Mennonite World Review - May 2017
Obituaries are emailed to MennObits before MWR is printed. Wording may vary in printed version.
Mennonite World Review - May 8, 2017 - 95th Year, No. 10 - p. 15
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Zehr, Howard Emanuel
Howard Emanuel Zehr, 88, of Gridley, Ill., died March 29, 2017, at Advocate BroMenn Medical Center in Normal. He was born June 29, 1928, to Edward and Louella Bertsche Zehr at Gridley.
He married Loretta Goertz on May 8, 1955, at Hoffnungsau Mennonite Church, rural Inman, Kan.
In the early 1950s he served in voluntary service at Wiltwick School for Boys in Esopus, N.Y. He was a feed salesman for 45 years beginning in 1954 with Honegger Feeds and Ringger Feeds, and retired from United Feeds in 1999. For many years he served on the board of Mennonite Hospital and later BroMenn Hospital. He enjoyed the many trips he and Loretta took to different states. He was a former member of Flanagan Mennonite Church and more recently of Prairieview Mennonite Church.
Survivors include his wife of 61 years, Loretta Zehr; five children, Cindy Ervin of Pawnee, Jay (Sandi) Zehr of Chenoa, Thomas (Sherry) Zehr of Danville, Ind., Donna (Steve) Ringger of Lexington and David (Mary) Zehr of Jasper, Ind.; two brothers, Orlyn (Jan) Zehr and Marvin (Jeannie) Zehr, both of Newton, Kan.; three sisters, Leola Flaming of Inman, Kan., Marilyn Yordy of Flanagan and Miriam (Robert) Liechty of Berne, Ind.; a sister-in-law, Marieanna Siemens of Inman, Kan.; a brother-in-law, Ron (Edye) Goertz of Millbrook, Ala.; 13 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by two brothers, Edmund and Donald; a sister, Evelyn; a son-in-law, Ron Ervin; brothers-in-law Vernon Flaming, EJ. Yordy and Marvin Siemens and brothers- and sisters-in-laws Harold and Wilma Goertz, Wilbur and Berniece Goertz and Arnold and Genny Goertz.
Memorial services were held at Prairieview Mennonite Church. Burial was in Waldo Township Cemetery. Memorials may be sent to Gridley Emergency Medical Services or Prairieview Mennonite Church.
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Detweiler, J. William "Bill"
John William (Bill) Detweiler, 87, of Kidron, Ohio, died April 6, 2017. He was born Nov. 29, 1929, a twin son of William G. and Anna (Landes) Detweiler in Norristown, Pa.
He graduated from Smithville High School in 1947, Eastern Mennonite College in Harrisonburg, Va., in 1951, and Faith Theological Seminary in Philadelphia in 1954. When his father died suddenly in 1956, he and his twin brother, Bob, returned to Orrville from additional seminary study to assume the responsibilities of The Calvary Hour radio broadcast begun by their father in 1936. He received the Distinguished Service Award from Eastern Mennonite University in 2001.
He accepted Christ at a young age and chose to dedicate his life to serving Christ. He began his ministry at Pleasant View Mennonite Church near North Lawrence. In 1957 he began pastoral duties at Kidron Mennonite Church, where he served faithfully until retirement in 1995. After 10 years of retirement, he served as an interim pastor at Mennonite Christian Assembly in Fredericksburg from May 2005 to June 2010.
In addition to his pastoral responsibilities, he and his twin brother, Bob, became the “twin speakers” on The Calvary Hour radio broadcast until Bob’s death in 1989. He continued with the radio ministry until its closing in December 2007. During his ministry, he was active in preaching and speaking across the U.S. and Canada. He loved life and fully followed Christ, discovering in that combination the secret of deep happiness.
Survivors include his wife, Ruth; three daughters, Dawn (Scott)Schell of Chagrin Falls, Jill (Bruce) Breckbill of Kidron and Beth (Ben) Grove of Elkhart, Ind.; and eight grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his twin brother, J. Robert (Bob); and his stepfather, Eli Stoltzfus.
Services were held at Kidron Mennonite Church.
Mennonite World Review - May 22, 2017 - 95th Year, No. 11 - p. 15
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Bartel, Floyd G.
Floyd G. Bartel, 87, of North Newton, Kan., died May 5, 2017, at Schowalter Villa in Hesston. He was born Nov. 25, 1929, in rural Hillsboro.
He was baptized in Johannestal Mennonite Church, finished high school at Mennonite Bible Academy at Bethel College and taught at Steinbach country school and Buhler Elementary School.
He married Pearl (Schroeder) Bartel in 1951, and they served a year of voluntary service in Cuauthemoc, Mexico. Returning to Kansas, he graduated from Bethel College in 1953. He then attended Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Chicago, where he was interim pastor at Woodlawn Mennonite Church. After graduating from MBS in 1956, he taught public school and trained at the Menninger Foundation in Topeka. While in Topeka, he became the founding pastor for Southern Hills Mennonite Church.
Beginning in 1965, he was the pastor of Bethel Mennonite Church in Lancaster, Pa., for 11 years. In 1976 he returned to Kansas, where he worked for the General Conference Mennonite Church Commission on Home Ministries. In 1982 he became pastor at First Mennonite Church in Newton. Beginning in 1989 he worked for the Western District Conference as associate conference pastor, later adding part of his time at the Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary extension in North Newton.
He began retirement in 2002, teaching the Chapel Sunday School Class at Bethel College Mennonite Church and gardening both at home and as the gardener for Kaufman Museum’s Prairie Garden exhibit.
After Pearl’s death in 1994 and his marriage to Justina D. Neufeld in 1995, he and Justina traveled to Ukraine, Poland, India, Paraguay, Mexico, Bolivia, Peru, China and Germany. By late 2016 his frontal lobe disorder required him to move to skilled nursing, first at Kidron-Bethel and then at Schowalter Villa.
Survivors include his wife, Justina D. Neufeld, of North Newton; four children, Katherine (Rus Binkley) Bartel of North Carolina, Nathan (Sylvia) Bartel of North Newton, Matthew Bartel of Lancaster, Pa., and Rebecca (Dave) Quiring of Fresno, Calif.; two brothers, Marvin (Delores) Bartel and Dean (Gwen Preheim) Bartel, all of Goshen, Ind.; and one grandchild, Henry Bartel of Manhattan.
He was preceded in death by his first wife, Pearl; and one brother, Alfred Bartel of rural Hillsboro.
Memorial services were held at Bethel College Mennonite Church. Memorials may be designated to Bethel College or Peace Connections at Bethel College Mennonite Church.
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Voth, Alden Harry
Alden Voth, 90, of San Jose, Calif., died Dec. 22, 2016. He was born May 4, 1926, into a Mennonite family near Walton, Kan.
He felt passionately about world peace and justice and the power of love. In his later years, after losing his only son to cancer and facing the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, his faith deepened. He concluded, as did Paul, that the Christian race was the only race worth running. In the later stages of Alzheimer’s, he still touched many lives with his smile and a song.
He spent his early years on the family farm. He attended Walnut Grove Elementary, a one-room country school, graduated in three years from Walton High School, went to Bethel College, finished a master’s degree in economics from the University of Iowa at Ames, and in 1959 received his doctorate in international relations from the University of Chicago. Upon graduation he accepted a position at Upland College that began a 30-year career in higher education.
In 1963 he joined the political science faculty at San Jose State University. From 1965 to 1967, he taught at the American University in Cairo as visiting professor of economics and political science. He returned to SJSU to continue teaching, writing and lecturing and retired as professor emeritus of political science and international relations. He enjoyed running, tennis, watching college basketball and saving money.
Survivors include his wife, Norma; daughter Susan (Ron)?Noda of San Jose; and three brothers in Kansas, Roy of El Dorado, Melvin of North Newton and Gary of Hesston.
He was prededed in death by a son, Thomas; a brother, Irvin; and two sisters, Elma Voth and Verna Kattapong.
Memorial services were held at Calvary Chapel, San Jose. Donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Activity Center, San Jose.