Mennonite Weekly Review - November, 1987


Mennonite Weekly Review
64th Year - No. 45 ­ Page 12
November 5, 1987

NEWTON & VICINITY

LESTER AND DORIS KAUFMAN RIES
A double funeral service for Lester and Doris Ries of Freeman, S.D., was held Oct. 26 at Salem Mennonite Church, rural Freeman. They were the brother-in-law and sister of Don Kaufman of Newton. She was killed on Oct. 23 in a fall from a ladder. He died of cancer on Oct. 25.

WALTER R. UNRAU
Funeral services for Walter R. Unrau, 81, of Newton, were held Nov. 3 at First Mennonite Church, Newton, with Floyd Bartel officiating. Burial was in Restlawn Gardens of Memory. A retired automobile technician for Holstine Motors, Newton, he died Oct. 31 at Halstead Hospital. Survivors include his wife, the former Verna Schmidt; two daughters, Mary Birky of Adair, Okla., and Donna Klassen of Houston, Texas; two brothers, Clarence of Wichita and Gladwin of Punta Gorda, Fla.; and two sisters, Sylvia Flaming of Inman and Bernice Duerksen of Lehigh.


64th Year ­ No. 46 ­ November 12, 1987 ­ Page 8

NEWTON & VICINITY

GEORGE R. SOMMERFELD
Funeral services for George R. Sommerfeld, 78, of rural Hesston, were held Oct. 11 at Whitestone Mennonite Church, Hesston, with Ron Guengerich officiating. Burial was in East Lawn Cemetery near Hesston. A farmer and long-time Hesston resident, he died Nov. 8 at Mercy Hospital, Moundridge. Survivors include his wife, the former Amy Woodward; four sons, Stan and Lyle, both of Sharon Springs, Jerry of Halstead and Glen of Kinsley; two daughters, Janice Dyck of Moundridge and Elva Brizendine of Overland Park; one brother, Ed of rural Newton; two sisters, Anna Chapple of rural Newton and Hattie Sommerfeld of Goessel; 17 grandchildren; three foster-grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Three brothers and one daughter preceded him in death.

FRIEDA A. RUTH
Funeral services for Frieda A. Ruth, 85, of Bethel Home for Aged, Newton, were held Nov. 10 at First Mennonite Church, Halstead, with John W. Gaeddert officiating. Burial was in Halstead Cemetery. she died Nov. 6 at the home. A native of Sommerfield, Ill., she lived in Halstead, moving to Newton in 1943. Survivors include one brother, Clifford H. Ruth of Newton, and one sister, Edith M. Ruth of Newton.

MARTHA BULLER
Funeral services for Martha Buller, 78, of rural Hillsboro, were held Nov. 11 at Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church near Goessel, with Roland Goering officiating. Burial was in the church cemetery. A registered nurse, she died Nov. 8 at Bethesda Home, Goessel. Survivors include her husband, Hugo; one son, Larry, rural Hillsboro; two brothers, Ed of Newton and Alfador of Goessel; two sisters, Bertha Schroeder and Ruth Schroeder, both of Goessel; and two grandchildren. Two sisters preceded her in death.

MARY UNRUH
Funeral services for Mary Unruh, 84, of Newton, were held Nov. 4 at Grace Hill Mennonite Church, rural Whitewater, with James Voth officiating. Burial was in the church cemetery. A retired warehouse employee in California, she died Nov. 1 at HCA-Wesley Medical Center, Wichita. Survivors include three (sic) brothers, Martin of Clinton, John of Newton, Art of rural Newton and Bill of Wichita; four sisters, Linda Unruh of Bell Flower, Calif., Grace Nickel of Newton, Alvina Hall of Wichita and Lucille Unruh of Winfield.


64th Year ­ No. 47 ­ November 19, 1987 ­ Page 5

DEATH

Young Farmer Dies At Inman, Kan.

THEODORE NEUFELD
Inman, Kan.-Theodore Neufeld, 33, died Nov. 8 at his home. A native of Hutchinson and a member of the Bethel Mennonite Church, rural Inman, he was a farmer who lived at Inman most of his life.
Funeral services were held Nov. 10 at Ball and Son Chapel, McPherson, with D.A. Raber, pastor of the Bethel Church, officiating. Burial was in North Inman Cemetery.
Survivors include his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Dan Neufeld, Inman; three brothers, Don of Arvada, Colo., Mike of Little River and Fred of Inman; one sister, Mary Neufeld, New York; and his grandmother, Anna Neufeld, Inman.

Page 6

Death

Veteran MC Worker Dies in Goshen at 91

CHRISTIAN L. GRABER
Goshen, Ind.-Christian L. Graber died Nov. 12 at Greencroft Nursing Center where he had resided since 1979. He was 91. Graber began his career of service with the Mennonite Church as assistant pastor of Sugar Grove Mennonite Church, Wayland, Iowa. He served as business manager at Goshen College 1924-1949 and served as pastor of the college church 1931-1942. He established the Mennonite Mutual Aid office in Goshen in 1945 and served as first executive officer until 1954. Graber served in several capacities with Mennonite Central Committee. He was first director of relief following World War II and established MCC units in Puerto Rico, Morocco, the Philippines and China. He was also the first Mennonite Disaster Service director at MCC and director of MCC programs in South America. Survivors include five daughters and a son. A memorial service was held at College Mennonite Church on Nov. 15.

(Transcriber's note: Sugar Grove church should be Sugar Creek?)

PAGE 8

NEWTON & VICINITY

NELLIE VOTH REIMER
Funeral services for Nellie Voth Reimer, 88, of Bethel Home for Aged, Newton, were held Nov. 13 at First Mennonite Church, Newton, with Floyd Bartel officiating. Burial was in Tabor Cemetery. She died Nov. 10 at the home. A native of Marion County, she had lived in the Newton area since 1931. Survivors include six sons, Winfred of Bellingham, Wash., Vernon of Temple City, Calif., Allen of Whittier, Calif., Harvey, Marlo and Nelson, all of Las Vegas; three daughters, Elvera Jantzen of Las Vegas, Arlene Jantzen of Upland Calif., and Irma McNeff of Sagle, Idaho; one brother, Ben Voth of Goessel; one sister, Emma Voth of Walton; 25 grandchildren and 31 great-grandchildren. Her husband, Dietrich C., preceded her in death.

ZIELKE, ERVIN J.
Funeral services for Ervin J. Zielke, 76, of Bethel Home for Aged, Newton, were held Nov. 16 at First Mennonite Church. He died Nov. 11 at the home. Pastor Floyd Bartel officiated. Burial was in Greenwood Cemetery. A native of Coy, Okla., he formerly was a riveter for McDonnell-Douglas, Long Beach, Calif., and former member of the Downey (Calif.) Mennonite Church. Survivors include four brothers, Donald of Newton, Walter of Pollock Pines, Calif., Loren of Indianapolis, Ind., and Leroy of Topeka; and three sisters, Linda Friesen of North Newton, Elnora Buczeskie of Sylmar, Calif., and Evelyn Mcginnis of Mercer Island, Wash.

MARGARET CLASSEN
Margaret Classen, 84, of Meade, died Nov. 12. She was the mother of Della Regier and Arlene Decker of Newton. Funeral services were held Nov. 14 at Emmanuel Mennonite Church, Meade. Other survivors include her husband, C.F., five sons, one daughter, two sisters, 23 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

Transcribed by Ralph Shetler, Oregon

 


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