Mennonite Weekly Review

Mennonite Weekly Review - May 2, 2011 - 89th Year, No. 17 - p. 9

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Hartzler, Charles E.

Charles E. Hartzler, 79, of Jackson, Minn., died April 22, 2011, at Jackson Medical Center. He was born on Nov. 8, 1931, to Edward Clarence and Mary (Martin) Hartzler in Minot, N.D.

When he was a youth, the family moved to the Alpha area, where he attended school and later graduated from Jackson High School in 1949. He attended Hesston (Kan.) College and received his associate of arts degree in 1951.

On June 5, 1953, he married Vernie Garber at Alpha Mennonite Church.

After marriage, they moved to La Junta, Colo., for two years and then to Denver for a year, where he worked as an X-ray technician. In 1956, they moved to a farm in Belmont Township, where he began farming. In 1969 they moved to a farm in Enterprise Township before retiring to Jackson in 1994. From 1996 to 2009, he could be found working at the I-90 rest stop.

He was a longtime member of Hilltop Mennonite Church in Jackson. After the church closed he and Vernie made First Baptist Church in Jackson their church home. He was active in the Gideons International. He loved to travel and visited 13 countries and 47 of the 50 states. He served on the Jackson County school board for three terms. He was Jackson County 1977 Farmer of the Year. He was an avid follower of his grandchildren’s activities and Jackson County Central sporting events.

Survivors include his wife of 57 years, Vernie Hartzler of Jackson; a daughter, Anita Handevidt of Jackson; two sons, Doug Hartzler and his wife, Shirley, and Greg Hartzler and his wife, Amy, all of Jackson; a sister, Betty Linscheid of Hesston, Kan.; a brother, Frank Hartzler of Marshalltown, Iowa; sisters-in-law Noreen Penner and Adelma Isbanioly; and seven grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by a brother-in-law, Ray Linscheid.

Funeral services were held at First Baptist Church in Jackson. Burial was in Sunset Memorial Cemetery in Jackson.

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Horst, Irvin Buckwalter

Irvin Buckwalter Horst, 95, died April 23, 2011, at Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community. He was born on May 31, 1915, to Elmer and Catherine Buckwalter Horst in Lancaster, Pa.

He devoted his life to the Anabaptist faith, its message of peace and its history. As a young man, he served as a conscientious objector in Civilian Public Service in Grottoes, Va., and later as a war relief worker for Mennonite Central Committee in France and the Netherlands. After completing graduate studies, he became a dedicated teacher of Anabaptist history and English literature at Eastern Mennonite College (now Eastern Mennonite University) from 1955 to 1966. During these years he worked to develop the Menno Simons Historical Library at EMU, and this project remained close to his heart well into his final years. In 1966, he was invited to fill a newly created chair in Mennonite history at the University of Amsterdam, a position he held until 1985. He spent his retirement years in Lancaster, Pa., and Harrisonburg, Va. He moved to the Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community in 2003.

He married Ava Mae Rohrer on June 17, 1944. She preceded him in death in 1994.

Survivors include four children, Marlise Horst of Montreal, Quebec, Rachel Horst of Lancaster, Pa., Daniel Horst and Joanna Horst, both of Amsterdam; four brothers, Samuel Horst of Harrisonburg, Va., Luke Horst of Lancaster, Pa., John Horst of Elizabethtown, Pa., and Clarence Horst of Reading, Pa.; a sister, Orpa Kurtz of Jefferson, N.C.; and a grandson, David Horst of Amsterdam.

Memorial services were held in the Strite Auditorium at Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community.

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Eby, Arlene M. Bomberger

Arlene M. Eby, 93, formerly of Blainsport, Pa., died March 30, 2011, at Landis Homes in Lititz, where she lived for nearly 19 years. She was born on Aug. 5, 1917, to John M. and Elizabeth L Bomberger in Elm.

She served with her husband, Wilmer, who was pastor at Blainsport Mennonite Church in Reinholds. They founded the congregation near Cocalico when they were first married in 1938.

She had a special gift of hospitality and was always concerned that visitors were comfortable. She was a special friend to children in the congregation, who enjoyed playing with toys at the Eby house. She graduated from Eastern Mennonite High School in Harrisonburg, Va., and was a homemaker. She volunteered at Ephrata Community Hospital and Landis Homes for many years. She and Wilmer enjoyed world travel.

Survivors include three children, John Eby and his wife, Joyce, of Dillsburg, Lois Hollinger and her husband, Edward, of Mount Wolf, and Beth Weber and her husband, Sam, of Wayne; eight grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; and two sisters-in-law, Myrtle Bomberger and Martha Jane Bomberger, both residents at Landis Homes.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Wilmer; and two brothers, Henry and Roy Bomberger.
A graveside service and memorial service were held at Blainsport Mennonite Church.

Mennonite Weekly Review - May 9, 2011 - 89th Year, No. 18 - p. 9

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Beachy, John E.

John E. Beachy, 92, of Goshen, Ind., died April 18, 2011. He was born Aug. 12, 1918, to Eli C. and Mary Ann (Kauffman) Beachy in Plain City, Ohio.
On Aug. 29, 1942, he married Miriam Weaver of Goshen.

He was a graduate of Goshen College and of Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart. He was ordained as a minister in 1951.

From 1948 to 1971 he served in Bihar, India, with Mennonite Board of Missions. He supervised the building of three mission stations and Nav Jiwan Hospital. He was principal of a pastors’ training school, served with Indian pastors and planned for Indian leadership of the Mennonite Church in Bihar.

In 1966-1967, he directed a large-scale famine-relief effort in Bihar. The Indian government acknowledged the successful impact of the program when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi requested a personal meeting with him to receive a report on the progress of the relief operation. After the famine-relief effort he directed an agricultural development program.

In 1972 he became director of finance and services with Mennonite Publishing House, Scottdale, Pa., retiring in 1985. After 10 years in Sarasota, Fla., where he served in church and conference assignments, he moved to Goshen in 1995. He was a member of College Mennonite Church.
He found joy in growing roses.

Survivors include his wife, Miriam; two sons, John Allen of DeKalb, Ill., and Kenton Allen and his wife, Rhonda, of London, Ohio; two daughters, Cheryl Paulovich and her husband, David, of Phoenix, Ariz., and Lynette Bauman and her husband, Leon, of Goshen; 11 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; two brothers, Alvin and Eli Beachy Jr., both of Plain City, Ohio; three sisters, Betty Lyles of Woodstock, Ga., Anna Christner of Glendale, Ariz., and Lena Showalter of Harrisonburg, Va.

He was preceded in death by three brothers, Jonas, Neil and Noah; and a sister, Florence B. Hostetler.

Memorial services were held at College Mennonite Church. Burial was in Violett Cemetery.

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Goering, Beth Eldridge

Beth Eldridge Goering, 92, died March 18, 2011, at Kidron Bethel Health Care in North Newton, Kan. She was born May 2, 1918, to John P. and Grace Comstock Eldridge in Kansas City, Mo.

She received her bachelor of science degree in home economics at Bethel College, where she met her future husband, Jacob D. Goering. They were married in August 1941.

During World War II she served as a dietitian in Civilian Public Service camps in Lapine, Ore., and North Fork, Calif., where her husband also was on the staff. She gave attention to her growing family as they moved to Akron, Pa., Chicago and Smithsburg, Md. When her husband accepted a position at the University of Maryland, the family moved to Silver Spring, Md., where she and Jacob lived for 39 years.

In the mid-1960s she received training as one of the first Head Start teachers in Montgomery County and taught Head Start in Burtonsville, Md., for seven years. In 1973, she accompanied her husband to attend the C.G. Jung Institute in Zurich, Switzerland. She participated in workshops on the therapeutic art of painting images that emerge in dreams and the unconscious. Upon her return to the U.S., she hosted classes facilitating painting from the unconscious in Silver Spring for the next 17 years. She also studied reflexology and performed foot massages for many friends and family members.

In 1996, she and Jacob moved to Kidron Bethel Retirement Village in North Newton, where she constructed a painting room, continued to give foot treatments and became a volunteer for Harry Hynes Hospice.

Survivors include her husband, Jacob D. Goering; a son, J. Daniel Goering and his wife, Marian; two daughters, Kathleen Goering McMahon and her husband, Kevin, and Barbra Goering and her husband, Jim Murray; five grandchildren and a great-grandchild.

She was preceded in death by her sisters, Rosena Eldridge Peters and Grace Eldridge Halperin.

Memorial services were held at Bethel College Mennonite Church in North Newton. Her body was donated to the Kansas University Medical Center in Kansas City.

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Heatwole, Fannie R. Martin

Fannie R. Heatwole, 106, of Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community in Harrisonburg, died March 29, 2011. She was born Oct. 31, 1904, to Daniel R. (“Danny of Cedar Cliffs”) and Savilla Martin ner Stuarts Draft.

She married Elmer J. Heatwole on April 25, 1924. He preceded her in death in 1997.

She was a lifelong member of Springdale Mennonite Church in Waynesboro, where she was a participant in the sewing circle. She was an avid quilter, having quilted more than 700 quilts personally and assisted with many others.

She with her husband traveled widely, visiting six continents. She extended hospitality to all. All who remember her knew her as a caring, kind and beautiful lady.
Survivors include four children, Kenneth M. Heatwole and his wife, Ruth, of Harrisonburg, Louise Miller and her husband, John W., of Kitchener, Ont., Harold F. Heatwole of Raleigh, N.C., and Stanley E. Heatwole and his wife, Linda, of Staunton; a brother, Ralph L. Martin of Goshen, Ind.; 11 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren and 11 great-great-grandchildren.

Funeral services were held at Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community and Springdale Mennonite Church. Burial was in the church cemetery.

Mennonite Weekly Review - May 16, 2011 - 89th Year, No. 19 - p. 9

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Yoder, Marjorie M. Yoder

Marjorie M. Yoder, 89, of Wellman, Iowa, died March 9, 2011, at Mercy Hospital in Iowa City. She was born Nov. 23, 1921, to Marion L. and Bertha (Swartzendruber) Yoder in rural Wellman.

She graduated from Wellman High School in 1939 and received her Normal teacher training from the University of Iowa. She taught rural public school in Iowa for four years.

On Feb. 24, 1946, she married Floyd F. Yoder at Wellman Mennonite Church. They lived and farmed in the Kalona community.

She was a charter member of Wellman Mennonite Church, where she taught Sunday school and Bible school for many years. She kept a personal diary since she was a teenager. She loved spending time with her grandchildren and family, and she had a gift of hospitality, welcoming all who came to her home.

Survivors include four sons, Leland Yoder of Kalona, Galen Yoder and his wife, Dixie, of Hydro, Okla., Curtis Yoder and his wife, Lois, of Wellman, and Calvin W. Yoder and his wife, Judy, of Kalona; a daughter, Rhonda Yoder and her husband, Danny Graber, of Elkhart, Ind.; a brother, Robert D. Yoder and his wife, Barb, of Cedar Rapids; 12 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Floyd; a son, Kevin Yoder; a daughter-in-law, Cammie Yoder; two brothers, Max Yoder and Stanley G. Yoder; and a sister, Mabel Miller.

Funeral services were held at Wellman Mennonite Church. Burial was in Wellman Mennonite Cemetery.

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Ediger, Solomon

Solomon (Sol) Ediger, 89, died May 6, 2011, at Promise Regional Hospital, Hutchinson, Kan. He was born Dec. 19, 1921, to George P. and Katie Regehr Ediger in McPherson County.

He graduated from Inman Rural High School. He was a mason, carpenter and had a custom ensilage cutting business for 25 years. He was a member of Bethel Mennonite Church of Inman, where he served on the trustee and deacon boards. On June 2, 1944, he married LaVina Gaeddert at Buhler.

Survivors include his wife, LaVina; a son, Kenny Ediger and his wife, Jan, of Hutchinson; a daughter, Kathy Shaffren of New Rochelle, N.Y.; two brothers, John Ediger of Inman and George Ediger of Kelowna, B.C. ; four sisters, Anna Plett, Kathryn Becker and Hilda Schierling, all of Inman, and Mary Barg of Omaha, Neb.; three grandchildren; two step-grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by an infant daughter, Frances Joan; and two sisters, Helen Reimer and Josie Pankratz.

Funeral services were held at Bethel Mennonite Church, rural Inman. Burial was in North Inman Cemetery.

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Goertz, Adalbert Emanuel

Adalbert Emanuel Goertz, 82, of Colorado Springs, Colo., died May 7, 2011. He was born Dec. 3, 1928, to Paul Gerhard Goertz and Margarete (Goertz) Schukat in Langenau, Germany.

He grew up in East Prussia, attending school in Königsberg. During World War II he was drafted, in 1944 at age 15, witnessed the destruction of historic downtown Königsberg in August 1944, and escaped besieged Königsberg from the Red Army by boat to West Germany during the spring of 1945. He graduated from high school at St. Peter-Ording in 1950.

He made his first trip to the U.S. in 1951-52, where he attended Upland (Calif.) College. From 1952 to 1958 he studied at the University of Frankfurt, completing a master’s degree in physics. In 1958 he married Bärbel Kittler from Danzig, Germany, in the Neuwied-Torney Mennonite Church.

In 1960 he emigrated with his wife and two children to Boulder. In 1968 he got his Ph.D. from the University of Colorado. The family moved to Waynesboro, Pa., in 1968, where he taught physics and mathematics at various colleges. Over the years he studied history and the families of Mennonites in Prussia. In 1997 he retired with his wife, Bärbel, in Colorado Springs and joined Beth-El Mennonite Church. He enjoyed studying the native bees of Colorado since 2000 and helped to expand the website Findagrave.

Survivors include his wife, Bärbel; five children, Claudia, Dirk, Elke, Frauke and Hans-Peter; a brother, Jan of Thunderbay, Ont.; a sister, Ida of Freiburg, Germany; 12 grandchildren; three step-grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Memorial services were held at Beth-El Mennonite Church in Colorado Springs.

Mennonite Weekly Review - May 23, 2011 - 89th Year, No. 20 - p. 9

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Esh, Harry Lee

Harry Lee Esh, 82, of Glendale, Ariz., died April 28, 2011, at his home in Glendale. He was born Feb. 15, 1929, to Marian and Lydia (Zook) Esh of Belleville, Pa.

He married Miriam Elizabeth Musselman on Oct. 29, 1950. She preceded him in death.

He loved music and sang in many choral groups, choirs and quartets at Rockville (Pa.) Mennonite Church and then Trinity Mennonite Church in Glendale, where he attended for many years. This continued to be a great source of inspiration for him, and was his favorite type of music. While he lived in Lindsborg, Kan., he attended Evangelical Covenant Church and enjoyed attending musical programs put on by various colleges, churches and schools, some of which his granddaughters participated in.

He loved playing word board games. He was an avid reader, loved walking and hiking, especially in the Arizona desert and in Northern Arizona, and never gave up on his favorite sports team, the Phoenix Suns. He was a highly respected and well liked seventh-grade school teacher for William C. Jack Elementary School in Glendale. He attended Arizona State University, where he earned his master’s degree in education. His love for the Lord guided him throughout his life and was reflected in his love for others.

Survivors include two sons, John Esh and his wife, Reva, of Lindsborg, Kan., and Jerry Esh and his wife, Dianna, of Glendale; two sisters, Florence Sharp of Allensville, Pa., and Rosella Wyland of Rockville, Pa.; six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Miriam; a son, Dennis Lee Esh; eight brothers and a sister.

Memorial services were held in Belleville, Pa. Burial was in Allensville Mennonite Cemetery.

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Kenagy, Clifford Ralph

Clifford Ralph Kenagy, 89, of Albany, Ore., died March 29, 2011. He was born June 26, 1921, to Bertha (Neuschwander) and Urie E. Kenagy of Albany.
He attended Hesston (Kan.) Academy, Goshen (Ind.) College and Oregon State University.

From 1942 to 1944, he served with Civilian Public Service in Glacier National Park as a fire lookout, and in Staunton, Va., where he worked in a mental hospital. From 1948 to 1950, he worked with Mennonite Central Committee in Poland and West Germany, teaching tractor usage, locating refugees and distributing food aid.

In 1955, he married Lois Yake from Scottdale, Pa. They had four children. After son Eric died in 1986, they established the Eric Yake Kenagy Visiting Artist Program at Goshen College.

He farmed all his adult life in the Albany-Corvallis area. He grew sweet corn, green beans and strawberries for the co-op cannery, employing many local youth in the berry fields. He practiced his motto, “Live today as if you’ll die tomorrow, but farm today as if you’ll farm forever.” He worked hard to protect farmland for future generations. Starting in the mid-1970s, he and Lois helped develop the state and county comprehensive land use plans. He was passionate about peace and justice. He wrote letters to the local papers advocating for peace and against war, abortion and capital punishment. He was a strong supporter of gay and lesbian people, and carried granola bars in his pockets for homeless people.

He was an active member of the Albany Mennonite Church since 1964. He loved singing Mennonite hymns in four-part harmony.

Survivors include his wife, Lois; three children, Susan, Peter and Marguerite; four siblings, Mildred, Percy and Ben Kenagy and Pauline Miller; six grandchildren and two step-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by four older siblings, Ivan, Ray and Emma Kenagy and Agnes Schrock; and a son, Eric.

His ashes were buried at Knox Butte Cemetery, next to Eric’s grave.

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Miller, Durward Henry "Butch"

Durward Henry “Butch” Miller, 76, of Pigeon, Mich., died May 1, 2011, at home. He was born Sept. 19, 1934, to Orval and Marjorie (Pletcher) Miller in Manson, Iowa.

He was a 1954 graduate of Eastern Mennonite High School in Harrisonburg, Va. On Dec. 30, 1955, he married Nova Jean Wertz at Pigeon River Mennonite Church.

He owned and operated J&B Plumbing & Heating in Pigeon for 37 years, retiring in 2001, and was a member of the Thumb Area Plumbers Association. He was a Pigeon Village Councilman. He was also a member, past president and Paul Harris Fellow recipient of the Pigeon Rotary Club, where he had many years of perfect attendance. He enjoyed flying and was a member of the Huron Aviation Club. He and Nova Jean welcomed several exchange students into their home. He was a humorist who made everyone he met smile. He was a member of Pigeon River Mennonite Church. He was proud of his grandchildren and cherished his family, friends and serving his church and community. He loved sports and was an active member of the Laker Athletic Boosters for many years.

Survivors include his wife of 55 years, Nova Jean; three children, Margie Clement of Broadway, Va., Sheldon Miller and his wife, Jeanie, of Dryden, and Darlene Hoffman and her husband, David, of Augusta, Ga.; seven grandchildren; a brother, Ed Miller and his wife, Marlene, of Meadville, Pa.; three sisters, Nellie Steider and her husband, Robert, of Conneaut Lake, Pa., Juanita Marner and her husband, Clare, of Shipshewana, Ind., and Marilyn Yoder and her husband, John, of Wellman, Iowa; an aunt, Minnie Lundberg of Lakewood, Colo.; three sisters-in-law, Ramona Wertz Mahler of Elkhart, Ind., Ruby Wertz of Goshen, Ind., and Floris Wertz of Bay Port.

He was preceded in death by a sister-in-law, Louise Miller; and four brothers-in-law, Willard, R. Dale and Donald Wertz, and Charles Mahler.

Funeral services were held at Pigeon River Mennonite Church, Pigeon, Mich. Burial was in the church cemetery.

No MWR issue for May 30, 2011