Voluntary Service at Brooklane Farm psychiatric
center in Maryland.
He and his family moved numerous times as he continued to serve others
by teaching industrial arts at West High in Wichita, on staff at Camp
Friedenswald in Michigan, volunteering at the Mennonite mission school
in Cachipay, Colombia, retraining to teach Spanish in Ohio, and more
MVS at Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Indiana before retiring to his
home town of North Newton in 1982. Throughout this time, he volunteered
drafting services in Latin America for earthquake disaster relief,
Interamerican Mission facilities and Wycliffe translators program.
Locally, he custom-designed houses and remodeling projects, with a
reputation for innovation and creative problem solving. He was a member
of Bethel College Mennonite Church.
Survivors include his wife, Helen; a son, Dale Bargen and his wife,
Jenny, of Buford, Ga.; a daughter, Jan Bargen of Silver Spring, Md.; a
sister, Joyce Bargen Koehn of Concordia; and four grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held April 21 at Bethel College Mennonite
Church in North Newton. Burial will be a private inurnment service.
---------------
Ruby Grieser,
92, of Garden City, Mo., died March 19, 2007. She was born April 19,
1914, to John K. and Lena (Oswald) Erb in O’Neil, Neb.
On Feb. 5, 1931, she married Ben Grieser in Beemer, Neb.
She was employed as a food supervisor for Frazee (Minn.) Care Center
until her retirement in 1980. She moved to Garden City, Mo. in 1983.
She was a member of Sycamore Grove Mennonite Church near Garden City.
She enjoyed quilting, knitting and reading.
Survivors include a son, Duane Grieser and his wife, Marilyn, of Garden
City; a daughter, Barbara Towse of Leawood, Kan.; a brother, Walter Erb
of Hesston, Kan.; five grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren and
seven great-great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Ben, on June 22, 1970; three
brothers, Omar, Ezra and John Erb; a sister, Wilma Nitzsche; and a
granddaughter, Mary Elizabeth Grieser.
Funeral services were held at Sycamore Grove Mennonite Church. Burial
was in Lake Region Mennonite Cemetery in Detroit Lakes, Minn.
------------------
Elizabeth
Epp Dick, 93, of Mountain Lake, Minn., died Feb. 20, 2007. She
was born Nov. 14, 1913, to Daniel and Anna (Ewert) Epp near Delft.
Her childhood years on the farm were marked by tragedies. Her mother,
Anna Epp, died when she was 2; then her stepmother, Susan (Fleming)
Epp, died when she was 9. Her father died when she was 12, shortly
after marrying his third wife, Bertha (Rogalsky) Epp. Her brother Sammy
died of scarlet fever at age 11, when she was 15. When the farm was
sold and her older brothers moved away, she and her remaining siblings
moved in with relatives or her stepmother. Upon her graduation from
high school in 1933, she worked at the Mountain Lake pharmacy and lived
with and cared for her half-brothers Henry and Rueben and half-sister
Clara for a number of years. In 1936 she married Ben P. Dick.
Her home was warm and inviting, and she maintained a large garden that
resulted in a major food canning effort every fall. She was involved in
many church activities, including Mission Society, choir and Sunday
school teaching. She was an active volunteer in the community and
school. She was noted for her zwieback and the perishki (fruit pockets)
she made for the Mountain Lake Heritage Festival and the MCC relief
sale. After her husband died in 2000, she continued to be active in the
community, including work in the Care and Share Shop.
Survivors include a daughter, Kathy Martens and her husband, Jim, of
Winona; two sons, Charles Dick and his wife, Diane, of Rochester, and
Richard Dick and his wife, Linda, of Columbus, Ohio; seven
grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 64 years, Ben; a sister,
Sue Kliewer; a half-sister, Clara Paulsen; two brothers, Dan and
Albert; three half-brothers, Sammy, Henry and Rueben; and stepsister
Erika Gunderson.
Services were held at First Mennonite Church of Mountain Lake. Burial
was in Mountain Lake Cemetery.
Mennonite Weekly Review - April 30,
2007 - 85th Year, No. 18 - p. 8
------------------
Ruth
Carper Eitzen, 82, of Lititz, Pa., died April 11, 2007, of
complications related to treatment of a benign brain tumor. She was
born July 20, 1924, to Eva Weber Carper and Reuben Carper in
Brickerville.
At age 17 she moved with her family to Denbigh, Va. She attended
Eastern Mennonite College in Harrisonburg, Va., and graduated in 1948
from Goshen (Ind.) College. From 1950 to 1954 she worked with Mennonite
Central Committee in Europe, designing educational materials for
children.
She married illustrator Allan Eitzen on July 12, 1954, in Denbigh, Va.
They moved to a country home in Barto, Pa., and had five children.
After the children left home, she continued her education at Temple
University, where she earned a master’s degree in creative writing.
She was the author of several books for children, including Ti Jacques
(1972), White Feather (1987), and Tara’s Flight (forthcoming from Boyds
Mills Press). She spent her last years working on a novel and tending
to her gardens of native flowers and plants. She also devoted herself
to organizing American sponsorship of the Sahara Children’s Home in
Nepal, which she had visited and worked with as an educational
consultant. She had a profound concern for social justice and was an
active participant in church and peace groups. Her gift for emotional
intimacy was enjoyed by many friends.
Survivors include her husband, Allan; five children, Hilda, Dirk, Ann,
Laura and John; and eight grandchildren.
Memorial services were held at Bally (Pa.) Mennonite Church.
----------------------
Sharon
LeAnne Weaver-Armato, 50, of Jensen Beach, Fla., died peacefully
in her sleep Feb. 13, 2007. She was born July 8, 1956, to Leslie
Hershey Weaver Sr. and Elsie Fulmer Weaver in Lancaster, Pa.
She attended Locust Grove Mennonite School and Lancaster Mennonite High
School, then graduated from Martin County High School in Stuart, Fla.,
in 1974.
Survivors include her parents, Leslie and Elsie Weaver of Harrisonburg,
Va.; a daughter, Brooke Cherith Raffaele of San Diego, Calif.; three
sons, Dennis Armato Jr. of Norfolk, Va., Anthony Armato and Christopher
Armato, both of Stuart, Fla.; and four brothers, Thomas L. Weaver of
Harrisonburg, Va., Leslie H. Weaver Jr. of Avon, N.C.,
and Michael S. Weaver and Jonathan D. Weaver, both of
Harrisonburg, Va.
Funeral services were held at Martin Funeral Home of Stuart, Fla.
Burial was in Weavers Mennonite Church Cemetery, Harrisonburg, Va.
------------------
Herman
J. Janzen, 73, of Newton, Kan., died April 20, 2007, at Newton
Medical Center. He was born Feb. 16, 1934, to John P. and Helene
(Claassen) Janzen in Newton.
He married Ruth E. Claassen on July 27, 1955. She preceded him in death
in April 1996. He then married Shirley Reed on Dec. 27, 1998.
He was a farmer. He spent two years in alternative service at the
Menninger Clinic in Topeka. He was a member of Zion Mennonite Church of
Elbing, serving as deacon, church board chair, Sunday school teacher
and sexton of the church cemetery. He served on the Remington School
Board and the Bethel College Board of Directors. He was chair of the
board of directors of Peabody State Bank and was a founding member of
Mennonite Agri-Urban Inc.
Survivors include his wife, Shirley Reed-Janzen of Newton; four
children, Bruce Janzen and his wife, Jeannine, of Elbing, Susan Janzen
of Cedar Falls, Iowa, Lisa Scott and her husband, Michael, of Newton,
and Russell Janzen and his wife, Kris, of rural Newton; a sister, Edna
Zabel and her husband, Ted, of Dayton, Ohio; a brother-in-law, Paul
Longacre and his wife, Nancy Heisey, of Harrisonburg, Va.; three
stepchildren, Paula Claycamp and her husband, Dean, of Wichita, Cathy
Ketterman and her husband, Don, of Houston, Texas, and Marsha Geyer and
her husband, Roger, of Derby; seven grandchildren; eight
step-grandchildren and eight step-great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his first wife, Ruth; and a sister, Doris
Janzen Longacre.
Services were held a Zion Mennonite Church. Burial was in Zion
Mennonite Church Cemetery.
-------------------
Lester
David Yoder, 90, of Frytown, Iowa, died April 23, 2007, at the
University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa City from complications of a fall.
He was born May 4, 1916, to Jonas and Amelia (Yoder) Yoder in Iowa
City, Iowa.
On July 6, 1941, he married Pauline Miller at Lower Deer Creek
Mennonite Church of rural Kalona.
He attended the Oakland rural school. With his father, Lester, he
founded Yoder Feed Mill near Frytown in 1934. Throughout the years the
business grew to become a multifaceted agribusiness, from which he
retired in 1992. He served on the boards of American Feed Manufacturer,
Farmers Electric, Iowa Mennonite School, Iowa Mennonite Central
Committee and the Kalona Historical Society. He was a lifelong member
of Lower Deer Creek Mennonite Church. He was active in various antique
truck clubs and wrench collectors societies. He participated in the WMT
Tractorcade for the last six years and was the oldest participant for
the last two years.
Survivors include his wife, Pauline, of Frytown; four children, Loran
Yoder and his wife, April, of Frytown, Joyce Yoder of Bethesda, Md.,
Shirley Yoder Bell and her husband, Gary, of Frytown and Calmar, and
Damon Yoder and his wife, Jan, of Saint Charles, Ill.; and seven
grandchildren.
Funeral services were held at Lower Deer Creek Mennonite Church. Burial
was in Lower Deer Creek Cemetery.
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Mennonite Publishing House, Scottdale, PA
Used with permission by the Archives of the Mennonite Church, Goshen,
INDIANA
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