Obituaries in Kansas Newspapers (arranged by city)
Florence May Bartsch
Florence May Bartsch, 81, died on April 1, 2005, at Schowalter Villa in Hesston.
The funeral service was held April 4, 2005, at Newton Bible Church, with the Rev. Don Myer officiating. Burial was in GreenwoodCemeteryin Newton.
She was born on May 14, 1923, in Aberdeen, Idaho, to Herman J. Toevs and Susie I. (Neuman) Toevs. On Oct. 15, 1943, she married
John Bartsch. He died on Nov. 22, 2000.
She was a homemaker and was a charter member of Newton Bible Church.
Survivors include four sons, John Jr. and Sharon of Salem, Ore., James and Esther of Cottonwood Falls, Gregory and Joy of Lincoln, Neb., and Gary of Newton; two daughters, Carol and Vernon Steiner of Lincoln, Neb., and Marilyn and Lawyer Ward of Kansas City, Mo.; two sisters, Elda Andres and Dorothy Miller, both of Hesston; 13 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her stepfather, Herman Schmidt.
A memorial fund has been established with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Team.
Broadway Colonial Funeral Home in Newton handled the arrangements.
Audrey B. Unger
Audrey B. Unger, 74, died on Tuesday, March 22, 2005, at St. Luke Hospital in Marion.
The service was held Friday, March 25, at First Christian Church in Newton with the Rev. Gary Bell officiating. Burial was in EbenfeldCemeteryin rural Hillsboro.
She was born on July 15, 1930, in Tampa, Kan., to Samuel Campbell and Rosinea (Base) Campbell. She was a nurse’s aid for Home Health and a waitress.
On Jan. 25, 1975, she married
Harry Unger in Cottonwood Falls. She was a member of First Christian Church in Newton.
Survivors include her husband, of the home; three sons, Dennis and Donita Gillen of Hesston, Darrell and Corky Gillen of Wyoming, and Alan and Donna Gillen of Peabody; seven grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
A memorial fund has been established with St. Luke Hospital in Marion.
Catharina Reimer
(November 21, 1921 - September 25, 2011)
Catharina Peters Reimer passed away peacefully at the age of 89 at Newton Medical Center Sunday morning, September 25, 2011.
Tina was born in Greenland, Manitoba, Canada, on November 21, 1921, to Jacob H. and Maria Wieler Peters. She was the second of ten children. She attended a local grade school through grade 8 as often as she was able, when not needed at home to help with the younger children. She accepted the Lord in her teens and was baptized and joined the EMB Church in Steinbach, Manitoba. She married
Elmer Isaac Reimer on September 26, 1943. One child, David Elmer Reimer, was born to the union.
The family moved to Omaha, Nebraska, in 1947 to attend Grace Bible Institute (now Grace University) to prepare for pastoral and evangelistic ministry. They pastored churches in Randville, Michigan; Jansen, Nebraska; Springfield, South Dakota; Carter, South Dakota; and Burns, Kansas. They were also engaged in extensive Bible camp work throughout the Midwest and Canada, necessitating much travel.
Tina is survived by her husband, Elmer; son David (and Marilyn) Reimer; sisters Annie (Mrs. Albert) Reimer of Steinbach, Manitoba, Aurelia (Mrs. Menno) Kroeker of Riverton, Manitoba, Marie (Mrs. Art) Neufeld of Virden, Manitoba, and Ellen and Ed Penner of Kola, Manitoba; brothers Jac (and Rose) Peters, Ert (and Shirley) Peters, and Gilbert (and Anne) Peters of Steinbach, Manitoba; three grandchildren (Kristi, Greg, and Jeff Reimer), and four great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, infant brother Edmer, and brother Henry.
Services will be held Thursday, September 29, at 10:30 a.m. at Grace Community Church of Newton, followed by a 2:30 burial at the First Mennonite Churchcemeteryin Burns, Kansas.
Memorials may be designated to the Low German ministry of the Evangelical Free Church of Canada Missions (checks may be made out to EFCCM).
Erma H. Hiebert
Erma H. Hiebert, 87, died on March 27, 2005, at Schowalter Villa in Hesston.
Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 30, at Miller Funeral Home in Hesston.
The funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Thursday, March 31, at Grace Hill Mennonite Church, with the Rev. James Voth officiating. Burial will be at 10 a.m. Thursday in the Walton Cemetery.
She was born on Feb. 5, 1918, in Newton to Dietrich B. and Katharina N. Kornelsen Hiebert.
She was a longtime resident of the Walton, Newton and Hesston areas. She was a homemaker and a charter member of Walton Mennonite Church.
On April 15, 1938, she married
Frank Hiebert in Inman. He preceded her in death. A son, Galen, also preceded her in death.
Survivors include a brother, Olin Hiebert of Park City; three grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
Memorials have been established with Mennonite Central Committee and Central Homecare and Hospice.
Miller Funeral Home in Hesston is handling the arrangements.
Alvin Goerzen
Alvin W. Goerzen, 82, died on March 19, 2005, at Bethesda Home in Goessel.
Visitation will be from 1 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 22, at Miller Funeral Home in Goessel, with family greeting friends from 6 to 8 p.m.
The service will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 23, at Tabor Mennonite Church near Goessel, with the Rev. Corey Miller officiating. Burial will be at 9:15 a.m. Wednesday at Tabor Cemetery.
He was born on June 17, 1922, in Goessel to Jake and Sarah (Schroeder) Goerzen. He was a farmer and sheet metal worker, and was a lifelong Goessel-area resident.
On June 8, 1945, he married
Martha Friesen in Goessel. She preceded him in death.
He was a member of Tabor Mennonite Church and a former member of the Goessel Lions Club. He served on the Sand Creek Watershed Board for many years.
Survivors include two sons, Ron and Susan of Colorado Springs, Colo., and Les and Cynthia of rural Goessel; two daughters, Eileen and Bruce Schmidt of rural Canton, and Beth and Wes Regehr of Hesston; two brothers, Milton and Willis, both of Newton; a sister, Alice Funk of rural Newton; and six grandchildren.
A memorial fund has been established with the Bethesda Home in Goessel.
Miller Funeral Home in Goessel is handling the arrangements.
Esther Mae McDonald
Esther Mae McDonald, 77, died on March 20, 2005, at Kidron Bethel Retirement Village in North Newton.
Visitation will be from 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, March 23, at Broadway Colonial Funeral Home in Newton, with family greeting friends from 7 to 9 p.m.
The funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Thursday, March 24, at Faith Mennonite Church in Newton, with the Rev. Gordon Smith officiating. Burial will be at GreenwoodCemeteryin Newton.
She was born on March 13, 1928, in Newton to Peter C. and Anna (Richert) Andres. On Oct. 15, 1966, she married
J.C. McDonald. He preceded her in death.
After attending college, she worked as a nurse for 40 years. She worked in the mission field for Mennonite Christian Hospital from 1957 to ‘62 in Taiwan, the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City for six years, Bethel Home for the Aged in Newton, and as a volunteer at Offender Ministries in Newton.
Survivors include two sisters, Sylvia Jantz of Hesston and Della Wiebe of Colorado Springs, Colo.; two brothers, Eldon Andres of Peabody and Homer Andres of Ferndale, Wash.; and nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents.
Memorial funds have been established with Kidron Bethel Health Care Center Caring Ministries or Offender Victim Ministries of Newton.
Broadway Colonial Funeral is handing the arrangements.
Miriam Lois Hershberger
Miriam Lois Hershberger, 51, of Philadelphia, died on March 10, 2005, after she was struck and killed in a tragic accident.
She was born on July 19, 1954, in Kansas City, Kan., to James Calvin and Gladys June Hershberger. She was a miracle baby, born weighing only 2 -pounds-8-ounces.
Her childhood and developmental years passed in Hesston.
For three years, she lived in Mountain Home, Ark., as her parents ministered in a small rural mission church in the Arkansas Ozarks.
She was baptized into membership at Spring Valley Mennonite Church in Canton.
She graduated from Hesston High School in 1972. She graduated from Hesston College in 1974 and from Tabor College in 1976 with a degree in secondary English education.
She taught English as a second language at the Adult Enrichment Center in Lancaster, Pa., during the first of three assignments with Mennonite Central Committee.
Her second assignment was at Srithammarat Suksa School in Thailand from 1982 to 1985.
From 1989 to 1990, she served at Hanoi Foreign Language College in Hanoi, Vietnam.
For 17 years, she was an instructor at Southwark Elementary School in Philadelphia. She was a member of West Philadelphia Mennonite Fellowship.
Survivors include her mother; two brothers, Paul and Delvin Hershberger and their spouses, Lorie and Michele; nieces; and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her father and a stillborn brother, Kenneth James.
