Faculty & Staff
Joan Griffing, professor of music, performed in the Berlioz Requiem with the Virginia Symphony and Chorus as part of
the Virginia Arts Festival in Norfolk in May 2017. Her chamber group Musica Harmonia performed as part of the Forbes Center for the Performing Arts 2017-18 Masterpiece Season at James Madison University this fall.
Braydon Hoover ’11, associate director of development, is the co-sponsor of EMU’s new Rotaract Club, a Rotary International-affiliated club for college students. Braydon is a member of the Harrisonburg Massanutten Rotary Club.
Roxann Allen ’04 Kioko, instructor, business and economics department, successfully defended her dissertation “Beyond Beneficiaries: The Practice of Corporate Social Responsibility in Nonprofit Firms” in the Strategic Leadership PhD program at James Madison University. Roxy teaches courses in the undergraduate business, CJP, and MBA programs.
Roger Mast ’85, professor of physical education and recreation and head men’s soccer coach, is a new member of the board of trustees for Crossroads to Brain Injury Recovery, Inc., which helps those affected by brain injury lead more independent and productive lives.
Kimberly Schmidt, professor of history and director of the Washington Community Scholars’ Center, has been honored by Women Writing the West as one of four finalists in the historical fiction category of the WILLA Literary Awards for her novel Magpie’s Blanket (University of New Mexico Press, 2016).
Timothy Seidel, professor of applied social sciences and director of the Center for Interfaith Engagement, was honored with the best dissertation award from the Peace and Justice Studies Association.
Anna Westfall, professor of visual and communication arts, opened the 2017-18 academic year at the Margaret Martin Gehman Gallery with an installation titled “Searching the Unseen,” featuring organic steel sculptures, light and sound.
Paul Yoder ’07, MA ’11 (education), professor of teacher education, and his wife Katrina Martin ’07 Yoder contributed a chapter to Notable Books, Notable Lessons: Putting Social Studies Back into the K-8 Curriculum (ABC-CLIO, 2017). Katrina teaches fourth grade at Waterman Elementary School, where she serves as the instructional team leader. “This chapter examines the traditional Cinderella story through a cultural lens, and was our first joint scholarly endeavor. We were so pleased with the process that we already have another book chapter in the works,” they said.
1960-69
Dr. J. Robert Eshleman ’56, Apple Creek, Ohio, was honored with the Lifetime Service Award by Eastern Mennonite School. After graduating from EMHS in 1952, Robert went to dental school at the Medical College of Virginia. There he was chair of the restorative dentistry department from 1983-92 and honored several times by the college. He earned EMU’s Lifetime Service Award in 2009.
Donald Showalter ’62, Broadway, Va., was recognized by Best Lawyers for his work with trusts and estates at Wharton Aldhizer & Weaver.
Mervin Bontrager ’62, Hesston, Kan., retired in June 2017 after 51 years as a clinical social worker. He concluded his career with Prairie View, Inc. Mervin earned an MSW degree from University of Buffalo in 1966 and completed coursework, but not the dissertation, for a doctorate in the field with the Institute of Clinical Social Work from 1996-2000. “Over the years I have come to appreciate my experience at EMC, and look upon it as having had a very positive impact upon my life’s journey,” he wrote in an update. Outside of work, he enjoys woodworking, gardening, and raising hogs and cattle.
Kenneth Eshleman ’64, Mechanicsburg, Pa., has published Harold and Arlene: Ministers to Many, a biography about his parents, EMS graduates and long-time Harrisonburg-area community leaders. Harold Eshleman went on to earn a two-year degree at EMS in 1931 and finished his bachelor’s degree at Bridgewater College. A schoolteacher for 43 years, he was also a pastor at Chicago Avenue and Park View Mennonite churches. Arlene Heatwole EMS ’26 was an unpaid church secretary, hostess and caregiver. To purchase the book ($15.95 with sales tax), email kes-hlem@comcast.net
1970-79
Galen Groff ’71, Dangriga, Belize, retired after 26 years as a missionary with Eastern Mennonite Missions. He and his wife Phyllis, who served with him, remain in Dangriga, volunteering in church development and supporting regional missionary work.
Ken Stoltzfus ’72, Dalton, Ohio, writes that he is “sort of” retired: working full-time on his website www.john2031.com, developing church-related study resources, and supporting Bible translation. He served as a pastor in Mennonite and non-denominational settings for 13 years; invested several years in Kenya teaching in churches; and worked as a commercial pilot, flight instructor and aircraft mechanic, and as an entrepreneur in aircraft parts businesses. He has “one incredible wife, Elaine; three married sons (one now with Jesus); nine grandchildren; and six great grandsons.”
Sara Wenger Shenk ’75, Goshen, Ind., has been appointed to a third four-year term as president of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary. She became president in 2010 after 15 years on the faculty of Eastern Mennonite Seminary.
R. Sharon Yoder ’75, Cumberland, Md., received Allegany College of Maryland’s Sanner Award for Outstanding Teaching. She is an associate professor of English.
Conley K. McMullen ’78, Harrisonburg, Va., received the Southern Appalachian Botanical Society’s 2017 Elizabeth Ann Bartholomew Award, presented in recognition and appreciation of distinguished service to botany and the public.
Rich Swartentruber, class of ’78, Salem, Ore., retired as a science teacher at North Salem High School after the 2015-16 school year, but continues in his 25th year as North Salem boys soccer coach, and 31st year as a high school coach.
John Swartzendruber ’79, Indianapolis, Ind., presented a Suter Science Seminar over Homecoming and Family Weekend with Eric Moyer ’03. Both are members of the Engineering Advisory Board that has supported EMU’s new four-year engineering degree. John retired in 2015 from Apparatus and Lilly Global Infrastructure. After graduating from EMU, he joined Eli Lilly and Company as an organic chemist in pharmaceutical research, developed software for the x-ray crystallography group and, in 1989, earned his master’s degree in computer science from Purdue University. John led the effort to build ELVIS, Lilly’s worldwide intranet, one of the first corporate intranets constructed.
1980-89
Anne Yoder ’81, Swarthmore, Pa., is the archivist for Swarthmore College’s Peace Collection. Anne developed a new website cosandgreatwar.swarthmore.edu featuring the personal writings of World War I conscientious objectors, both those objecting on religious grounds and non-religious grounds alike.
Rose Miller ’82 Lehman, Beach City, Ohio, is a receptionist at Community Hospice. She is married to Joel Lehman ’83.
Glen Kauffman ’82, Harrisonburg, Va., a financial advisor at Everence, was present at the launch of EMU’s Rotaract Club, Rotary International’s college affiliate, in September. A 30-year Rotarian, Glen sponsored Braydon Hoover ’11 to a membership in the Harrison-burg Massanutten Rotary Club some years ago. Braydon is the new Rotaract Club’s advisor.
Rose Miller ’82 Lehman, Beach City, Ohio, is a receptionist at Community Hospice. She is married to Joel Lehman ’83.
Beryl Jantzi ’82, Harrisonburg, Va., is Eastern Mennonite School’s Alumnus of the Year. He is director of stewardship education at Everence.
Timothy Johnson ’82, Philadelphia, Pa., is a financial administrator with the law office of Keelin S. Barry, a firm which specializes in court-appointed guardianships for elderly and incapacitated people who can no longer manage their own affairs. He is married to Carol Martin ’82 Johnson, now in private practice as an art psychotherapist specializing in trauma therapy. They have two children.
Mark L. Sensabaugh ’82, Bridgewater, Va., is a marriage and family therapist at Journey Counseling Ministries, located in Harrisonburg.
Carol Weaver ’82 Good, Reading, Pa., is a school librarian with Reading School District .She and her husband Stephen J. Good ’81 attend South 7th St. Christian Fellowship.
Joy Wenger Martin ’83, MA ’13 (counsel-ing), Harrisonburg, Va., former coordinator of academic access in the EMU Academic Success Center, now works at James Madison University as assistant director in the Office of Disability Services.
Sharon López ’83, Landisville, Pa., is president of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and a partner in Lancaster’s Triquetra Law. She is the first Latina president since the association was founded in 1895. As president-elect, López created an appointed group of members who identify new approaches to increase membership through outreach, marketing and mentorship.
Sonya Stauffer ’85 Kurtz, Souderton, Pa., is lead pastor at Zion Mennonite Church. Husband Roger Kurtz ’85 is now department head of English and philosophy at Drexel University.
Sue Blauch ’86, Harrisonburg, Va., was among nine referees assigned to the 2017 WNBA Final.
Andrea Schrock Wenger ’86, Linville, Va., will complete 14 years of service with EMU in mid-January, nearly 12 of those as director of marketing and communications. She plans to launch a life coaching practice (andreawengercoaching.com), which will build on her EMU communications, management and personnel experience; 14 years with Mennonite Central Committee; a master’s degree in community psychology; and life coach training.
Karen Delano-Johnson ’87, Fredericksburg, Va., has worked for 28 years as a child protective services investigator with Stafford Department of Social Services. She and husband Han-son Johnson attend Salem Fields Community Church and have two adult children.
Krista King ’87 Powell, Waynesboro, Va., is a self-employed CPA. She is married to David L. Powell and the couple has two children.
Elizabeth Witmer ’87 Dunmore, Queen, Pa., is vice president of medical affairs at Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center, a 300-bed hospital in Johnstown, Pa.
1990-99
Rose Shenk ’90 and Bruce Buckwalter ’91, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, are country representatives for Mennonite Central Committee, Ethiopia. The couple has four sons, three of whom are in school in Africa, while the oldest is at Goshen College. Read their adventures at buckshefusethiopia.wordpress.com.
Steve ’91 and Charlotte Gascho ’91 Hunsberger, Telford, Pa., and their children were honored with the Adventures in Excellence Award by the Penn Foundation. Steven is Indian Valley Chamber of Commerce’s executive director; Charlotte is a partner in the Landis, Hunsberger, Gingrich and Weik law firm in Souderton; Colin is a high school junior; Ian is in eighth grade; and Lily is in fifth grade. Steven is a member of the Souderton-Telford Rotary Club and currently on the board of directors for the local Mennonite Economic Development Associates chapter, Indian Creek Foundation, and North Penn United Way. Charlotte is on the board of directors at EMU, Clemens Family Corporation, and Harleysville Savings Bank. She also serves on Blooming Glen Mennonite Church’s leadership board.
E. Dean Mast ’91 and Jan Steffy Mast, class of ’91, Lancaster, Pa., own The Old Country Store in nearby Intercourse. The store was recently selected by Better Homes & Gardens Quilt Sampler (spring/summer 2017) as one of the top ten quilt shops in the nation for its “exceptional customer service, outstanding crafts and handmade quilts, and extensive fabric department.”
Rita Ruebke ’92 Wainwright, Richmond, Va., has taught for 21 years as a K-5 exceptional education teacher with Henrico County Schools.
Phillip Thompson ’93, Rockbridge County, Va., was appointed superintendent of Rockbridge County Schools. He was previously assistant superintendent and has spent 22 years in education. He has a master’s degree and doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies from Virginia Tech.
Gilberto Perez Jr. ’94, GC ’99, Goshen, Ind., was named dean of students at Goshen College. In this role, he provides institutional leadership for residence life, campus ministries, counseling and health, campus safety, intercultural student support, and retention.
Jen Schlabach ’95 Litwiller, Harrisonburg, Va., joined CT Assist as director of business development in October 2017. CT Assist, a healthcare staffing company, is owned by EMU alumni Scott Yoder ’96, CEO, and Jair Drooger ’97, COO. Minnette Burkholder ’95 Hostetler is director of human resources.
Tom Eshleman ’96, SEM ’05, Akron, Pa., is lead pastor of Groffdale Mennonite Church and works one day a week as the global delegate to the international church bodies with which Lancaster Mennonite Conference maintains relationships. These include groups in Asia, East Africa, and Central and South America.
Jessica King ’96, Lancaster, Pa., is running as a Democrat in 2018 for a seat representing the 16th Congressional District. She took a leave of absence from her role as executive director of ASSETS, a business training and lending nonprofit in Lancaster.
John Jackson ’97, Harrisonburg, Va., is counseling manager with the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services.
Karin Shank ’97, Raleigh, N.C., is a senior research analyst at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center. She enjoys working with pharmaceutical, agricultural and medical device entrepreneurs to inform their innovations and business decisions.
Darrel J. Reinford ’98, Mechanicsburg, Pa., graduated from the Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Development Institute of Greater Harrisburg. He is the executive director of Christian Churches United of the Tri-County Area, a partnership of churches in Dauphin, Cumberland and Perry counties. He previously worked for Paxton Ministries in Harrisburg and volunteers with the Capital Area Coalition on Homelessness.
Alan Schroeder ’98, New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada, is director of global advancement at the British Columbia Ministry of Education where he leads the development of the ministry’s international education programs.
Moniqua Acosta ’98, Lititz, Pa., is director of volunteer services as Landis Homes in Lititz. She previously spent nine years at Mennonite Health Services as program and member services manager.
Lisa White Cameron ’99, Lancaster, Pa., has been promoted by YWCA Lancaster to director of empowerment services, which includes leadership of racial justice programming. Cameron also leads the parent education center and the county’s designated rape crisis center.
Tina Campbell ’99, Lancaster, Pa., has been named interim executive director of ASSETS, a business training and lending nonprofit in Lancaster. (See Jessica King ’96). She joined ASSETS in 2015 as director of development.
2000-09
Mark ’00 and Sarah Hawkins ’02 Schoenhals, Thailand, and daughters Heidi and Hannah were reappointed for a 3.5-year term in Thailand through Eastern Mennonite Missions. They serve the local church in leadership development.
Tamara Greaser ’00 Kratz, MA ’06 (counseling), Harrisonburg, Va., was named Teacher of the Year for Cub Run Elementary School.
Mike Martin ’00, Harrisonburg, Va., owns Next Level Athletic Development, a company he started in 2012 after teaching physical education. He works with 50-60 clients, many of them high school and college athletes, to improve performance.
Matthew Lowen ’01, Brooklyn, N.Y., is a senior program associate for the Safe Alternatives to Segregation Initiative with the Vera Institute of Justice’s Center on Sentencing and Corrections. Through partnerships with state correctional agencies and alongside data-driven research and analysis, he works as part of a team to reduce the use and reliance on solitary confinement across the country.
Brad Miller ’02, Denver, Colo., is director of student affairs at the University of Colorado College of Medicine.
Carrie Dengler Wenger ’02, Linville, Va., is director of the week-long Interfaith Peace Camp, a program of EMU’s Center for Interfaith Engagement. She plans and implements programming about the three Abrahamic faiths. In summer 2017, the camp hosted 33 campers ages 8-12 and 15 junior counselors ages 13-18. The camp is staffed by an interfaith, intergenerational team of community members.
Douglas H. Wrenn ’02, State College, Pa., was the featured speaker at October’s Longacre Business and Economics Lecture Series at EMU. The assistant professor of environ-mental and resource economics at Penn State University spoke on “Learning by Viewing? Social Learning, Regulatory Disclosure, and Firm Productivity in Shale Gas.”
Ariana Kauffman ’03, Hesston, Kan., is Bluestem Communities’ new vice president of marketing. For the past seven years, she has been Bluestem’s director of fund advancement for Schowalter Villa in Hesston. Kauffman earned her MBA from Friends University and an AA at Hesston College.
Eric Moyer ’03, Seattle, Wash., is a lead project engineer at Boeing’s new 777X Composite Wing Center facility in Everett. A member of EMU’s Engineering Advisory Board that has supported the new four-year engineering degree, he presented a Suter Science Seminar with fellow board member John Swartzendruber ’79 over Homecoming and Family Weekend.
Angela Swartzendruber ’03 Hackman, Harleysville, Pa., is a behavioral health specialist at Tandigm Health, a healthcare company supporting primary care physicians in the Philadelphia area.
Sara Unruh ’03 Hiebert, Hutchinson, Kan., was promoted to chief executive of Bethesda Home in Goessel. She has worked at Bethesda since 2010 and was the assistant administrator since 2013.
Rosa Bare ’04, Harrisonburg, Va., is director of business development at the NPR affiliate radio station WMRA.
Kendra Forry ’04, Harrisonburg, Va., was named Teacher of the Year at J. Frank Hillyard Middle School in Broadway.
Travis Kisamore ‘05, Chambersburg, Pa., his wife Bekii, and children Esperanza and Theodore completed a 10-year service assignment with Eastern Mennonite Missions on an island in Chile.
Andrea Skyrm ’05 King, Goshen, Ind., is a senior staff accountant at Lawton (Elkhart), with a focus on tax-related services for businesses and individuals.
Clinton Miller ’06, Canton, Ohio, is a practice manager at Pleasant Wealth, LLC, in Berlin, Ohio. His wife, Aubrey Helmuth Miller, owns a soap company called Redbudsuds, based in Canton.
Kimberly Slee ’06, MSN ’12, Orrstown, Pa., was appointed co-interim chief executive officer of the Fulton County Medical Center
(FCMC) in McConnellsburg. She joined FCMC in 2003. She was formerly the health system’s chief operating officer and prior to that, chief nursing officer. In addition to her two degrees from EMU, she earned an MBA in health care administration in 2016 from Eastern University.
Cynthia Kilheffer Hudson ’06, Columbia, Pa., manages the Cardiac Rehab Department at Lancaster General/Penn Medicine. She has taught at EMU Lancaster and at PA College of Health Sciences. She is an American Nurses Credentialing Center-certified nurse executive.
Kara Bender ’07, St. Louis, Mo., is a national organizer/trainer for Crossroads Antiracism Organizing and Training, which seeks to dismantle systemic racism and build antiracist multicultural diversity within institutions and communities.
Mark Risser ’07, Berkeley, Calif., a postdoctoral research fellow at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, discussed his research into statistical methods for characterizing changes in extreme precipitation during an October Suter Science Seminar.
Eric Trinka ’07, Harrisonburg, Va., is a doctoral student at Catholic University and collaborator with EMS’s Biblical Lands Educational Seminars and Service program. BLESS offers a graduate-level, missional education program combining cross-cultural learning in or from the biblical lands with academic inquiry.
Isabel Castillo ’07, MA ’17 (conflict transformation), Harrisonburg, Va., was recognized as a “Movement Honoree” by Sojourners at its June 2017 Healing and Resistance Summit in Washington D.C.
Angela Dietzel ’08, Strasburg, Pa., is a third-grade teacher at Locust Grove Mennonite School.
Maria Bowman ’09, Washington D.C., began studies in the Master’s of Public Health program in Behavioral and Community Health at the University of Maryland. She and husband Abraham Weiner celebrated their first wedding anniversary Sept. 24, 2017. They were married in Salem, Ohio on the farm of grandparents Doris and Ralph Witmer.
Seth Crissman ’09, SEM ’15, Harrisonburg, Va., and other members of the Walking Roots Band, who first started playing music together while students at EMU – Jackson Maust ’09, Rachel Yoder ’15, Greg and Kristina Landis Yoder ’09, and Michael Yoder – are donating a portion of the proceeds from their first Christmas album to Mennonite Central Committee. View the details at
www.thewalkingrootsband.com.
Ben Moyer ’09, Sellersville, Pa., a customer service representative at Franconia Insurance & Financial Services, was named 2017 Customer Service Representative of the Year for the state of Pennsylvania by the National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research. He was one of 37 finalists to compete for the national title. Ben joined Franconia Insurance & Financial Services in December 2011.
2010-
Samantha “Sam” Gangwer ’10 Larson, St. Louis Park, Minn., is chaplain resident at Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital. She will serve there until August 2018. She finished an MDiv at Wesley Theological Seminary in May. Sam is married to Alexander Larson.
Sarah Roth Shank ’10, MA ’14 (conflict transformation), Wellington, New Zealand, is pursuing a PhD in restorative justice and public policy at Victoria University of Wellington.
Sondra R. Siegfried ’10, Rome, Pa., was awarded an $8,000 National Board for Certified Counselors Foundation Rural Scholarship. Sondra is a master’s student in the school counseling program at Messiah College. The award is for counseling students who are from rural communities and committed to practicing in rural areas upon graduation. Sondra has volunteered with at-risk and Native American youth in the upper peninsula of Michigan, and she would eventually like to obtain her counseling licensure in Michigan to provide short-term intensive wilderness and adventure therapy services in that area.
Charlotte Wenger ’11, Somerville, Mass., is an editor with Page Street Kids/Page Street Publishing. Budding authors and illustrators may be interested that Charlotte is looking for narrative picture books of all genres for ages 4-8; occasionally board books for ages 0-3; and visually driven concept books. “I’m always on the lookout for what hasn’t been done yet – stories that haven’t been told and voices that haven’t been heard,” she writes on www.manuscriptwishlist.com.
Gabriel Brunk ’12, MAOL ’17, Dayton, Va., is communications and outreach coordinator at the Fairfield Center.
Katrina Goering ’12, Seattle, Wash., is a student in the Master’s of Public Health program at University of Washington.
Rebekah Maldonado-Nofziger ’12, Seattle, Wash., is a public health nurse with Public Health-Seattle and King County, working with child care centers and preschools. She is earning a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree in community health nursing from the University of Washington, with an expected graduation date of 2019.
Andy ’12 and Hannah Wenger ’12 Richter, Souderton, Pa., have a new son (see births). Andy is sales manager at Richter Drafting and Office Supply Co. Inc. Hannah is executive assistant for Family Food, LLC, a company that provides evidence-based nutrition counseling to clients in convenient locations.
Francis Sims ’12, Kigali, Rwanda, is a primary school physical education teacher and athletics coordinator at Kigali International Community School. He is married to Audrey Wolcott ’12 Sims.
Jennifer Blankenship ’13 Hitt, Mount Craw-ford, Va., is a health and physical education teacher with United Methodist Family Services. She was awarded Direct Care Employee of the Year in 2016.
Jon Leaman ’13, New Paris, Ind., recently joined Kruggel Lawton CPAs as a senior staff accountant. He earned an MS in accounting at James Madison University and is married to Kate Steury ’14 Leaman.
Corben Boshart ’13, Elkhart, Ind., earned an MA in theological studies at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary.
Olivia Mast ’15 Dimmig, Phoenixville, Pa., is a nurse with the Nurse-Family Partnership Program, Chester County Health Department, which supports first-time mothers. She is also working on a master’s degree from Immaculata University.
R.J. Sims ’15, Bowie, Md., was featured in the Daily News-Record for his tenacity in paving the way to a professional basketball career. After graduating with a degree in computer science from EMU, Sims worked for the law firm Oblon and sought a roster spot in Europe. He has since played two seasons, in Lithuania for Palanga and in France for Union Tarbes Lourdes.
Rebekah York ’15, Elkhart, Ind., is a graduate student at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary.
Rachel Bowman ’16, Washington D.C., is beginning a doctorate in justice, law and criminology at American University. She had previously served with PULSE in Pittsburgh.
Ryan Gehman ’16, Lancaster, Pa., is head men’s and women’s cross-country coach at Lancaster Bible College. Previously, he had been head distance coach at Lancaster Mennonite School.
Rebekah Johnsen ’16, Lititz, Pa., is director of residential living at Landis Homes. She joined the company in 2014 as a substitute campus supervisor and on-call emergency nurse.
Jolee Paden ’16, Washington D.C., is joining the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) staff to launch a ministry at George Washington University in January. She will become the first woman staffer with FCA in the D.C. area. For the last year, Jolee has been working at Back On My Feet, a national nonprofit organization that helps homeless people gain independence, living skills, housing and employment through the power of running.
Robert Cook ’17, Washington D.C., is working on a master’s degree in history at American University. Robert, who also earned a teacher licensure at EMU, shared a poster at the Virginia Council for the Social Studies Educators conference in Richmond. The featured work, a curricular unit for high school government classes, was based on his honors capstone project and his senior history thesis in which he analyzed the consolidation of high schools of Rockbridge County. Robert was a Cords of Distinction honoree, as well as winner of the Outstanding History Student award.
Jordan Leaman ’17, Harrisonburg, Va., has joined information systems at EMU after cycling across the United States with friends in summer 2017.
Hannah Mack-Boll ’17, Lancaster, Pa., took second place in the C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest for her speech “What is Your Intention?” She received $225 in cash and a $200 scholarship to a peace-related conference or seminar of her choice. Her home congregation is Community Mennonite Church of Lancaster.
Graduate School
Ashley Bowman MA ’08 (education), Bridgewater, Va., was named Teacher of the Year at John Wayland Elementary School in Bridgewater.
Margo McIntire ’98, MBA ’08, Harrisonburg, Va., and her husband Ron have started Paella Perfecta, serving the national dish of Spain at special events and festivals. They also provide catering.
Cheryl Woelk MA ’11 (education), Seoul, South Korea, is an educational consultant who facilitates courses, workshops and teacher training on integrating peacebuilding in language education. She enjoys collaborating with teachers at Connexus Language Institute and promoting Language for Peace, a project hosted by Mennonite Partners in China, which provides a network for language educators engaged in peacebuilding.
Lisa Knick MA ’12 (education), Stephens City, Va., is an English Language Learners teacher and reading specialist with Clarke County Public Schools. Lisa has taught in Frederick County, Waynesboro City and Winchester public schools.
Lois Olney MS ’12 (nursing), Lancaster, Pa., lives part-time in Chiang Rai, Thailand, where she enjoys retired life and the active expatriate community with her husband, as well as bicycling, reading, writing and traveling. She works as a seasonal RN supervisor at a small continuing care retirement community, Countryside Christian Community, in Annville, Pa.
Paul Smeltzer MA ’16 (education), Lancaster, Pa., is principal of the Locust Grove Campus of Lancaster Mennonite School. Previously, he spent six years with the Coalition of Christian Outreach doing college ministry at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown and received the Martin Luther King Jr. Award for efforts made in ministering to diverse populations.
Center for Justice and Peacebuilding
Emmanuel Bombande MA ’02, Bangui, Central African Republic, is senior mediation advisor for the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission (MINUSCA).
Lam Oryem Cosmas MA ’04, Kuron, South Sudan, works for Holy Trinity Peace Village in Kuron, near the Ethiopian border. Founded in 2005 by a Catholic bishop emeritus, the community provides integrated intervention for area pastoralist communities through education, agriculture and conflict transformation.
Kirstin MA ’05 and Merwyn MA ’05 De Mello, Bangladesh, completed a three-year contract with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) in Afghanistan and are now MCC Peace Advisors in Bangladesh.
Michael Shank MA ’05, Peeksill, N.Y., joined New York University’s Center for Global Affairs as an adjunct assistant professor.
Lehmah Gbowee MA ’07, Monrovia, Liberia, has been invited to serve as a council member for the World Refugee Council. She is executive director of the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa. She was also among three women peacebuilders honored during a special Daughters for Life Foundation Gala Dinner in Washington D.C. The Sept. 16 event raised money for scholarships for Middle Eastern female peacebuilders to attend the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding.
Nadia Bazzy MA ’08, Canton, Mich., is the interim director of the University of Michigan Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Michigan and earned her marriage and family therapist license from Oakland University. She will represent the victim-advocate community.
Brett Burnham MA ’09, Carbondale, Ill., completed his EdD at Columbia University.
Paulette Moore MA ’09, Ashland, Wis., presented a documentary on indigenized film-making and conservation to a conservation photography class at EMU. Moore is an independent filmmaker, artist and Kanien’kehaka (Mohawk) educator of mixed native and British heritage and an enrolled member of Six Nations of the Grand Reserve in Ontario, Canada. She is also associate professor of indigenous media and philosophy at Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin.
Jeannine Cinco MA ’10 Cole, St. Louis, Mo., is a project manager with Bilingual International Assistant Services. She has been working for four years with immigrants and refugees who have survived torture, helping them to find and maintain employment. She uses “many of the tenets of peacebuilding in her work, including trauma awareness and conflict resolution.” In November 2016, she married Steve Cole.
P. Marshall Yoder MA ’10, Harrisonburg, Va., was recognized by “Best Lawyers” for his work in collaborative and family law with Wharton Aldhizer & Weaver.
Daria White MA ’11, Harrisonburg, Va., successfully defended her dissertation “Being and Beholding: Comparative Analysis of Joy and Awe in Four Cultures” to earn a PhD in psychology from James Madison University.
Veronica Laveta MA ’11, based out of St. Paul, Minn., has been an international clinical advisor for mental health at The Center for Victims of Torture (CVT) since 2014. Her role includes supervising field expatriate psychotherapists and providing clinical oversight to CVT’s direct service program in Jordan as well as capacity building with partner organizations in South Africa, Iraq and Turkey.
Maiwa’azi Dandaura Samu MA ’12, Jos, Nigeria, earned a PhD from NOVA South Eastern University in 2015 and works for Justice & Human Security Initiatives. As a consultant, he carries out projects on restorative justice practice in Nigeria and West Africa, and is involved in management of the Southern Kaduna Fulani/Southern Kaduna indigenous peoples and Boko Haram psychosocial trauma support systems.
Patrick Campbell MA ’14, Charlottesville, Va., is senior planning manager for mass care operations, focusing on large displacements and emergency response, for the state’s Department of Health and Human Services. He was previously disaster program manager for the Red Cross in Virginia.
Marilyn Raatz MA ’14, Cape Town, South Africa, is a lecturer teaching conflict transformation at Cape Town Baptist Seminary.
Sue Klassen MA ’14, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, leads STAR-based trauma awareness and resilience workshops in upstate New York and Ontario, Canada. She also volunteers with women in prison through a chaplaincy restorative justice program and through Alternatives to Violence Project. She chairs the missions, peace and justice ministry at Stirling Avenue Mennonite Church
Gwendolyn Myers GC ’14, Monrovia, Liberia, has been elected to the Global Shapers Community Advisory Council on governance and accountability at the World Economic Forum, representing Liberia and more than 5,000 Shapers around the world. She will serve two years, until June 30, 2019.
Amina Abdulkadir GC ’15, Somalia, was awarded the first Women Peacebuilders for Water Award by Milan Global and the Milan Center for Food Law and Policy in Italy. She is a researcher at Peace and Development Research Centre, where her work is focused on the decentralization of power to local authorities.
Georgia Clarinda Tako Molia-Hanna GC ’15, Gizo, Solomon Islands, has been named the first female Chief Peace and Reconciliation Officer for the Western Provincial Government of Solomon Islands.
Bridget Mullins MA ’15 and Aaron Erb MA ’15, Pittsburgh, Pa., were married in September in Aurora, Ohio. Aaron is coordinator of restorative justice at the Center for Victims in Pittsburgh. Bridget is senior program coordinator at Amizade.
Naemo “Nimo” Somo GC ’15, Wajir, Kenya, was among 10 finalists for the first Women Peacebuilders for Water Award by Milan Global and the Milan Center for Food Law and Policy in Italy. She works on land and water issues.
Laura Wells MA ’15, Silver Spring, Md., is overseas marketing manager for Catholic Relief Services, working with institutional donors and peer agencies in Baltimore.
Jacques Mushagasha MA ’16, Harrisonbug, Va., helped to host an event in September in Washington D.C. at St. Stephen and the Incarnation Episcopal Church engaging American Christians to stand for peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Jacques is a native of DRC.
Jing Zhang MA ’16, Needham, Mass., is a graduate student at Northeastern University working on a master of science degree in corporate and organizational communication.
Andrew Daniels MA ’17, Woodbridge, Va., has recently accepted a position as an International Fellow at Peace Players International in Northern Ireland. The organization uses basketball to unite, educate and inspire young people to create a more peaceful world. Andrew is in charge of operating all programs in south Belfast.
Seminary
Paula Picard Bowser SEM ’82, Englewood, Ohio, retired from full-time pastoral ministry in 2015. She is a poet and regular contributor to Brethren Press. Her latest release is entitled Women of the Hebrew Bible.
Joe Hackman SEM ’11, Harleysville, Pa., and Mark Schloneger SEM ’05, Goshen, Ind., accepted the first-ever Dove’s Nest Children’s Dove awards at the Mennonite Church USA Convention in Orlando on behalf of their churches. Joe is the pastor at Salford Mennonite Church, nominated for the award for their activities in Child Abuse Prevention Month. North Goshen Mennonite Church, where Mark pastors, was recognized for taking courageous steps to keep children safe during the past year.
Marriages
Kris Short ’93 to Tyson Martin, Berryville, Va., July 31, 2015.
Stephen Farrar ’95 to Diane Bowman ’94, office coordinator for biology and chemistry departments, Harrisonburg, Va., July 23, 2017.
Rachel Good ’11 to Matt Gurfin, June 3, 2017.
Aaron Erb ’14, MA ’15 (conflict transformation) to Bridget Mullins MA ’15 (conflict transformation), Sept. 3, 2017.
Katherine Burling ’15 to Kevin Martin ’14, Harrisonburg, Va., May 6, 2017.
Olivia Mast ’15 to Brent Dimmig, Phoenixville, Pa., April 19, 2016.
Abby Bush ’16 to Wesley Wilder ’16, July 29, 2017.
Seth Suttles ’16 to Emily Myers ’16, July 1, 2017.
Maria Martin ’17 to Jonathan Augsburger, Oct. 7, 2017.
Aaron Oda MA ’16 (conflict transformation) to Susannah Wagner, July 1, 2017.
Births & Adoptions
Grant Rosenberger ’99 and Laura Dell’Olio ’99, State College, Pa., Adrian Dell’Olio Rosenberger, April 3, 2017.
Jared Hankee ’02 and Mindy Nolt ’01, Lancaster, Pa., Cyrus Reed Nolt Hankee, March 28, 2017.
Jesse ’02 and Anna Fitzgerald ’02 Bergey, Harrisonburg, Va., Magnolia Wren, Jan. 12, 2017.
Jeremy Good ’03 and Joanna Snyder, Silver Spring, Md., Alena, Feb. 22, 2017.
Roxann Allen ’04, MA ’07, instructor of business, and Felix Kioko ’17, Harrisonburg, Va., Remy Munyambu Mutinda, Sept. 18, 2017.
Weldon ’04 and Jennifer ’04 Miller, Marietta, Ohio, Alethia Rose, June 20, 2016.
Joseph ’04 and Lori Doll SEM ’15 Friesen, Harrisonburg, Va., Ruth Salome, Nov. 29, 2016.
David ’05 and Crystal Musser ’04 Rohrer, Rockingham, Va., Nora Fern, May 31, 2017.
Josh ’06 and Christa Kerr, New Cumberland, Pa., Drew Robert, Feb. 5, 2017.
Alyssa Gerig ’06 and Wayne Scheler, Albany, Ore., Maxwell Steel, Nov. 3, 2016.
Josiah ’06 and Carmen Kennel ’07 Garber, Washington Boro, Pa., Heidi June, June 16, 2017.
Vanessa ’07 and Ryan Bunting, Lancaster, Pa., Grace Siarra, Aug. 8, 2016.
Jennifer Ruth ’07 and Benjamin Gundy, Pittsburgh, Pa., Theodore, March 16, 2016.
Joy Shaiebly ’07 and Brad Shelly, Manheim, Pa., Linken Ward, March 30, 2017.
Zachary ’07 and Lauren Michel ’08 Hawke, Princess Anne, Md., Morgan Jeannette, Aug. 18, 2015.
Kevin ‘07 and Melissa Ressler, Lancaster, Pa., Iriana Awino Sandrock, May 9, 2017.
Curtis ’07 and Amanda ’09 Yoder, Reedsville, Pa., Hayden, June 7, 2014 and Mila, Aug. 16, 2016.
Jennifer (Jenny) Horst ’07 and Craig Strasbaugh, Orrville, Ohio, Aubrey, Aug. 7, 2015.
Megan Fansler ’07 and Richard Dispanet, Mathias, W.Va., Grantlee Scott, April 27, 2017.
Jacqueline (Jackie) Marie Shock-Stewart MA ’08 (conflict transformation) and Matt Stewart, Beaver, Pa., Felix Joseph, April 13, 2017.
Jackson ’09 and Katie Lehman ’09 Maust, Keezletown, Va., Julia June, April 26, 2016.
Nicholas Detweiler-Stoddard ‘09 and Erika Detweiler ‘07, twins, Jace and Luke, October 23, 2015.
Michelle Kennel Shenk ’09 and Timothy Kennel Shenk, New York City, N.Y., Madelaine Kennel Shenk, April 21, 2017.
Stephen ’11 and Monica Stouffer ’09 Kniss, Chicago, Ill., Jordan David, Dec. 7, 2016.
Michael ’11 and Laurel Swartzendruber, Wayland, Iowa, Nora Mae, Feb. 8, 2017.
Matt ’11 and Kelly Brewer ’10 Dean, Charlottesville, Va., Emory Joseph, July 11, 2017.
Boris Alejandro Ozuna Urueta ’11 and Rebeca Barge ’09, Harrisonburg, Va., Elias Alejandro Ozuna Barge, April 12, 2017.
Dora Smith MA ’11 (conflict transformation) and Derrick Cook, Bakersville, N.C., Willeby Rose, June 16, 2017.
Mattias ’11 and Erica Yutzy ’09, MA ’11 (counseling), Harrisonburg, Va., Azra Quinn, Feb. 9, 2017.
Brendon ’12 and Heidi Boese ’11 Derstine, Harrisonburg, Va., Ella Mae Derstine, Aug. 6-Oct. 2, 2017.
Brook ’12 and Laura Musselman, Mountville, Pa., Silas John, Nov. 4, 2016.
Andy ’12 and Hannah Wenger ’12 Richter, Souderton, Pa., Ari Harrison, Sept. 20, 2017.
Matthew Bucher SEM ’15 and MA ’15 (conflict transformatin) and Greta Shenk, Samuel Thomas Bucher, Nov. 7, 2017.
Bob May MA ’16 (conflict transformation) and Olma Eleanor May MA ’16 (education), Robert Alexander, Aug. 29, 2017.
Ryan, professor of history, and Hannah Good, Hyattsville, Md., Naomi, Sept. 23, 2017.
Julia, professor of biology, and Darrell Halterman, Harrisonburg, Va., Lily Ann, May 15, 2017.
Jasmine Hardesty, director of planned giving, and Ashley Driver, Broadway, Va., Olive June, Sept. 27, 2017.
Deaths
Daniel H. Bender, Harrisonburg, Va., died April 12, 2017 at 90. Daniel moved from Iowa to Virginia to start the first financial aid office at EMU. He was employed from 1966-70 as a financial aid officer and later worked as a plumber, electrician and farmer.
Florence Strong Detweiler, class of ’35, Mechanicsburg, Pa., died April 15, 2017, at 100. She served the Slate Hill Mennonite Church family for nearly 80 years, mostly in children’s ministry. She also taught eight grades at Franklintown School.
Ethel Leaman Mellinger ’38, Lancaster, Pa., died March 28, 2017, at 97. She worked at Vine Street Mennonite Mission for 15 years and then moved to Sarasota, Fla., where she taught at Sarasota Christian School for 23 years. Upon retirement, she lived in Harrisonburg, Va., and was a member of Park View Mennonite Church.
Rosa “Rosie” Kurtz Mullet ’38, Pantego, N.C., died Jan. 21, 2017, at 95. She was active in mission work, ministering in the backwoods hills of Kentucky as a young woman and later serving in Belize with her husband. She wrote numerous poems, stories and essays, producing two grade-school science books and four storybooks.
Sara Stoltzfus ’47, Painesville, Ohio, died at 92.
J. Lester Brubaker ’50, Lititz, Pa., died June 15, 2017, at 93. He was involved with Christian education for 50 years at Lancaster Mennonite School, EMU, and the Lancaster Area Council of Mennonite Schools. He also taught at Hempfield High School (Pa.) and the University of Virginia and was curriculum consultant for the Rockingham (Va.) public schools.
J. William “Bill” Detweiler ’51, Kidron, Ohio, died April 6, 2017, at 87. Bill graduated from Faith Theological Seminary and pastored Pleasant View Mennonite Church, Kidron Mennonite Church and Mennonite Christian Assembly, all in Ohio. He and his twin brother, Bob, contributed to the Calvary Hour radio broadcast until Bob’s death in 1989. He received the Distinguished Service Award from EMU in 2001.
Harry Lee Kraus, Sr., MD, HS ’43, Class of ’51, Harrisonburg, Va., died Sept. 1, 2017, at 91. He graduated from Bridgewater College in 1951 and from the Medical College of Virginia in 1955. Harry married his high school sweet-heart Mildred Brunk. He founded Denbigh Family Practice in 1956 in Newport News, Va., and served the community faithfully until his retirement in 1988. After his “retirement,” he was a medical missionary in Kenya and Albania.
Elizabeth “Betty” Leatherman ’51 Kulp, Souderton, Pa., died Sept. 10, 2017, at 91. She was very involved at Spring Mount Mennonite Church, especially in coordinating fellowship luncheons and snacks for summer Bible school.
Edna R. Zook ’52, Scottsburg, Ind., died June 14, 2017, at 92. She and her husband Jesse pastored Austin Mennonite Church. For over 25 years, she babysat for children, had a baking business, and was known as the “cookie lady.”
Pauline Peachey Lehman ’53, Harrisonburg, Va., died March 22, 2017, at 87. She taught at Belleville Mennonite School and Pembroke Township Schools, where she also served as librarian. She enjoyed writing stories, Bible lessons and poems.
Vera Stauffer ’53 Kauffman, Harrisonburg, Va., died May 3, 2017, at 90. She taught nursing at St. Frances Hospital for eight years and at West Virginia Wesleyan College for 10 years. She was also a patient education instructor for four years at Rockingham Memorial Hospital. She was an active member of Park View Mennonite Church and in a local kayaking group.
Jacob Paul Shenk ’53, Gilford, N.H., died Aug. 16, 2017, at 75.
Elsie V. Gingerich, class of ’54, Kalona, Iowa, died June 12, 2017, at 98. She was actively involved in church planting and teaching Bible school for many years. She also did some housecleaning and was a school cook for 20 years.
Alvin Beachy ’55, New Carlisle, Ind., died Sept. 19, 2017, at 88. He pastored Mennonite churches in several states and also taught elementary school. He was a member of Hudson Lake Mennonite Church.
Clair Groff Metzler, class of ‘56, Ephrata, Pa., died April 19, 2016, at 82. He served with the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He later was an electrical technician for over 27 years until he retired. He was a member of New Creation United Methodist Church in Lancaster.
Ralph Lebold ‘58, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, died Oct. 31, 2017, at 83. After graduating from EMC, he earned degrees at Goshen College Biblical Seminary and Crozer Theological Seminary as well as a doctorate of ministry from St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto. He held several leadership roles in the church and in Mennonite higher education, including president of Conrad Grebel University College (1979-89) and director of theological education with Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary (1989-97).
Glenn W. Steffen ‘58, Lititz, Pa., died Oct. 12, 2017, at 83. He worked in insurance claims for 42 years and was a longtime member of Oley Mennonite Church.
Marian Yoder Payne, class of ’58, Richmond, Va., died Aug. 6, 2017, at 83. She taught third grade and completed two graduate degrees in reading and administration at Shippensburg State University. She then became the Shippensburg School District reading supervisor. She and her husband James ’58 were founding donors of the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding and offered strategic gifts during the past 23 years. Donations may be made in her memory to the Payne Family Endowed Scholarship at EMU.
Rhoda King ’59, Litiz, Pa., died Sept. 15, 2017, at 88. She was a charter member of Sandy Hill Mennonite Church and devoted her life to teaching in Christian schools in both Virginia and Pennsylvania.
Jack Doil Kerns ’60, Harrisonburg, Va., died March 19, 2017, at 81. He was a minister at the Timberville Church of the Nazarene and in the supply ministry in various churches throughout Virginia.
Esta Yoder Hostetler, class of ’60, Middlebury, Ind., died May 29, 2017. She worked as a secretary at various locations, including Mennonite Central Committee, Hesston College, Midland Hospital and Goshen College.
Ruby Brenneman ’61, Kalona, Iowa, died April 15, 2017, at 81. She taught kindergarten and first grade for more than 30 years and also volunteered through Mennonite Board of Missions as a volunteer service teacher for one year. She also served as hostess for Mennonite Central Committee from 1965-67 in Akron, Pa. She was a member of Wellman Mennonite Church.
Delores A. Gnagey, class of ’61, Saginaw, Mich., died April 11, 2017, at 77. She was a CPA for 17 years, worked in private accounting for five years, and was employed at a law firm for 18 years. At Ninth Street Community Church, she was the financial coordinator and a church deaconess for six years. She was also a Big Sister in the Big Brothers & Big Sisters of America organization for 31 years.
L. Sanford Alwine, class of ’61, Carlisle, Pa., died June 9, 2016, at 77. Sanford loved people and devoted his life to nurturing relationships through vocations in child welfare, community mental health, college teaching, marriage and family therapy, and spiritual direction. He assisted in the founding of two schools of spiritual direction and, along with his wife, established a spiritual retreat center.
Marlene Keller ’63 Benner, Waterloo, Canada, died July 13, 2017, at 75. She taught art and home economics at various schools, including Eastern Mennonite High School. Besides teaching, she also helped her husband Dick Benner ’69 run The Loom fabric and gift shop in Harrisonburg, Va. Together they developed a weekly newspaper in Everett, Pa., and later owned Ziprint in Charlottesville, Va. She was a member of Waterloo North Mennonite Church where she was well-known for her gift of creating worship arts.
Nora J. Sommers, class of ’63, Berlin, Ohio, died March 2, 2017, at 77. She was a private duty nurse and published three books, writing two and compiling one.
Ruth Martin ’64, Lititz, Pa., died March 28, 2017, at 87. She taught for 13 years at Ephrata and Kraybill Mennonite Schools and was later employed by Eastern Mennonite Missions in Salunga, Pa.
Carroll J. Lehman ’64, Rindge, N.H., died July 26, 2017, at 75. He taught music at Hope College and Western Washington University before moving to Keene State College in 1978. He retired in 2015 after teaching at Keene State for 37 years. He traveled the world touring and performing and was a member of the American Choral Directors Association, the National Association of Teachers of Singing, the Music Educators National Conference, and the Music Teachers National Association.
Frances Brubaker ’65, Lititz, Pa., died July 16, 2017, at 99. She taught at Paradise Elementary School and earned a master’s degree in counseling education at James Madison University. She served as dean of women at EMC and then in retirement, with EMU’s Servanthood Program. After returning to Lancaster County, she volunteered with the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society.
Roy L. Brubaker ’67, Mifflintown, Pa., died June 16, 2017 at 75 in a farming-related accident. He and his wife, Hope, spent 12 years with Eastern Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities in Somalia and Kenya. He also pastored Lost Creek Mennonite Church, was a school administrator at Juniata Mennonite School, and owned an organic vegetable and berry farm.
Richard L. Gunden ’68, Ellicott City, Md., died April 26, 2017, at 71. He worked as a warehouse manager in a New York perfume factory and later as a staff member in a Chicago hospital during World War II. He was CEO with The Ability Center of Greater Toledo and then vice president for advancement at EMU.
Richard Benner ’69, Ruckersville, Va., died Nov. 4, 2017, at 78 after a lengthy battle with cancer. Dick served as the first director of development at EMC from 1968-73, taught in the language and literature department, and was faculty advisor to the Weather Vane. Dick’s wife of 55 years, Marlene Keller ‘63 Benner, died in July 2017.
Wendell Nisly, class of ’69, Kalona, Iowa, died June 22, 2017, at 70. He served two years in 1W service in Florida, drove a truck, worked as a salesman, was an insurance agent for Menno Services, served as treasurer for an area relief sale, and was a certified weather spotter.
John Otto ’71, Champaign, Ill., died Aug. 27, 2017, at 71. He performed alternative service as a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War, earned a JD at the University of Michigan Law School and practiced law for several years in Michigan. He then moved to Champaign and joined the firm of Zimmerly, Gadau, Selin & Otto, where he practiced law until he retired in 2011.
C. John Kerstetter ’72, Harrisonburg, Va., died Jan. 14, 2017, at 75. He was born in Belgian, Congo, to missionary parents. He taught science at Page County High and in Newport News, then moved to Sarasota, Fla., in 1978, where he resided for 37 years. There he also taught and was a mechanic.
Rose Moyer ’74 Bergey, Chesapeake, Va., died Sept. 30, 2017, at 65. She taught at Mt. Pleasant Christian School for more than 36 years. Along with her family, Rose made many significant contributions to Bergey’s Breadbasket, their family-run business. She was an active member of Mount Pleasant Mennonite Church.
Samuel Johnson ’75, Keezletown, Va., died August 17, 2017, at 69. After serving in the military during the Vietnam War, Samuel committed his life to working for peace. He earned a BS in religion and industrial arts at Wilmington College and later an MDiv from Earlham School of Religion. He and his wife Margaret Wenger ’69 were active in the local Friends Meeting, and in later years with Shalom Mennonite Church. They co-founded the Harrisonburg Farmers Market. Samuel also joined other organizations promoting peace, social justice and environmental integrity.
Michael D. Augsburger ’80, 63, passed on April 11, 2017. The son of Myron ’55 and Esther Kniss ’72 Augsburger of Harrisonburg, Michael was an avid pilot, owned his own construction company, and had an adventurous spirit that took him around the world more than once. After retirement, Michael spent much of his time in Thailand. Upon his return to Harrisonburg, he succumbed to cancer. He will be remembered by friends and extended family for his kindness, unique wit, deep intellect, artistic talent and great hair. (See “Guns Into Plowshares” sidebar.)
Gregory Paul ’83, Greenville, N.C., died May 7, 2017, at 63. After years of writing and publishing crossword puzzles (some for the New York Times), he graduated from the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in 2009. In Buxton, N.C., he practiced classical homeopathy.
Douglas Moyer ’91, Stephens City, Va., died May 17, 2017, at 48. He was an IT professional with the Warren County School District and received the Staff Person of the Year award in 2011.
Sarah Pharis ’02 Dwyer, Staunton, Va., died Aug. 19, 2017, at 38 after battling ocular melanoma. She worked for the American Shakespeare Center for four years before attending graduate school at Loyola University in Maryland. She also taught at Woodland Montessori School in Harrisonburg before needing to quit her job to deal with her illness. In 2012, a play about her life, “Sarah and the Dinosaur,” was written by Ingrid DeSanctis ’88 and performed at EMU and at the ShenArts Theatre.
Kumar Anuraj Jha MA ’07, Kartoum, Sudan, died in a car accident Nov. 30, 2017. He was a child protection specialist with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). His wife Jill Landis Jha MA ’10 and their two young daughters were also in the car but survived the accident. Jha started his work on children and armed conflict from a field office in Nepal in 2001 with Save the Children in the midst of the Maoist conflict. He later led the UN Mis-sion’s Child Protection Section and provided management, monitoring and oversight of the release of 2,000 children from the Maoist army, which was one of the largest UN undertakings in Nepal.
Mara Martin Roberts MA ’11 (conflict transformation) died Sept. 28, 2017, after a five-and-a-half year battle with cancer. She is survived by her husband David Roberts; their sons Samuel and David; and extended family.
Chad A. Reinford ’14, Louisville, Ohio, died June 23, 2017, at 26. He enjoyed camping, hiking and rock climbing. He attended the former Stoner Heights Mennonite Church in Louisville and worked for Robin Industries.
Degree Key
CLASS OF – attended as part of the class of a given graduation year
GC – graduate certificate
MA – master of arts
SEM – attended or graduated from the seminary
Mileposts is compiled by Marci Myers, who may be reached at myersmk@emu.edu or at 540-432-4589.
