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Lazarus Project

An expanded obituary project of MennObits.  Includes additional information of obituaries appearing in
The Mennonite and other newspapers.  
Source of individual obituaries given with each record.  Project managed by Thelma Martin.

1970  L


  Lind, Ivan R. (Dr.);  


Lind, Ivan R. (Dr.)


Ivan Lind Passes Suddenly

Dr. Ivan R. Lind, 59, associate professor of Old Testament at Eastern Mennonite College in Harrisonburg, Va., died Friday morning, November 20, [1970]* of an apparent heart attack at his home.

A son of the late Norman A. and Sarah Flohr Lind, he was born December 12, 1912 [1910]* in Wadsworth, Ohio and spent the first seven years of his life there. He later lived in California for a short time, but spent most of his life in Oregon until 1938.

On June 5, 1938 he married Ethel Marie Ebersole of Elkhart, Ind., who survives.

Before joining the staff of EMC last year, Dr. Lind served on the faculty of Hesston College for 31 years. He joined the Hesston faculty in 1938 and began a 7-year term as dean in 1941. The remainder of the time he taught in the fields of Bible, sociology, psychology, economics, and business education.

Dr. Lind was pastor of Hesston Mennonite Church for 6 years. He also was pastor of Bethel-El [Bellwood]* Mennonite Church at Milford, Nebr., from 1958 to 1965.

For brief intervals he served as a Bible teacher at Goshen College, as principal of a grade school in Hesston, and as a high school teacher in Milford.

This year he was teaching full tune in Eastern Mennonite Seminary.

A graduate of Goshen College, Dr. Lind received a B.D. degree from Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary and an M.A. from the University of Iowa, and a Ph.D. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth.

Besides his widow, he is survived by four sons, Kermit J. of Euclid, Ohio; Jerold O'Neil of Sarasota, Fla.; Donald Lee of Atlanta, Ga.; and Ralph Irvin of Kinshasa, Congo; and three grandchildren. He also leaves six brothers, Lloyd Lind, Marcus Lind, Norman J. Lind, Millard Lind, Gilbert Lind, and Wilbert Lind.

Funeral services were held at the Eastern Mennonite College Chapel. Burial was in the Weaver's Mennonite Church Cemetery near Harrisonburg, Va.

Ivan Lind was well trained academically. He fit into the program of Hesston College in an unusual variety of ways. He taught bookkeeping, typing, economics, Bible, sociology, and psychology. He was willing to do what many people were not willing to do.

He had a real concern for people. When he was teaching, he wanted to say some things to the church, so he stopped his teaching career twice to take churches. He frequently tried to do morel than he could do.

He found a black community in Newton, Ks. that needed assistance while he was teaching at Hesston. These people later paid a high tribute to Ivan.

When he resigned in 1957 as pastor of the Hesston Mennonite Church, he made a recommendation that they needed a social action committee. Here he was ahead of his time. As an overseer, he was known for the understanding he brought to the solution of problems.

He was happy at the seminary at Eastern Mennonite College. It was a nitch [niche]* for which he was well qualified.

His many friends, associates and former students will miss this stalwart servant of the Lord.

*Corrections and/or additions in brackets.
Source: Publication of  Eastern Mennonite College, 1970 [now EMU]
Submitted by: Don Stutzman, Hesston, KS
Transcribed by: Thelma Hoover Martin


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