Mennonite World Review - May 2014
Obituaries are emailed to MennObits before MWR is printed. Wording may vary in printed version.
Amstutz, Judy Ebersole ; . . Ediger, Lydia Schmidt ; . . Friesen, William L.
Mennonite World Review - May 12, 2014 - 92nd Year, No. 10 - p. 18
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Paul S. Kauffman, 97, of Kalispell, Mont., died Feb. 27, 2014. He was born Dec. 1, 1916, to Norman Leroy and Anna Grace (Snyder) Kauffman near Creston.
He was baptized upon his confession of faith at Mountain View Mennonite Church and was a lifelong member of that church.
He finished eighth grade in 1930 and went to work full time in the family sawmill.
On May 31, 1943, he married Esther Borntrager at Red Top Mennonite Church in Bloomfield.
In 1946 they moved to the Creston area, where they lived for more than 60 years. His work was mainly outdoors - in the family sawmill, driving a logging truck and operating a small farm. He fished and hunted and enjoyed camping and traveling.
Music was a lifelong passion. He led congregational singing, organized quartets and ensembles, sang in choral groups and community choral societies and was a charter member of the Flathead Valleyaires Barbershop Chorus. He was one of the group that started the Christian radio station KALS.
Survivors include three sons, Dan and his wife, Debbie, Ken and his wife, Frieda, and Steve and his wife, Ginger, all of Kalispell; three daughters, Elaine Kauffman of Mountain Lake, Minn., Brenda Younger and her husband, Steve, of Colby, Kan., and Alice Arneson and her husband, Richard, of Brier, Wash.; two brothers, David and Joe; two sisters, Rosella Eby and Gladys Reimer; 13 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Esther; three daughters, Eileen, Arlene and Rebecca; his favorite borrowed grandson, Travis Herring; and 10 siblings, Reuben, Mabel Miller, Ruth Stutzman, Mary Slater, Aldine Kauffman, Berniece Reimer, Norman, Lillie Weber, James and Sanford.
Burial was in Fairview Cemetery. Memorial services were held at Mountain View Mennonite Church in Creston.
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William L. "Bill" Friesen, 97, died March 26, 2014, at Kidron Bethel Village in North Newton, Kan. He was born July 9, 1916, to Bernhard A. Friesen and Katie (Abrahams) Friesen on a farm near Henderson, Neb.
A resident of North Newton most of his life, he taught at Bethel College, managed the college farm, served as the business manager and treasurer of the General Conference Mennonite Church and as president of Schowalter Foundation.
On Nov. 30, 1944, he married Margaret Reimer in Beatrice, Neb.
Survivors include his wife, Margaret; two sons, Randall and Warren; a daughter, Michelle Friesen-Carper; a brother, Elmer; two sisters, Martha Friesen and Nina Heiser; six grandchildren and four great-grandsons.
He was preceded in death by an infant sister, Alma; and a sister, Goldie Peters.
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David V. Kauffman, 92, of Whitefish, Mont., died April 14, 2014. He was born Jan. 30, 1922, to N.L. and Anna Snyder Kauffman near Creston.
As a youth he joined Mountain View Mennonite Church. He worked on the family farm, in the family sawmill and as a packer for the U.S. Forest Service until World War II. He then served in Civilian Public Service camps as a smokejumper and then joined the crew of the USS Mount Whitney to transport horses to postwar Poland. Returning from Poland, he enrolled at Eastern Mennonite College for studies in pre-med.
On June 10, 1950, he married Ruth Eberly at Akron, Pa.
After completing medical training at Hahenmann University Hospital in Philadelphia and surgical residency in Spokane, Wash., they settled in Whitefish, where he practiced family medicine more than 40 years and served as a lay minister for Whitefish Christian Church for more than 20 years. He performed marriages and funerals all over the Flathead Valley, with many memorable weddings in Glacier National Park. Music was enjoyed as he was growing up in a family with 14 siblings. As an adult he was a part of the Barbershop Chorus and Community Choir.
Survivors include his wife, Ruth; two sons, David and Stephen; two daughters, Elizabeth "Betsy" Harmon and Rebecca "Becky" Piotrowski; two sisters, Rosella Eby and Gladys Reimer; four grandsons and two granddaughters.
He was preceded in death by six brothers, Reuben, Paul, Aldine, Norman, Jim and Sanford; and five sisters, Mabel Miller, Ruth Stutzman, Mary Slatter, Berniece Reimer and Lillie Weber.
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Ediger, Lydia Schmidt
Lydia Schmidt Ediger, 98, of Inman, Kan., died May 12, 2014, at Pleasant View Home. She was born Aug. 27, 1915, to Jacob F. Schmidt and Maria (Dyck) Schmidt in Harvey County.
She married Albert M. Ediger on May 12, 1939, at Hoffnungsau Mennonite Church, rural Inman, where she attended her entire life.
They farmed east of Buhler for more than 40 years before retiring in Buhler in 1982. In 1997 they moved to Pleasant View Home.
She graduated from Buhler High School in 1934. She enjoyed family and church, crocheting and quilting for grandchildren and great-grandchildren, gardening and canning, cooking and baking, and helping Albert on the farm. She was always available to help others, wanting to care for her family and others. She was an especially gracious hostess and entertained others in their home frequently. She worked part time at H&H Meats, both in Haven and Hesston. She served on Bethel College Women’s Association, was involved in Harvey County EHU, worked for years helping with food at the State Fair, and volunteered at Etcetera Shop in Hutchinson. She was a frequent children’s Sunday school and vacation Bible school teacher.
Survivors include three sons, LaVon and his wife, Linda, of McPherson, Byron and his wife, Janet, of Newton, and Glen and his wife, Karen, of North Newton; a sister, Rubena Friesen of Highland Ranch, Colo.; six grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Albert; and by four brothers, John, Eldo, Olin and Otto Schmidt.
Graveside services were held at Hoffnungsau Mennonite Church Cemetery. Memorial services were at Hoffnungsau Mennonite Church.
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Amstutz, Judy Ebersole
Judy Amstutz, 80, of Denver, Colo., died April 5, 2014. She was born Julia Ruth Ebersole on June 24, 1933, to Clarence and Ruth Ebersole in La Junta.
The youngest of three children, she enjoyed working with her dad on their small farm. She was a passionate musician, singing in many choirs and playing the violin in high school, college and community orchestras. She attended Goshen (Ind.) College, where as a freshman she met senior classman Mahlon Amstutz. They dated a year before he went to Europe for service as an alternative to military conscription. Their courtship continued more than two years via Aerogram letters. Meanwhile, she started her own path of service by enrolling in the nurses training program at the La Junta Mennonite School of Nursing, founded by her uncle Allen Erb. With her training completed, Mahlon and she were married on June 16, 1956.
Once their four children arrived, she put her career on hold to raise their family. She resumed her nursing career 16 years later, working on a part-time basis in the Denver metro area in public health and hospital nursing.
She and Mahlon raised their children with a strong work ethic, sense of family loyalty, a passion for learning and a love of traveling. She was an effective teacher and coach to her family, fostering interdependence and responsibility. She used her sense of humor to make work more fun. Once she and Mahlon retired they enjoyed at least 25 years of domestic and international travel, visiting Europe, Scandinavia, Russia, Thailand, Vietnam, Mexico and Canada. Always gregarious, she enjoyed volunteering for the multiple precursors of what is now Ten Thousand Villages. She and Mahlon both enjoyed singing with The Columbine Chorale and church choir. She will be remembered as a loving mother and wife, reliable friend, conscientious worker and joyful musician.