Kraft-Workman Funeral, 114 W. Main St.,
Mountville PA 17554 - 717-684-6633
Harder, Olga Peters, 90, of St
James, Watonwan Co., MN died September 26, 2006 at St James, Watonwan
Co, MN. She was born March 8, 1916 in Carson Twp., Cottonwood
Co., MN to Herman P. & Elizabeth (Baer) Peters. On September
4, 1946 she was married to Peter M Harder, who is deceased.
Surviving are brothers and sisters: Herman Peters Jr; Almeda (Ed)
Quiring; Lawrence
(Anita) Peters; and Elma Wolf.
Predeceased by siblings: Waldo Peters; Clarence Peters; Arnie Peters
The funeral was held September 29, 2006 at First Mennonite Church,
Mountain Lake, Cottonwood Co., MN with burial in the adjoining
cemetery.
She was a member of Mennonite Church USA.
Submitted by: E Elaine Kauffman
Mountain Lake, MN
Edited by: Thelma Hoover Martin
Handrich,
Willard Donald
Handrich,
Eldon
Handrich,
Maggie
Retired pastor, two others drown on [Lake] Superior
By Robert Rhodes
Mennonite Weekly Review – Oct. 23, 2006
GRAND MARAIS, Mich. — A retired Mennonite pastor who was a skilled
woodsman and carpenter died Oct. 6, along with his son and
daughter-in-law, when his boat capsized in rough seas on Lake Superior.
Killed were
Willard Donald Handrich,
89, his son,
Eldon Handrich,
59,
and his son’s wife,
Maggie Handrich,
60, both of Laramie, Wyo.
A fourth companion, longtime friend Robert Nyman, 62, of Grand Marais,
was rescued after more than 14 hours in 55-degree water. He told
authorities he saw the other three drown after struggling for hours to
remain afloat near the overturned vessel.
After two days of searching, none of the bodies was recovered,
according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Willard Handrich was the founding pastor of Grand Marais Mennonite
Church in 1949, according to Pastor Steven Post.
Post said Oct. 10 that Handrich was a skilled woodsman and carpenter
who cut much of the wood for the church building himself, in addition
to crafting the pews and cherry-wood altar, which are still in use.
“They really had sacrificed to do the work here,” Post said of Handrich
and his widow, Mary, who married in 1941.
Born Dec. 25, 1916, at Fairview, the son of Elmer and Verna Beachy
Handrich, he was a graduate of Fairview High School.
Handrich married Mary Lehman on Dec. 31, 1941, and was a conscientious
objector during World War II. He served in Civilian Public Service from
1942-46, including a stint as a smoke jumper in the Montana Rockies in
1945, according to the family. He also worked for a seed growers
association and was joint owner of a grain elevator in Millersburg from
1946-50.
Handrich was ordained on Oct. 3, 1948, and served the Grand Marais
congregation as pastor for 32 years. He also was a self-employed
woodsman and drove an ambulance in the area before a regular volunteer
service was formed.
After retirement, Handrich and his wife traveled and spent time in
Alamo, Texas. He was an avid gardener and beekeeper, as well as a
hunter and fisherman who enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren.
Handrich’s daughter, Carla Stoltzfus of Lakewood, Colo., said he
remained vital even in old age, chopping wood and enjoying sailing up
to the time of his death.
Surviving are Handrich’s wife, Mary; a son, Rod Handrich of Lakewood,
Colo.; three daughters, Carla and her husband, Vernon Stoltzfus, of
Lakewood, Colo., Shirley and her husband, Mario Bustos, of Valparaiso,
Ind., and Joetta and her husband, Gerald Schlabach, of St. Paul, Minn.;
a brother, Bruce; nine grandchildren; a step-grandson; and four
great-grandchildren.
Eldon Michael Handrich was born Feb. 6, 1947, at Alpena. He graduated
from Burt Township School in Grand Marais and earned bachelor’s and
master’s degrees from the University of Colorado Medical School. He
completed a family practice residency and served operating rooms in
Cheyenne and Rock Springs, Wyo. With his first wife, Frances Dallarosa,
Handrich had two children, Tessa of San Diego, Calif., and Dylan of
Golden, Colo.
Maggie Handrich was an emergency room nurse. A native of Illinois and
the daughter of Arthur and Mary Dehart Martin, she had a son, Brent
Prunty of Wheatland, Wyo.
The couple, who were married in 1992, raised bison on their Prairie
Monarch ranch near Laramie, where Maggie Handrich excelled in butter
and cheese making, according to the family.
Eldon Handrich competed in marathons and winter triathlons, was a pilot
and enjoyed outdoor sports. Like his father, he was a beekeeper.
A memorial service was to be held Oct. 13 at Grand Marais Mennonite
Church.
Memorials may be made to Mennonite Central Committee, 21 S. 12th St.,
Akron, PA 17501, for international water projects, or to Heifer Project
International, P.O. Box 8058, Little Rock, AR 72203, to provide animals
to Third World families.
Survivor tells tale
By John Pepin, Mining Journal Munising Bureau
The boat ramp at Grand Marais Harbor has been a concern for boaters for
years because of sand flushed into the harbor from Lake Superior. With
the harbor’s depth more shallow than in previous decades, sand chokes
the marina and ramp more easily. A Grand Marais woman whose husband
survived a boating disaster Oct. 6 wants the harbor improved to allow
bigger boats easier access. (Journal file photo by John Pepin)
By JOHN PEPIN, Journal Munising Bureau
GRAND MARAIS — On a sunny day in Grand Marais, it was ironic that a
raincoat would be the thing that saved Robert Nyman’s life.
The 62-year-old Grand Marais man who clung to an overturned fishing
boat for nearly 14 hours before being rescued on Saturday, October 7th
said cinching the jacket with a belt around his waist kept him from
sharing the fate of three companions whose bodies are still missing in
Lake Superior.
“I just happened to be dressed for the conditions,” Robert said.
A U.S. Coast Guard search for the boat’s owner, Willard Handrich, 90,
of Grand Marais, his son Eldon Handrich, 59, and Eldon’s wife Maggie,
60, both of Laramie, Wyo., was suspended on Oct. 7.
What turned out to be a grim ordeal endured by each of the four boaters
began pleasantly as an autumn lake trout fishing trip to a place five
miles from shore, frequented almost daily by Nyman and his local
fishing buddies.
The excursion began at about 9:30 a.m. Oct. 6 when the elder Handrich —
founder of the Mennonite Church in Grand Marais — his doctor and
buffalo ranch owner son Willard, Willard’s wife Maggie and Nyman
boarded a 17-foot aluminum fishing boat called the Blue Heron.
The group had planned to quit fishing at about noon, but a series of
problems occurred before that time, beginning when Eldon Handrich got
some downrigging line caught in the propeller of the larger of two
motors aboard the boat.
With the wind picking up, the boat turned back out to deeper water
while Eldon worked to free the propeller.
“Then a wave came in the back of the boat,” Nyman said. “We decided we
were going to quit right there.”
Then the smaller motor the boaters had been using quit running.
“I got on the radio and I was calling for help,” Nyman said.
No one answered the radio distress calls. There were no other boats in
the area that day. The boat was riding lower than usual in the water,
possibly because a live well was filled with water.
But with the line now untangled from the propeller, the bigger of the
two boat motors was started and the Blue Heron headed for shore. Nyman
had hooked a fish that was being dragged along as the boat moved.
Then the second motor also quit running.
“I don’t know if it was over-choked or what,” he said.
The fishing boat rose and fell over 4-foot swells on the water.
“They were getting life jackets out and another wave hit the boat,”
Nyman said. “The back end (of the boat) dropped and it flipped right
over. It rolled over so fast, I don’t remember anything other than
climbing up the side of the boat.”
Nyman had fishing line and rope tangled around his leg as he climbed.
He was wearing a life jacket that was adjusted to fit a much smaller
person.
From the top of the capsized boat, he saw Maggie Handrich drifting
away, wearing a life vest.
“I’d seen her on the water,” Nyman said. “She looked like she was
floating on her back and I could hear her moaning.”
Nyman spotted a life vest floating nearby and though he hadn’t been
swimming for 30 years, he dove in to retrieve the jacket for Eldon
Handrich, who had hoped to reach his wife.
“I couldn’t keep my head up. I was choking on waves,” Nyman said. “I
was choking on water. My lungs were burning and I couldn’t hardly
breathe.”
The life jacket drifted out of Nyman’s reach as he struggled in the
55-degree water, heavy boots working to weigh him down.
“I just made it back to the boat,” he said. “Lucky is all.”
During Nyman’s absence, Eldon Handrich had jumped into the water
without a jacket and tried to reach Maggie.
“He was athletic and an emergency room doctor,” Nyman said. “He should
have been able to get to his wife and bring her back, I thought.”
But that wasn’t the case.
Willard Handrich had watched from the boat as his son sunk beneath the
waves.
“His dad saw him drown,” Nyman said. “He said, ‘I lost my son’ when I
got back to the boat. I think that did him in right there. After a
while, he said, ‘Bob, I don’t think we’re going to make it.’”
Nyman replied, “Not unless somebody comes by here pretty soon.”
With the lined raincoat cinched tight around his waist, Nyman had
zipped the coat up as high as it would go. He had a hood on and was
exhaling warm air into the jacket to keep himself warm.
His legs were very cold. He positioned himself on the boat so he could
exercise them occasionally. He prayed for help.
Willard Handrich stopped answering Nyman’s questions.
“His hearing aid give out and he couldn’t hear me,” he said. “He laid
on the boat across the keel and he got real quiet. He must have had a
heart attack or something.”
In 90 feet of water, the lake claimed Willard’s body.
“A wave took him right off the boat,” Nyman said. “He didn’t move a
muscle. He floated there for a little while and then he just sunk.”
Back on shore, Nyman’s wife Stephanie had called the U.S. Coast Guard
and a local man and National Park Service rangers put boats in the
lake, but couldn’t find the Blue Heron.
“I just knew, I could feel there was something wrong or they would have
been back in,” Stephanie Nyman said. “I was sitting on a bench at the
marina until 10 o’clock. I finally came home. I couldn’t stand to sit
there and look at that water.”
While he fought to stay awake and on the boat, Nyman said he watched a
C-130 plane, a freighter and helicopter all pass him without seeing
him. He watched other aircraft searching an area far beyond him.
Then, when he had drifted to a little more than 11 miles from shore, he
saw a helicopter pass over. A crewman would never see the boat, but
only catch a glimpse of Nyman’s hands waving for help.
“I thought only by the grace of God I’d be saved,” he said. “That last
helicopter it went right to me. Then the lights shone on me and I knew
they had me then.”
It was 1:45 a.m.
Nyman jumped into the lake and a rescue swimmer helped him into a
basket. He was lifted up and flown to Sawyer International Airport and
then taken to Marquette General Hospital. He was discharged the
following day.
He said he wanted to live to see his wife and to tell the surviving
Handrich family members what had happened.
With the menominee now biting, Nyman said he’d like to return to Lake
Superior for more fishing, but a badly-shaken Stephanie said she won’t
let that happen until next year.
“I can’t handle that. This is too soon,” she said. “I almost lost my
husband and it’s a shock to me. I’m thawing out now, but I’ve been numb
this whole time.
“I’m just thankful that my husband is alive. I just feel sorrowful and
grief that our friends didn’t (make it). It’s so overwhelming. People
do not know how this feels.
“Lake Superior is not respectful of people or anything. It’s cold and
it doesn’t always give up what it takes. It’s not like the other Great
Lakes.”
VISITATION AND MEMORIAL SERVICE
There will be a visitation on Thursday, October 12, from 4-7pm at the
Grand Marais Mennonite Church.
A memorial service will be held on Friday, October 13, at 11am at the
Burt Township School Auditorium. This will be followed by a meal and a
time of community recollection in the Holy Rosary Catholic Church Hall.
All are welcome.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Mennonite Central
Committee, 21 S. 12th St., Akron, PA 17501. The website address is
www.mcc.org (for international water projects).
Memorials may also be made to Heifer Project International, P.O. Box
8058, Little Rock, AR 72203. A direct link to the Handrich memorial
page is www.heifer.org/myregistry/handrich
By JOETTA HANDRICH SCHLABACH, St. Paul, Minn.
Mennonite Weekly Review December 18, 2006
Although a number of weeks have lapsed since the article, "Re-tired
Pastor, Two Family Mem-bers Die in Accident," was pub-lished (Oct. 23),
my family would like to make a few corrections and an update.
Willard, Eldon and Maggie Handrich all struggled in the wa-ter after
the Oct. 6 boating acci-dent, but not for hours. When the boat
capsized, Willard, Eldon and Bob Nyman, the survivor, all re-turned to
the boat. Eldon left the boat and tried unsuccessfully to rescue his
wife. Willard saw him go under. The wind carried Maggie, who was
wearing a life pre-server, away from the boat. She died of hypothermia
and possibly drowning. Her body washed up on the shores of Montreal
Island near Wawa, Ont., and was found on Nov. 12. Willard did not
drown. He survived several hours after the accident, lying over the
keel of the boat with waves wash-ing over the lower part of his body.
After some time, Bob saw his body go limp, and then the next wave
washed him away. Bob was dressed warmly and was sit-ting on top of the
overturned boat until his rescue. Our family is very grateful for Bob's
miraculous survival, as he was able to tell us what happened.
Although Willard was a skilled woodsman and sawmill owner, he was not a
carpenter, as the article indicated. While he cut the wood for the
Grand Marais Mennonite Church furnishings, it was Weaver Cabinets of
Gulliver, Mich., that crafted the pews and the late Norman Wea-ver, a
fellow Upper Peninsula Mennonite pastor, who built the communion table.
My brother, Rod Handrich of Denver, Colo., should have been listed as
Willard's surviving son.
On behalf of my family, I would like to thank readers who have shared
our grief and up-held us in prayer.
Also surviving is a brother, Freeman
(Esther). He was predeceased by siblings: Bertha Freed, Dorothy
Toy, Viola Hostetler, Willis Hartman, Clarence Hartman, Alphaeus
Hartman, and Gerald Hartman.
Haws, Ernest D., 88, of
Schwenksville, Montgomery Co., PA died June 13, 2006. He was born
to Llewelyn & Elsie (Reppert) Haws. He was married to Edna
Freed, who survives. His first marriage was to the late Marie (Feather)
Haws.
Surviving are children, Patricia Kuestner – Donald; Pamela Rakowski;
Robin Nice – Duane; 2 grandchildren, and 1 great-grandchildren.
Also surviving are sisters, Mildred Carter and June Jones. He was
predeceased by a brother, Robert Meager.
The funeral was held June 17, 2006 at Hersteins Mennonite Church,
Schwenksville, Montgomery Co.. PA.
He was a member of Mennonite Church USA.
Submitted by: Earl Anders,
Elroy, PA
Edited by: Thelma Hoover Martin
Heffentrager Alice Wampole,
84, of North Wales, PA died May 14, 2006. She was born to William
& Carrie (Dettra) Wampole. She was married to Abel
S.Heffentrager, who is deceased.
Surviving are children, Alice A. Newton, Susan D. Elverson, Sally G.
Heffentrager, and two
grandchildren.
The funeral was held May 16, 2006 at Grace Mennonite Church, Lansdale
PA.
She was a member of Mennonite Church USA.
Submitted by: Unknown
Edited by: Thelma Hoover Martin
Helmuth,
Angelina Faith, infant daughter of Lester O: and Marlene Yoder,
Helmuth was stillborn at 10:20 p.m. on Wednesday, October 11, 2006, at
Provena Covenant Medical Center in Urbana. A private graveside fu-neral
service was held Satur-day in Arthur Cemetery with Rev. Glen Rhodes
officiat-ing. Edwards Funeral Home assisted the family with
ar-rangements.
Angelina Faith is sur-vived by her parents, Les and Marlene Helmuth;
one sister, Alexis Grace Helmuth at home; maternal grandmother, Ruby
Yoder of Tuscola; paternal grandparents, Oba and Anna Helmuth of
Arthur; and several aunts, uncles, and cousins.
She was preceded in death by her maternal grandfather, John Henry
Yoder; one brother, Bradley; and one sister, Breanna.
Published in: Arthur Graphic,
Arthur, IL
October 19, 2006
Submitted by: Lizzie Ann Kauffman
Herbine,
Pearl M., 77, of Lansdale, PA died May 14, 2006 of natural
causes. She was born to John & Mary (Kletzing) Frey.
She was married to Charles R. Herbine, who is deceased.
The funeral was held May 18, 2006 at Grace Mennonite Church, Lansdale
PA.
She was a member of Mennonite Church USA.
Submitted by: Ruth Delp
Edited by: Thelma Hoover Martin