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Hubert Kenneth, Jr. Clevenger
Reverend Hubert Kenneth Clevenger, Jr., Congregation-al Christian minister in Indiana and Ohio
during the 1940s and early 1950s and then missionary, professor, and administrator in Brazil
South America with OMS International for 49 years, went to be with his Lord, Sunday, Feb. 20.
He was 88. The cause was complications from Alzheimer’s Disease.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s Rev. Clevenger served as pastor to several Congregational
Churches including Sand Bank, Ind.; New Hope, Ind.; Carlos, Ind.; Beamsville, Ohio; Teegarden,
Ohio; Woodington, Ohio; and Argos.
In 1954 he joined OMS International as a missionary to Brazil. His missionary work centered on
training new Brazilian pastors at the Instituto e Seminário Biblico de Londrina (ISBL) in Londrina,
Paraná, Brazil.
He was a Professor of Theology through all the years he lived in Brazil. He also served as Dean
and then President of the Seminary. In an administrative capacity he served for a time as
director of the Brazil field for OMS, as director of Latin American operations, and as member of
the board of directors at OMS.
His missionary service in Brazil centered around the many facets of seminary life, but he also
continued preaching and pastoring and was instrumental in helping establish new churches in
both Londrina and Maringá. He participated in a calling ministry and youth camp ministry. One of
his consistent ministries was to other pastors as a mentor and guide.
Teaching theology was a true passion, and he lovingly helped new pastors sort through difficult
doctrinal issues. His lectures on theology, as well as the example of his life, live on as legacy
among Brazilians who now minister all over Brazil and among some who now even serve as
missionaries to other parts of the world.
After his official retirement from OMS in February 1988, he continued to teach in Brazil and to
serve as consultant to the Brazil field until 2004.
Rev. Clevenger was born in Randolph County, Ind. Oct. 20, 1922 to Rev. Hubert Kenneth
Clevenger, Sr. and Enola Cortner Clevenger. He attended the public schools of Randolph
County, graduated from Taylor University in 1945 and from Asbury Seminary in 1949. He also
held an M.A. degree from Northern Baptist Seminary.
In 1942 he was married
to Melva B. Bingaman, who survives him and who served by his side
throughout his years of ministerial service. In addition to his wife, he is survived by a daughter,
Judith Clevenger Fagan of Charlotte, N.C.; a son, Kenneth Mark Clevenger of Zionsville; a
brother, Roger Lee Clevenger of Milwaukee; a sister, Evelyn Creviston of Carmel; four
grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
He was tirelessly dedicated to serving the Lord and spreading the message of good news. He
was beloved by the many whose lives he touched both in Brazil and in the United States.
A service in celebration of his life will be held Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011 at the Church at the
Crossing, 9111 Haverstick Road, Ind. 46240; 317-844-9355.
Visitation hour with the family will be at 10 am. At the church before the service at 11 a.m. The
burial will be later in the afternoon at Woodlawn cemetery near Farmland, Ind. Thornburg
Memorial Chapel of Parker City, Ind. Has been entrusted with arrangements.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be sent, designated for the Clevenger/Elkjer
Scholarship Fund #405123, to OMS International, 941 Fry Road, P.O. Box A, Greenwood, IN
46142. Phone: 317-888-3333.
This fund provides scholarships for students at the Brazilian Seminary in Londrina, Brazil.
Ruth Filley
ROCHESTER -- Ruth Filley, 79, of Rochester, died at 1:50 a.m. Feb. 20, at her home.
Ruth is survived by her companion, Larry Bogseth of Rochester; two daughters, Vickie Hubner
and husband William of Warsaw, and Brenda Rinkenberg and husband Gene, of Plymouth;
three sons, Donnie Gaut and wife Lucinda, of Napanee; John Gaut and wife Patty of Milford;
Mark Gaut and wife RaeAnn, of Wakarusa; two sisters, Betty Chokey and husband Leroy of
Nappanee; Carman Bickman, of Rochester; 12 grandchildren; 23 great grandchildren; one stepdaughter,
Sherry Six; and four step-sons, Ted Filley, Craig Filley, Scott Filley and Jack Filley.
Visitation ill be two hours prior to services Wednesday. Services will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday,
Feb. 23 in the Good Family Funeral Home, 1200 W. 18th St., Rochester, with Chaplain Jason
See officiating.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Hope Hospice of Fulton County,
Rochester, IN 46975.
Theresa A. Lewis
PLYMOUTH -- Theresa A. Lewis, 76, a longtime Plymouth resident, died Sunday afternoon,
Feb. 20, 2011 in her home of natural causes.
Theresa has resided at Fairfield Garden Court since 2008 and formerly was a Charles Street
resident.
Born Nov. 1, 1943 in South Bend, Ind.Theresa was the daughter of Gildo and Elizabeth
(Ruggieri) Susanna. She was raised in South Bend and graduated from St. Joseph High School.
Nov. 15, 1952 she married
her childhood sweetheart; Richard J. 'Dick' Lewis of South Bend.
Together they had three children and in 1970 the family moved to Plymouth and began Lewis
Construction. Theresa was a homemaker and provided daycare for several teachers out of her
home.
Theresa enjoyed watching the Cubs, collecting bells and loved animals, especially her Brittany
Spaniel, 'Corky' who after moving to Garden Court, has found a new home in Missouri.
Theresa is a member of St. Michael Roman Catholic Church, Plymouth and its Altar Rosary
Society. In South Bend she had served many years as a Girl Scout Leader for Troop #228.
Surviving are her three children and their families: son Richard N. 'Rick' and his wife Donna
Lewis of West Palm Beach, Fla. And daughters, Susanna A. and her husband Art Llovet of
Rochester and Elizabeth A. 'Liz' and her husband Brian Mosbey of Granger, Ind.
Her grandchildren include: Christopher (Brenda) Lewis and Heather (Michael) Anderson, all of
Plymouth; Stephanie (Doug) Heckaman of Argos; Adam (Sarah) Llovet of Illinois; and Eric and
Ryan Babendrager of Granger. Great-grandchildren are: Ashton and Mia Lewis, Peyton and
Micha Heckaman, and Kailynn and Mikey Anderson.
Preceding Theresa in death was her parents; spouse, Richard, Aug. 10, 2007; and a halfbrother,
James Susanna.
Visitation will be held Thursday, Feb. 24 from 4 to 8 p.m. in the Johnson-Danielson Funeral
Home, 1100 N. Michigan St., Plymouth where a prayer service will take place at 7:30 p.m. that
evening. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. Friday in St. Michael Church, 613 N.
Center St. Plymouth. Pastor Rev. William Kummer will officiate.
Burial will follow in the St. Michael cemetery, Plymouth.
Memorial gifts in Theresa’s memory may be made to the Marshall County Humane Society, P.O.
Box #22, Plymouth, IN, 46563 or St. Michael Church.
Funeral Director – Randall L. Danielson – 574-936-2829
Lynn Y. Miller
WARSAW -- Lynn Y. Miller, 73, of Warsaw, died t 3:35 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 20, 2011 in Lutheran
Hospital in Ft. Wayne.
She is survived by her husband, Terry; six children: Lisa (Gary) Bowman of Amboy, Ind., Rhonda
(Rex) Rife of Pierceton, Tina Hostetler of Mesa, Ariz., Roger (Pam) Hostetler of Kansas City,
Kan., Tracy Ousley of Bourbon, and Tina Miller of Syracuse; and several grandchildren and
great-grandchildren.
Visitation will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26 at Deaton-Clemons Funeral
Home, 115 S. Main St., Bourbon.
Funeral services will take place at 1 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home.
Burial will follow in the Sand Ridge cemetery, Bourbon.
Helen Marie (Weil) Reed
BREMEN -- Helen Marie (Weil) Reed, 82, of Bremen, passed away Sunday, Feb. 20, 2011 at
Memorial Hospital, South Bend.
She was lovingly cared for by her family in her home throughout her illness.
She was born March 14, 1928 in Bremen to George and Hattie (Schweisberger) Weil in the
same home in which she lived her entire life.
Sept. 27, 1946 she married
Paul Reed; he survives.
Helen was a farm wife and a lifetime member of Bremen Church of the Brethren, helping with all
of the church funeral dinners for more than 50 years. She loved cooking, gardening and
attending her children and grandchildren’s 4-H Fair events and never missed a day.
Survivors include husband of 64 years, Paul Reed of Bremen; two daughters, Shirlee Barnard of
Bremen and Janice 'Jan' (Steve, Sr.) Nelson; son, Randy (Thelma) Reed of Bremen;
grandchildren: Jenny (Jason) Berger of Plymouth, Sherry (Mike) Kasprzak of South Bend, Susie
(Mark) Muszynski of Mishawaka, Timothy Nelson of Bremen, Steve (Ruth) Nelson, Jr. of
Plymouth, and Brad (Lisa) Nelson of Knox; and great-grandchildren: Jacob, Kimberly, Sarah,
Mary, Andrew, Abby, Aston, Aiden, Morgan, and Logan.
She was preceded in death by her parents, one brother and one sister.
Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 24, at the Bremen Church of the
Brethren (921 Woodies Lane) and will be officiated by Pastor Mike Overpeck and Pastor Jack
Kline.
Burial will follow at the Bremen cemetery.
Friends may call from 2 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 23, at the Bremen Church of the Brethren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Bremen Church of the Brethren or to the St. Joseph
County 4-H Scholarship Fund.
The Mishler Funeral Home in Bremen is assisting the family with arrangements.
Mary Metheny Shunk
DENTON, Texas -- Mary Metheny Shunk enjoyed 101-plus years until passing Feb. 20, 2011 at
Cottonwood Care Center in Denton, Texas.
She was born to Orville and Pearl Rush Metheny May 30, 1909 in Bourbon, Ind. And was
married
45 years to George Shunk from Mentone, Ind., until his death.
She worked as secretary for the Argos, Ind. School system for 23 years until moving to
Lawrence, Kan. Where she lived at Presbyterian Retirement Center and there celebrated her
100th birthday before moving to live with her daughter in Krum, Texas in October of 2009.
Mary is survived by sons: George and wife Karen, and Richard and wife Sharon in San Antonio,
Texas, and William and wife Judy in Lawrence, Kan.; and daughter Beverly Shunk Sisk in Krum,
Texas; and 38 grand, great-grand and great-great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at Friendship Church on University Dr., Denton, Texas Sunday,
Feb. 27 at 2 p.m.
Burial will be in Bethel cemetery, Bourbon, Ind.
Dennis W. Burden
PLYMOUTH -- Dennis W. Burden, 92, of Oakhill Ave., Plymouth, died of natural causes in
Plymouth’s Miller’s Merry Manor, at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011.
Dennis was born in Plymouth on May 13, 1918, the son of Elias and Clara Weisert Burden.
He was a graduate of Plymouth High School with the class of 1936.
Dennis joined the Army Air Corps in August of 1940. He served in the Thirsty Thirteen Squadron
and was honorably discharged in September of 1945 as a Tech/Sergeant.
On July 11, 1946, in Stittsville, New York, Dennis and Jean Soule were married
. Jean died Sept.
1, 2007.
Dennis lived on 12B Road from 1949 to 2007. He was a farmer and also worked and retired from
Bendix in South Bend.
He loved tinkering around the farm, fixing things and working with his hands. Dennis was always
busy. He enjoyed living the last four years at Miller’s Assisted Living.
Dennis was a member of the First United Methodist Church. He was also a member of the VFW,
the American Legion in Plymouth and Bourbon and the 40 & 8 organization.
He is survived by a son, Wesley and Josephine Burden and a daughter Linda Burden, living in
Berkley, Calif.
Two granddaughters, Gwyn Burden and Brittany Burden, both of Fishers, Indiana survive as
well. He is also survived by his sister, Marcel Koenig, of New York.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his wife.
Friends may call at the Johnson – Danielson Funeral Home, 1100 N. Michigan, Plymouth,
Sunday, February 27, 2011, from 2 to 5 p.m.
A memorial service conducted by the Rev. Larry Marhanka, pastor of the First United Methodist
Church of Plymouth, will officiate at 5 p.m., following visitation.
Military rites will be accorded to Dennis following the service by the Plymouth American Legion,
VFW and DAV. Interment will be in New Oakhill cemetery.
Memorial gifts in Dennis’ memory may be made to the charity of the donor’s choice.
Funeral Director – Kevin L. Russell – 574-936-2829
Virginia May (Bachtel) Miller
SOUTH BEND -- Virginia May (Bachtel) Miller, passed away peacefully, Feb. 22, 2011, six days
before her 91st birthday, at home with her daughter, son-in-law, and her faithful K-9 companion
Buddy.
She was born Feb. 28, 1920, in South Bend, Ind., the daughter of Vernon O. and Edith (Dawson)
Bachtel. She is remembered for her independence, dignity and desire to succeed. She strove to
pass these characteristics on to her children.
She was an accomplished pianist, artist and by profession, school teacher, teaching fourth grade
at Monroe School in South Bend.
She married
James F. Miller in 1980 and they traveled to exotic places such as China, Egypt
and Greece, and settled in Mesa, Ariz. In 1984. Preceding her in death are her husband, James
F. Miller; sister, Mary Blakeman; son, Richard Paul Murrmann; and grandson, Robert Murrmann.
Surviving are her sister, Dora Mathisen of Chatham, N.J.; her children: Kent F. Murrmann
(Suzanne) of Blacksburg, Va., George J. Murrmann (Margaret) of Indianapolis, Don N. Murrmann
(Marilyn) of Kerrville, Texas, Kathy J. Swanson (Robert) of Mesa, Ariz., JoEllen DePaepe
(Robert) of South Bend; her daughter-in-law, Judy Murrmann of Beckley W.V.; seven
grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and her companion Buddy.
Services will take place March 12 at Southlawn cemetery at 11 a.m.
