Mennonite Weekly Review - August, 2010

 


   Aeschliman, Anna L. Stuckey;   Bontrager, Jonas "J.D.";   Diller, Ivan R.;   Goering, Orlando J.;   Krehbiel, Muriel Gay Higginbotham;   Miller, John J.;   Sawatzky, John;   Sutter, Elsie Elizabeth Eash;   

Mennonite Weekly Review - August 2, 2010 - 88th Year, No. 27 - p. 13

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Krehbiel, Muriel Gay Higginbotham

Muriel Gay (Higginbotham) Krehbiel, 76, died July 2, 2010. She was born Dec. 4, 1933, to Everett  and Zella Higginbotham. The third of eight children, she was born in Culp, Ark.

She attended the Mennonite school there and became a Christian at age 13 at Bethel Springs Mennonite Church. She graduated in 1952 from Western Mennonite School in Salem, Ore., where she was a choir member and valedictorian of her class. It was at a concert that she met Herman Krehbiel. They were married June 12, 1954.

She was a member at Sheridan, Albany and Corvallis Mennonite churches of Oregon and Sunnyslope Mennonite Church of Phoenix, Ariz. She was currently a member of Faith Presbyterian Church in Sun City, Ariz.

She was a devout Christian and faithful throughout her life, teaching young children in Sunday school and Bible school, participating in church choirs, and making deep friendships wherever she went.

She was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1974. She never complained as her health declined. After months in hospitals, she was cared for at home. She succumbed to complications of long-term MS, and died at home.

Survivors include her husband of 56 years, Herman; four children, Ken, Randy, Kathryn Yoder and Carolyn Janet Fiedler and their spouses; and eight grandchildren.

Memorial services were held at Sunnyslope Mennonite Church, Phoenix, Ariz.

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Sutter, Elsie Elizabeth Eash

Elsie Elizabeth Eash Sutter, 90, of Goshen, Ind., died June 28, 2010, at Greencroft Healthcare after a lengthy illness. She was born Feb. 18, 1920, to Sem K. and Suie (Blough) Eash in Johnstown, Pa.

She married Clayton Sutter on Oct. 8, 1943, in Springs, Pa.

She worked as co-administrator at the Home for the Aged in Eureka, Ill., from 1946 to 1956 and lived in Goshen since 1963. Until her retirement, she taught fourth grade at Chamberlain Elementary School in Goshen.  She was a member of East Goshen Mennonite Church and was formerly on the Walnut Hill Daycare board of directors and a member of the National Education Association. She volunteered at Goshen Hospice beginning in 1988 and at Greencroft beginning in 1989.

Survivors include her husband, Clayton; a son, Sem Sutter and his partner, John Easton, of Chicago; three daughters, Miriam Lapp and her husband, Stephen, of West Liberty, Ohio, Beth Sutter and Ruth Sutter, both of Philadelphia; three sisters, Mabel Lehman and her husband, Owen, of Hollsopple, Pa., Florence Livengood and her husband, Guy, of Grantsville, Md., and Esther Yoder of Goshen; four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by a sister, Ruth Yoder.

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Goering, Orlando J.

Orlando J. Goering, 89, of Freeman, S.D., died July 8, 2010, at Oakview Terrace. He was born Nov. 7, 1920, to Benjamin B.J. and Anna (Goering) Goering near Moundridge, Kan.

He was baptized on May 30, 1937, at Eden Mennonite Church of rural Moundridge. He graduated from Bethel College, North Newton, Kan., in 1943. He completed seminary training at Garrett Theological Seminary, Evanston, Ill., and earned his master’s and doctorate degrees in sociology from Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. He taught at Freeman Junior College, Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, Bluffton (Ohio) University and was professor emeritus of sociology at the University of South Dakota, where he taught from 1971 to 1984.

At Bethel College he met Violet Miller, and they were married on June 1, 1944.

His interest in religious and ethnic groups let to the publication of numerous articles relating to various communal groups in South Dakota, including the Hutterites. He and his wife, Violet, collaborated on research and were contributors to the South Dakota History journal. His hobbies included woodworking and maintaining his farm.

Upon retirement, he and Violet served from 1984 to 1987 under the General Conference Mennonite Church mission board at Hiroshima, Japan, as directors of the World Friendship Center, which helped atomic bomb survivors and promoted world peace. When they returned to Vermillion, he served as interim pastor at Sermon on the Mount Mennonite Church in Sioux Falls. In 1996 they moved to Freeman, where they were active members of Salem Mennonite Church.
Survivors include a son, Arden Goering and his wife, Candace, of Sioux Falls; two daughters, Diane Hanson and her husband, Phil, of Denver, and Janice Goering of Newtown, Pa.; three siblings, Dorothy Krehbiel of Inman, Kan., Clarence Goering of Moundridge and Milo Goering of Halstead, Kan.; six grandchildren; four great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Violet, on March 16, 2004; a daughter, Lynette; two sisters, Elda Waltner and Myrtle Unruh; and a brother, Delbert Goering.

Memorial services were held at Salem Mennonite Church, Freeman. Burial was in Salem Mennonite Church Cemetery.

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Diller, Ivan R.

Ivan R. Diller, 87, of Hesston, Kan., died July 18, 2010. He was born Jan. 23, 1923, to Jacob R. and Grace (Cooprider) Diller in Hesston.
He was a lifelong resident of Hesston and graduated from Hesston Academy. He married Doris Jantz on March 16, 1947, at Greensburg (Kan.) Mennonite Church.

He worked in construction with his father before becoming owner and manager of Diller Construction.  The business was turned over to Preferred Builders in 1989, and he continued doing finish work on a part-time basis.

A member of Hesston Mennonite Church, he was involved as a volunteer with Mennonite Disaster Service from the organization’s beginning. He also volunteered with the Hesston Fire Department for many years. He sang with the Kansas Mennonite Men’s Chorus and various quartets for decades.

Survivors include his wife of 63 years, Doris; four children, Althea Harvey and her husband, Ron, of Front Royal, Va., Stephen Diller and his wife, Janelle, of Colorado Springs, Colo., Betty Jo Hague and  her husband, Barth, of Newton, and Jeanie Martin and her husband, Greg, of Elkhart, Ind.; two brothers,  Robert Diller and his wife, Marcella, and Eugene Diller and his wife, Donna, all of Hesston; eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by three siblings, John Diller, Allen Diller and Lois Hershberger.

A celebration of life service was held at Hesston Mennonite Church. Burial was in Eastlawn Cemetery.


Mennonite Weekly Review - August 9, 2010 - 88th Year, No. 28 - p. 9

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Aeschliman, Anna L. Stuckey


Anna L. Aeschliman, 91, died July 17, 2010, at Fairlawn Haven in Archbold, Ohio. She was born Dec. 18, 1918, to Aaron and Sarah (Eicher) Stuckey near Archbold.
She married Hyrthal Aeschliman on Feb. 18, 1941, and he preceded her in death Feb. 26, 2007.

A resident of the Stryker, Ohio, area for many years, she was a homemaker and helped on the farm. She was happiest when surrounded by her family.
Church was always important for her. As a young teenager, she became a member of Lockport Mennonite Church in Stryker. She and Hyrthal Aeschliman rented a farm south of Wauseon, Ohio, after marriage, and she became a member of West Clinton Mennonite Church. In 1953 she and Hyrthal Aeschliman purchased the Cloverleaf Farm south of Stryker, and she became a member of Pine Grove Mennonite Church. There she taught children, served in the women’s ministry and helped in many other areas. She moved to Fairlawn Haven in 2008 and enjoyed attending chapel services there.

In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by five brothers, Walter, Chester, Joseph, Earl and Donald; and a granddaughter, Terri Davis.

She is survived two brothers, Ivan Stuckey of Burr Oak, Mich., and Arthur Stuckey and his wife, Mary Ellen, of Archbold; one sister, Clara Frey of Wauseon; five children, Janice Kreider and her husband, J. Evan, of Vancouver, B.C., Judy Davis and her husband, Charles, of Fort Wayne, Ind., Betty Beck and her husband, Doug, of Stryker, David Aeschliman and his wife, Connie, of Stryker, and Sue Groff and her husband, Marlin, of Kinzers, Pa.; 12 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

Memorial services were held at Lockport Mennonite Church in Stryker. Burial was in Lockport Cemetery.

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Bontrager, Jonas "J.D."


Jonas “J.D.” Bontrager, 97, died July 28, 2010, at Promise Regional Medical Center, Hutchinson, Kan.  He was born May 17, 1913, to D.Y. and Susan Nissley Bontrager near Haven. 

A resident of South Hutchinson since 1998, he had previously lived in Yoder and Iowa City, Iowa. He was a farmer and a mechanic. In 1976, he retired from his job as a house mechanic for the University of Iowa. After his retirement, he had a saw sharpening business in Yoder. He was a member of South Hutchinson Mennonite Church. 

He married Alma Roth on Dec. 1, 1938, in Milford, Neb. She preceded him in death on June 6, 2002.

Survivors include a son, Dale Bontrager of Harlan, Ind.; two daughters, Joan Boley of Golden, Colo., and Mary Alice Troyer of La Junta, Colo.; five brothers, Abe Bontrager of South Hutchinson, Ira Bontrager of Springfield, Mo., Eli Bontrager of Newton, David Bontrager of Hutchinson and Glen Bontrager of Portage, Mich.; two sisters, Mae Popp of South Hutchinson and Emma Lou Saunders of Vinita, Okla.; eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. 

He was preceded in death by his wife, Alma; two brothers, Dan and Roy Bontrager; and two sisters, Ida Yoder and Clara Yoder.
Funeral services were held at South Hutchinson Mennonite Church. Burial was in Yoder Mennonite Cemetery.


Mennonite Weekly Review - August 16, 2010 - 88th Year, No. 29 - p. 9

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Sawatzky, John

 
John Sawatzky, 95, of Mountain Lake, Minn., died July 8, 2010, at Good Samaritan Home. He was born Nov. 3, 1914, to Margarete Lehn and Johann Sawatzky in Adelsheim, Russia.

His early years were filled with the realities of war and terror along with being the oldest son and assuming the responsibility of helping his mother feed the family after his father’s death when he was 19. Life was always being put on the line, and in spite of religion being banned he was steadfast in his faith. The brutality he lived with made a big impact on him. The fact that life goes on in difficult situations was a blessing. On Jan. 6, 1938, he married Elizabeth Forrer.
There were no churches to bless this union but faith was never lost.  Working on the collective farm was hard work, but he excelled, working very hard to do his best to provide for his family. The threat of death, from either starvation or being killed, was constant. Eventually he and his family arrived in Backnang, Germany, at the MCC refugee camp. It was there that both he and Elizabeth were baptized on July 4, 1948, by Peter Dyck. They came to live in Mountain Lake, Minn., in 1949.

He worked for P.G. Rahn, who sponsored him, and as a cabinet maker until, in 1953, he worked for Midland Coop Oil, from where he retired. He was a member of Bethel Mennonite Church of Mountain Lake. The church was a cornerstone in his life, and he served as Sunday school teacher, superintendant and deacon. He flourished in the safe environment of this country, and he and Elizabeth enjoyed 46 years of marriage and many wonderful trips to see friends and relatives across the U.S. and Canada. His family was a source of satisfaction and pride.

After Elizabeth died, on Aug. 9, 1989, he married Mabel (Worms) Janzen, and they enjoyed 17 happy years of marriage.

Survivors include five children, Elsie Stomberg and her husband, Robert, Gerhardt Sawatzky and his wife, Jeannie, Lorena Sawatzky Mierau, David Sawatzky and his wife, Jeannie, and Mary Frederickson and her husband, Timothy; a stepdaughter, Faye (Janzen) Krause; two brothers, Cornelius of Winnipeg, Man., and George of Dinuba, Calif.; a sister, Lydia of Winnipeg, Man.; 16 grandchildren; four step-grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his first wife, Elizabeth, and his second wife, Mabel; a son, John; two daughters, Margaret and Elizabeth; and three sisters, Agnes, Helen and Elizabeth.


Mennonite Weekly Review - August 23, 2010 - 88th Year, No. 30 - p. 9

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Miller, John J.


John J. Miller, 67, of Lancaster, Pa., died Aug. 1, 2010, of a brain tumor. He was born Aug. 24, 1942, the ninth of 11 children, to Jacob E. and Polly (Helmuth) Miller in Arthur, Ill.

He grew up in Goshen, Ind., and graduated from Eastern Mennonite College and Manhattan School of Music. He spent two years of alternate service in Espelkamp, Germany, working at a children’s home.

He was a music and drama teacher, teaching 11 years at Locust Grove Mennonite School, seven years at Rosslyn Academy in Nairobi, Kenya, 16 years at Lancaster Mennonite School, and one year each at Greenwood Mennonite School and Hinkletown Mennonite School. In 1975 he founded the Mennonite Middle School Choral Festival. After his retirement in 2008, he worked part time with music ministries at Neffsville Mennonite Church.

He will be remembered as a vocalist and actor. He sang with various choral groups, including the Mennonite Hour Quartet, and performed in numerous settings as a soloist. He was a frequent actor in plays by Merle Good at the Guernsey Barn in Lancaster, Pa., and beyond, and played a role in the movie Hazel's People.

Survivors include his wife of nearly 40 years, Helen (Kraybill) Miller; a son, Wendell Epp Miller and his wife, Rachel; and a daughter, Frances Miller.

He was preceded in death by a brother, Daniel.

Memorial services were held at the Lancaster Mennonite School Fine Arts Center. Burial was in Bossier Mennonite Church cemetery in Elizabethtown.



No issue on August 30, 2010


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