Three Deaths
During announcements today at church we heard about the passing of three men from other states, whose lives were of interest to members of our congregation for a variety of reasons.
One was Milton Ream, who worshiped with us for a number of years. Early on he had cautiously asked whether he would be welcome to continue to worship with us, even if he did not intend to become a member here. When he got an affirmative answer, he was satisfied, and came regularly for Sunday morning worship--not for Sunday School though. He was a Quaker, and did not feel a need for what must have seemed less contemplative than was ideal.
Milton came to this area to work as librarian at HCF, the correctional facility in Hutchinson. I met him sometimes at the Hutchinson Public Library, where he often went to find books an inmate had requested. He had grown up in Cherokee, OK where he eventually returned, after he retired from his HCF job. Retirement happened for him when his aging parents needed someone to help care for them. He knew they wished to stay in their own home, and Milton's help made it possible for them to do so. His parents died several years ago, very nearly at the same time.
Milton, who had diabetes, began soon after to have serious health problems of his own. His foot eventually had to be amputated, and he went to a nursing home. He was lonely, and people from here sometimes went to visit him. After his parents died, his closest surviving relatives were his Aunt Ruby and his sister and her family. Unfortunately there was a major rift in his relationship with his sister and her attorney husband. Among other things, they had taken legal action against him in an attempt to have Milton's parents placed in a nursing home. After Milton himself was at the nursing home, others arranged for his and his parents' belongings to be sold at auction. This was very difficult for him.
Several weeks ago, David and Susanna were making plans to visit Milton, and placed a call to the nursing home before they left home in Kansas. Someone from there informed David that Milton had died several weeks ago. As David put it when he told our congregation last week, "Either we didn't leave enough information for someone to contact us, or there was another reason we weren't contacted." The attorney brother-in-law conducted a graveside service. There was no other service.
Today David told us that they had gone yesterday to Cherokee to learn something more about Milton's passing. They visited the cemetery where he was buried and then went to the nursing home. There they learned that he had apparently died suddenly during the night. They also learned that his beloved Aunt Ruby had died two days after Milton did. A woman who overheard the conversation stepped forward then and identified herself as a close friend of Ruby's. She was able to fill in some more of the blanks about Milton's life and death.
Many in our church have keepsakes that Milton gave us. For Hiromi, there is the book on home businesses that he gave us after Hiromi was laid off earlier. Lowell's family often invited him for Sunday dinner. Joey has a book on butterflies from Milton that has enabled him to identify many different species that are found in Kansas. Earlier he had paid for a silhouette artist to do "pictures" of Hannah and Christy. He saw to it that the silhouettes were mounted and framed and wanted them to give a set to their grandparents. One set is still hanging in my parents' bedroom. He dug up and brought me a clump of hardy asters that grow wild in Oklahoma. They were tall and deep purple and lovely.
We all knew Milton as a very gentle man, and a gentleman in the usual sense of the word. His obituary revealed things about him that I did not know:
"He graduated from Cherokee High School in 1956. Following high school, he earned a bachelor of arts degree in history and English from North-western Oklahoma State University in December 1959, graduating with honors. He was a certified teacher in both Oklahoma and Kansas and taught high school in Kiowa, Kan., and Cullison, Kan. He was an accomplished musician playing several instruments and was a member of the Orchestra of Northwestern Oklahoma. During his career, he was an instructor in English at the University of North Alabama, Florence, Ala. He furthered his studies at Queens’ College, Cadbury, England. He also did scholarly work on the history of the Society of Friends at the University of Oklahoma, where he received a master of library science degree. He was awarded the designation of certified archivist by the United States Archives, where he worked in Washington, D.C. He was subsequently appointed as a librarian at Bryn Mawr University, Philadelphia, Penn. He returned to the Plains when appointed by the state of Kansas to establish libraries in correctional institutions."
Milton never married. He told Hiromi once that as a young man he planned to marry, but it didn't happen when he was in his twenties. In his thirties, he realized that it was time to do something about it if he wanted to marry, but nothing worked out then either. When he neared 40 he decided that maybe it wasn't a big deal whether or not he got married, and he sort of gave up on the plan.
At one point, when Milton was feeling especially forsaken in recent years, and people here wished to be able to have more contact with him, we discussed the situation and voted to bring him to this area to live if things could be satisfactorily arranged. Things never quite came together for reasons I've forgotten. Today David thanked us for the welcome we extended to his friend Milton, and gave us all enough information to help us find closure to his death.
When the Center Beachys get to heaven, there's one Quaker we'll all be eager to re-unite with.
**************************
Another death announced today was that of Simon Schrock, the uncle of the Simon Schrock who writes books and works for Choice Books. The uncle was formerly the administrator of Hillcrest Home in Arkansas where many from here served in the past.
I have a mental picture of that man, but did not know him very well personally. I remember that his wife was Elsie, and they were both appreciated by many. At Hillcrest, they interacted regularly with both old and young people, and I have no doubt that many of them will be glad to meet up again with Simon in heaven.
Today on Facebook I read a post by the man who will preach at his funeral. That man was once a baby in our church, and I remember holding him (or was it his brother?) during church in the balcony at Arlington while his Mom took care of some of her other children during her husband's preaching. Small world, and all that.
**************************
The third death announced was that of Peter Dyck, who died at the age of 95. This man was widely known in Mennonite circles. Children who have read Henry's Red Sea know about him. Many have met him through his tireless promotion of the work of MCC. People here who are old enough to remember have wonderful memories of the time he spoke here in a series of meetings recounting his experiences as a starving child in Russia at the time of the revolution, a young married man helping Russian German refugees survive in East Germany and eventually escape to the West, and a sober adult who helped some of those refugees in their struggles to survive in their new home, the Chaco in Paraguay. I wrote an earlier post about the time he witnessed there the struggle of one congregation to honor the principle of the permanence of marriage, even in desperate circumstances.
I mentioned years ago in a Keepers at Home article another memorable story he told. His saying I've never forgotten is Old bread is not hard; no bread--that is hard. That was his wrapup after he had told about the people around him in Russia who had starved. His best six-year old friend had already died, and he himself was near death when help arrived from MCC. Peter Dyck's saying has helped drive my crusade against picky eating and complaining about food in general.
I can imagine Peter's joyful reunion in heaven with people who helped him in the past, and people he was able to help personally later. Along the way, there must have been many like me, who never knew him personally, but were ministered to by his storytelling ability, in the context of a life lived out in Christian service.
********************
Christian faith is a wonderful bond. When another who has walked with God dies, we feel grief, but there is never sorrow for having known the story of a life lived in the service of Christ. For that, we always feel gratitude.
One was Milton Ream, who worshiped with us for a number of years. Early on he had cautiously asked whether he would be welcome to continue to worship with us, even if he did not intend to become a member here. When he got an affirmative answer, he was satisfied, and came regularly for Sunday morning worship--not for Sunday School though. He was a Quaker, and did not feel a need for what must have seemed less contemplative than was ideal.
Milton came to this area to work as librarian at HCF, the correctional facility in Hutchinson. I met him sometimes at the Hutchinson Public Library, where he often went to find books an inmate had requested. He had grown up in Cherokee, OK where he eventually returned, after he retired from his HCF job. Retirement happened for him when his aging parents needed someone to help care for them. He knew they wished to stay in their own home, and Milton's help made it possible for them to do so. His parents died several years ago, very nearly at the same time.
Milton, who had diabetes, began soon after to have serious health problems of his own. His foot eventually had to be amputated, and he went to a nursing home. He was lonely, and people from here sometimes went to visit him. After his parents died, his closest surviving relatives were his Aunt Ruby and his sister and her family. Unfortunately there was a major rift in his relationship with his sister and her attorney husband. Among other things, they had taken legal action against him in an attempt to have Milton's parents placed in a nursing home. After Milton himself was at the nursing home, others arranged for his and his parents' belongings to be sold at auction. This was very difficult for him.
Several weeks ago, David and Susanna were making plans to visit Milton, and placed a call to the nursing home before they left home in Kansas. Someone from there informed David that Milton had died several weeks ago. As David put it when he told our congregation last week, "Either we didn't leave enough information for someone to contact us, or there was another reason we weren't contacted." The attorney brother-in-law conducted a graveside service. There was no other service.
Today David told us that they had gone yesterday to Cherokee to learn something more about Milton's passing. They visited the cemetery where he was buried and then went to the nursing home. There they learned that he had apparently died suddenly during the night. They also learned that his beloved Aunt Ruby had died two days after Milton did. A woman who overheard the conversation stepped forward then and identified herself as a close friend of Ruby's. She was able to fill in some more of the blanks about Milton's life and death.
Many in our church have keepsakes that Milton gave us. For Hiromi, there is the book on home businesses that he gave us after Hiromi was laid off earlier. Lowell's family often invited him for Sunday dinner. Joey has a book on butterflies from Milton that has enabled him to identify many different species that are found in Kansas. Earlier he had paid for a silhouette artist to do "pictures" of Hannah and Christy. He saw to it that the silhouettes were mounted and framed and wanted them to give a set to their grandparents. One set is still hanging in my parents' bedroom. He dug up and brought me a clump of hardy asters that grow wild in Oklahoma. They were tall and deep purple and lovely.
We all knew Milton as a very gentle man, and a gentleman in the usual sense of the word. His obituary revealed things about him that I did not know:
"He graduated from Cherokee High School in 1956. Following high school, he earned a bachelor of arts degree in history and English from North-western Oklahoma State University in December 1959, graduating with honors. He was a certified teacher in both Oklahoma and Kansas and taught high school in Kiowa, Kan., and Cullison, Kan. He was an accomplished musician playing several instruments and was a member of the Orchestra of Northwestern Oklahoma. During his career, he was an instructor in English at the University of North Alabama, Florence, Ala. He furthered his studies at Queens’ College, Cadbury, England. He also did scholarly work on the history of the Society of Friends at the University of Oklahoma, where he received a master of library science degree. He was awarded the designation of certified archivist by the United States Archives, where he worked in Washington, D.C. He was subsequently appointed as a librarian at Bryn Mawr University, Philadelphia, Penn. He returned to the Plains when appointed by the state of Kansas to establish libraries in correctional institutions."
Milton never married. He told Hiromi once that as a young man he planned to marry, but it didn't happen when he was in his twenties. In his thirties, he realized that it was time to do something about it if he wanted to marry, but nothing worked out then either. When he neared 40 he decided that maybe it wasn't a big deal whether or not he got married, and he sort of gave up on the plan.
At one point, when Milton was feeling especially forsaken in recent years, and people here wished to be able to have more contact with him, we discussed the situation and voted to bring him to this area to live if things could be satisfactorily arranged. Things never quite came together for reasons I've forgotten. Today David thanked us for the welcome we extended to his friend Milton, and gave us all enough information to help us find closure to his death.
When the Center Beachys get to heaven, there's one Quaker we'll all be eager to re-unite with.
**************************
Another death announced today was that of Simon Schrock, the uncle of the Simon Schrock who writes books and works for Choice Books. The uncle was formerly the administrator of Hillcrest Home in Arkansas where many from here served in the past.
I have a mental picture of that man, but did not know him very well personally. I remember that his wife was Elsie, and they were both appreciated by many. At Hillcrest, they interacted regularly with both old and young people, and I have no doubt that many of them will be glad to meet up again with Simon in heaven.
Today on Facebook I read a post by the man who will preach at his funeral. That man was once a baby in our church, and I remember holding him (or was it his brother?) during church in the balcony at Arlington while his Mom took care of some of her other children during her husband's preaching. Small world, and all that.
**************************
The third death announced was that of Peter Dyck, who died at the age of 95. This man was widely known in Mennonite circles. Children who have read Henry's Red Sea know about him. Many have met him through his tireless promotion of the work of MCC. People here who are old enough to remember have wonderful memories of the time he spoke here in a series of meetings recounting his experiences as a starving child in Russia at the time of the revolution, a young married man helping Russian German refugees survive in East Germany and eventually escape to the West, and a sober adult who helped some of those refugees in their struggles to survive in their new home, the Chaco in Paraguay. I wrote an earlier post about the time he witnessed there the struggle of one congregation to honor the principle of the permanence of marriage, even in desperate circumstances.
I mentioned years ago in a Keepers at Home article another memorable story he told. His saying I've never forgotten is Old bread is not hard; no bread--that is hard. That was his wrapup after he had told about the people around him in Russia who had starved. His best six-year old friend had already died, and he himself was near death when help arrived from MCC. Peter Dyck's saying has helped drive my crusade against picky eating and complaining about food in general.
I can imagine Peter's joyful reunion in heaven with people who helped him in the past, and people he was able to help personally later. Along the way, there must have been many like me, who never knew him personally, but were ministered to by his storytelling ability, in the context of a life lived out in Christian service.
********************
Christian faith is a wonderful bond. When another who has walked with God dies, we feel grief, but there is never sorrow for having known the story of a life lived in the service of Christ. For that, we always feel gratitude.
posted by Mrs. I at
5:04 PM
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