Mennonite Weekly Review - March,
2010
Boehr, Donald; Byler, Joe E.; Castellano, Barbara Agnes Michalovic;
Eigsti,
Agnes Weaver; Lehman, Leland C.;
Slabach, Monroe C.; Swope, Wilmer D.;
Mennonite Weekly
Review - March 1, 2010 - 88th Year, No. 8 - p. 13
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Eigsti, Agnes Weaver
Agnes Weaver Eigsti, 99, died
Feb. 16, 2010, at Greencroft Senior Residences in Goshen, Ind. She was
born Oct. 10, 1910, on a farm east of Goshen, a few miles from her
father’s birthplace and her grandfather’s farm, whose name “Joseph
Weaver, 1888” is still to be seen on the roof of the barn.
She spent her early years in Goshen, moved with her family to Oregon as
a teenager, then returned to Goshen, where she graduated from Goshen
High School in 1928. She attended Goshen College, receiving her
bachelor’s degree in 1932.
In 1936 she married O.J. Eigsti, also a Goshen College graduate and
subsequent developer of the seedless watermelon.
They were married for 67 years and lived in many places during that
time: Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island, N.Y.; Norman, Okla.; Evanston,
Ill.; Normal, Ill.; and Chicago. In 1952, O.J. Eigsti received a
Fulbright Lectureship to Pakistan and India, where they lived for a
year, returning to the U.S. by way of Belgium and Switzerland, where
they also lived in the fall of 1953. From 1960 to the mid-’70s she was
the head of the Parasitology Laboratory at General Biological Supply
House in Chicago while her husband was a professor at Chicago State
University.
They retired to the Weaver family farm east of Goshen and later moved
to College Green in Goshen. In their later years they spent six
months of every year at La Posada in Green Valley, Ariz., where they
owned a home.
They were benefactors to Goshen College, donating the Eigsti Track and
Field Complex and contributing to construction of the Music Center. She
was also a benefactor to the Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of
Goshen College.
Survivors include two sons, Karl of New York City and Nick of Sarasota,
Fla.; a brother, Robert of Waldron Island, Wash.; three grandchildren
and four great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, O.J. Eigsti, in May 2003.
Mennonite Weekly
Review - March 8, 2010 - 88th Year, No. 9 - p. 9
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Boehr, Donald
Donald Boehr, 91, of Henderson,
Neb., died Feb. 22, 2010, at Henderson Hospital. He was born May 22,
1918, to Bernhard and Sarah (Mierau) Boehr near Henderson.
He graduated from Henderson High School in 1936 and York College in
1940, where he joined Life Work Recruits, lettered three years in
football and majored in math, science and religion. After college, he
moved to Dearborn, Mich., to work for the Ford Motor Co.
On April 20, 1941, he married Laura Friesen, with whom he shared 68
years of marriage. After moving back to Henderson, they farmed
until their retirement in 1982. When they first returned to Henderson,
he also taught at Lushton High School for two years.
Survivors include his wife, Laura, of Henderson; son Stan Boehr and his
wife, Karren, of Henderson, daughter Vivian Pereboom and her husband,
Bill, of Littleton, Colo., son Stuart Boehr of Grand Rapids, Minn.,
daughter Laura Steingard and her husband, Dale, of Henderson, daughter
Doris Miller and her husband, Ken, of Bellefontaine, Ohio, and daughter
Brenda Srof and her husband, Jody, of Goshen, Ind.; two sisters, Sarah
Regier of Newton, Kan., and Rachel Hiebner of Henderson; two
sisters-in-law, Kay Boehr of Blair and Jean Boehr of Alliquippa, Pa.;
15 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his three brothers, Elmer, Melvin and Ben;
a sister-in-law, Esther Boehr; and brothers-in-law Herman Regier and
Harry Hiebner.
Funeral services were held at Metz Mortuary in Henderson. A memorial
service was held at Bethesda Mennonite Church.
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Slabach, Monroe C.
Monroe C. Slabach, 80, of Orrville, Ohio, died Feb. 26, 2010, at
Aultman Hospital in Canton after a stroke. He was born to Crist N. and
Mary Miller Slabach.
He married Beatrice Hilty on Dec. 18, 1993, at Crown Hill Mennonite
Church near Rittman.
He was a carpenter by trade and minister by the call of the Lord. He
served as pastor at Pleasant Valley Mennonite in Coshocton, Ebenezer
Mennonite in South Boston, Va., and Faith Mennonite in Cluster Springs,
Va. He was a member of Crown Hill Mennonite Church, where he served as
an elder and Sunday school teacher. He also served as board member and
volunteer at Mennonite Central Committee Connections in Kidron.
Survivors include his wife, Beatrice Hilty Slabach; eight children,
Mark Slabach and his wife, Rosanna, of South Boston, Va., David Slabach
and his wife, Gert, of Alton, Va., Ruth Emswiler and her husband,
Verlyn, of South Boston, Va., Regina Brubaker and her husband, Myron,
of Harrisonburg, Va., John Slabach and his wife, Teresa, of South
Boston, Va., Rhoda VanBenschoten of McGaheysville, Va., Tim Slabach and
his wife, Audra, of Christiansburg, Va., and Miriam Warnock and her
husband, Billy, of Boones Mill, Va.; five sisters, Ann Hostetler, Edna
Ressler, Alta Miller, Sue Mullet and Mary Schrock; 29 grandchildren;
two step-grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his brothers, Albert C. Slabach and Melvin
C. Slabach; his first wife, Orpha Hilty Slabach; an infant son, James
Wesley Slabach; and son Paul Slabach.
Services were held at Crown Hill Mennonite Church near Rittman. Burial
was in the church cemetery.
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Castellano, Barbara Agnes Michalovic
Barbara Agnes (Michalovic) Castellano
died Nov. 25, 2009. She was born Jan. 20, 1937, to Stephen and Elsie
Michalovic.
She lived in Chicago until 1990, when she moved to Anderson, Ind. An
important part of her growing up years was spent as a “fresh air”
child, where she spent many summers in the home of Perry Miller of
Shipshewana, Ind. As a child, she attended the Mennonite Home
Mission in Chicago, which later became Union Avenue Mennonite Church.
For many years she was a member of Lawndale Mennonite Church, which no
longer exists. At the time of her death she was a member of North
Christian Church in Markleville, Ind., where she sang in the choir. She
enjoyed singing and was also a member of the Anderson Symphonic Choir.
She was the guardian to three of her grandchildren and was active in
the foster parent program in the Anderson area. She had several
hobbies, which included trains, sewing and working in her garden. She
loved to take care of her family and others. She loved being outdoors,
especially on her “mini” farm.
Survivors include her children, Ruthie Bajner and her husband, Duane,
of Chicago, Jet Zeigler and her husband, Brian, of Pendleton, Doris
Nussbaum of Grinnell, Iowa, Joseph Castellano and his wife, Noami, of
Franklin, Maila Solares of Chicago, Glen Castellano of Waldron, and
Edward Castellano and his wife, Marsha, of Anderson; two brothers,
Steve Michalovic and his wife, Edith, and Tom Michalovic and his wife,
Linda; three sisters, Phyllis Weinhold and her husband, Tom, of
Kimberling City, Mo., Nancy Pena and her husband, Al, of Victoria,
Texas, and Marie Wheeler of North Pekin, Ill.; 15 grandchildren and two
great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Valdemar Castellano; and a
grandson, Matthew Zeigler.
Funeral services were held at Rozelle-Johnson Funeral Service in
Anderson. She was buried in Oakridge-Glen Oaks Cemetery.
Mennonite Weekly Review - March 15, 2010 - 88th Year, No. 10 - p. 9
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Swope, Wilmer D.
Wilmer D. Swope, 84, of
Leetonia, Ohio, died Feb. 1, 2010, after a long illness. He was born
Dec. 16, 1925, to Herman and Mabel (Detrow) Swope in Leetonia.
He married Alverda Stoltzfus on Oct. 19, 1952.
He was a farmer and worked at A&P Warehouse in Salem and at
Buechner Residence Hall near Youngstown State University. He also
served as a Fairfield Township Trustee from 1970 to 2001.
He was a member of Midway Mennonite Church. He enjoyed writing
Christian hymns and Mennonite church history. He liked collecting
books, gardening, genealogy and restoring antique clocks.
Survivors include his wife, Alverda; five children, Daniel Swope of
Leetonia, Darlene Anderson and her husband, Edmund, of Lisbon, Charlene
Mamis and her husband, Art, of Hudsonville, Mich., David Swope of Fort
Wayne, Ind., and Miriam Roth and her husband, Matthew, of Metamora,
Ill.; a sister, Carolyn Warren of Rittman; four grandchildren and a
great-grandchild.
Funeral services were held at Midway Mennonite Church. Burial was in
Midway Cemetery.
Mennonite
Weekly Review - March 22, 2010 - 88th Year, No. 11 - p. 9
Lehman, Leland C.
Leland C. Lehman, 90, of
Bluffton, Ohio, died March 12, 2010, at Mennonite Memorial Home. He was
born Feb. 4, 1920, to Leo E. and Alice Lehman in Berne, Ind.
He married Dorothy Jean Burner on June 24, 1945.
He was a professor of economics. He retired from Bluffton University
and had also taught at Denison University, Granville, Macalester
College, St. Paul, Minn., and after his retirement, one year at Bethel
College, North Newton, Kan. Active in the Bluffton community, he served
on the Bluffton Village Council for 12 years and the board of the
Bluffton Housing Corp. He was a member of the Bluffton Lions Club and
was named its Citizen of the Year in 1993. He was a member of First
Mennonite Church, Bluffton, where he was a Sunday school teacher and
sang in the choir. He also sang in the Swiss Male Chorus and the
Bluffton Choral Society. He was a 1938 graduate of Berne (Ind.) High
School, a 1942 graduate of Bluffton College and received his doctorate
in economics from Ohio State University. He served in the Army Air
Corps during World War II and was stationed in Abadan, Iran.
Survivors include a son, Stephen Lehman of Philadelphia, Pa.; two
daughters, Barbara Boldt and her husband, Edward, of Reedley, Calif.,
and Cynthia Linscheid and her husband, David, of North Newton, Kan.; a
brother, Jackson Lehman of Fort Wayne, Ind.; a sister, Imogene Benroth
of Bluffton; four grandsons and a great-grandson.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Dorothy, on April 8, 2005; a
brother, Harold Lehman; and two sisters, Vivian Bishop and Margaret
Joann Lehman.
Memorial services were held at First Mennonite Church, Bluffton. Burial
of the cremated remains was in Maple Grove Cemetery, Bluffton.
Mennonite Weekly Review - March 29, 2010 - 88th Year, No. 12 - p. 9
Byler, Joe E.
Joe E. Byler, 57, of Euless,
Texas, died March 19, 2010. He was born July 20, 1952, at the Mennonite
Central Committee Hospital in La Plata, Puerto Rico, to Delmar Byler
and Bonnie (Welty) Byler.
He was raised in Hesston and Wichita, Kan., Oklahoma City and Hong
Kong. He graduated from high school in Tenalfy, N.J., and attended
Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pa. He served in Korea as a medic in
the U.S. Army in drug and alcohol counseling. He graduated from the
University of Texas with a bachelor’s degree in business
administration. His career settled in insurance as a liability claims
adjustor. Among his clients were many sports teams.
When he heard that a tornado had struck Hesston in 1990, he exclaimed,
“That’s my hometown!” He left his work in Dallas to spend a week
helping the devastated fill out their insurance applications.
Surviving family members include his wife, Laurel (Metzler) Byler of
Euless; a stepdaughter, Megan Button of Ames, Iowa; his mother, Bonnie
Scheid; a sister, Jeanne (Byler) Mitchell; a brother, John Byler; a
foster sister, Johanna Hon; his stepfather, Bob Scheid; his stepmother,
Karen Byler; and his parents-in-law, Doris and David Metzler.
He was preceded in death by his father, Delmar Byler; his grandparents,
J.N. Byler (director of relief for MCC and teacher at Hesston College)
and Edna Ruth Byler (the “needlework lady” and founder of Ten Thousand
Villages) and Idell (McFarlane) Welty and G.M. Welty.
Funeral services were held at Moore Funeral Home, Arlington, Texas.
Burial was at DFW National Cemetery.
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
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