Mennonite World Review - February 2014
Obituaries are emailed to MennObits before MWR is printed. Wording may vary in printed version.
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Leabell S. Miller, 82, of Shipshewana, Ind., died Jan. 15, 2014, after a six-month battle with Scleroderma. She was born on July 16, 1931, to Menno and Florence (Kauffman) Troyer in Inman, Kan.
On July 17, 1954, she married Wayne M. Miller in Inman.
She was a homemaker and served with many organizations in the communities in which she lived. Church involvement was always a vital part of her family life wherever she lived, including First Mennonite of La Junta, Colo., the United Church of La Jara, Colo., Fairview (Mich.) Mennonite, Wood Green Mennonite of London, England, and Shore Mennonite of Shipshewana. She spent many years serving in leadership roles with the Gideons International Auxiliary distributing Bibles and Testaments to students, medical and service personnel.
She and Wayne twice volunteered at the London Mennonite Centre in Highgate, England, serving as hostess and host. They volunteered at Hesston (Kan.) College, coming full circle from their student days at Hesston Academy. In Shipshewana, they volunteered at the Menno-Hof Amish/Mennonite Information Center.
She loved homemaking, gardening, reading and writing. She sewed and quilted many items for gifts. She was a member of Shore Mennonite Church in Shipshewana.
Survivors include her husband, Wayne; two daughters, Kathy (Dennis) Troyer of Shipshewana, and Becky Manning of Grayling, Mich.; four sons, Kevin (Rebecca Stoltzfus) Miller of Ithaca, N.Y., Jonathon (Christian Yoder) Miller of Washington, D.C., Jeff (Kay Nofziger) Miller of Goshen, Eric (Melody Short) Miller of Bellingham, Wash.; a sister, Marilyn Hartman of Hesston, Kan; two brothers, Curtis Troyer of Middlebury and Paul Troyer of Hesston; 12 grandchildren and a great-granddaughter.
Memorial services were held at Shore Mennonite Church. Burial of her cremated remains will take place in Shore Cemetery, Shipshewana.
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Lowell Jay Goering, 75, of Hesston, Kan., died Feb. 3, 2014, at Showalter Villa. He was born March 28, 1938, to Paul P. and Lydia Kaufman Goering in Newton.
He graduated from Moundridge High School and attended Bethel College in North Newton. He worked as a mechanical engineer for Hillsboro Industries in Hillsboro for 30 years, also working at Hesston Corporation for 15 years and Hillsboro Et Cetera Shop after retirement. He was active in Trinity Mennonite Church in Hillsboro. He loved humor and submitted one-line quips in a column "Whiz-dumb" in the Hillsboro Free Press for a number of years.
He married Judith Ann Schmidt on Aug. 11, 1963, at Hoffnungsau Mennonite Church, Inman.
Survivors include his wife, Judy, of Hesston; a son, Greg Schmidt Goering and his wife, Jalane Schmidt, of Charlottesville, Va.; a daughter, Sheryl Goering and her husband, Jeff, of Ellicott City, Md.; a sister, Elaine Jantzen and her husband, Paul, of Hillsboro; a brother, Verne M. Goering and his wife, Ruth, of Moundridge; and five grandchildren.
Cremation has taken place. Memorial services were held at Hesston Mennonite Church, Hesston.
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Marie Evelyn (Schulz) Martin, 89, of Lancaster, Pa., died Feb. 2, 2014. She was born May 5, 1924, to Dr. Julius A. and Viola (Hostetler) Schulz near Shelbyville, Ill.
She devoted her life to service to her family. She enjoyed her flowers, gardening and feeding the birds. During her Ohio years she was blessed to grade prison Bible-study courses and to correspond encouraging words.
Ever the warm hostess and gentle friend, she faithfully followed her husband, Landis, both in ministry and many other labors of love. They lived in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, Knoxville, Tenn., for a two-year pastorate, Sarasota, Fla., Blountstown, Fla., and Burr Oak, Mich., where Landis pastored South Colon Mennonite Church for 17 years prior to his death in 1990. They also ministered during some summers in Goshen, Ind., Palmetto, Fla., Gulfport, Miss., Ponchatoula, La., and Atmore, Ala.
In 1993, she, her sister, Corlene, and their mother moved near her son Nathan in Fredericksburg, Ohio. In 2008, she and Corlene moved to an apartment attached to her son David's house near Lancaster. She received care for the last year at Fairmount Homes in Ephrata.
Survivors include five children, Carol Yoder and her husband, John, of Grantsville, Md., Nelson Martin and his wife, Margaret, of Louisville, Ky., David Martin and his wife, Barbara, of Lancaster, John Martin and his wife, Jeanette, of Kihei, Hawaii, and Nathan Martin and his wife, Ruth, of Fredericksburg, Ohio; a sister, Corlene Schulz of Lancaster; 12 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren.