Born, Floyd E. (1933-2007)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 2007 May 28 p. 9

Birth date: 1933 Nov 24

text of obituary:

FLOYD E. BORN

Floyd E. Born, 73, of Newton, Kan., died May 12, 2007. He was born Nov. 24, 1933, to Jacob and Tabea (Goossen) Born in Frazer Valley County, Mont. He was baptized at age of 12 in Lustre Mennonite Brethren Church. In high school he dedicated his life to serving God directly in gospel ministry.

He married Bertha Toews on June 15, 1954, in Lustre, and graduated from Tabor College in 1955. He attended Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary in Fresno, Calif., where he earned a master’s degree in missions in 1957 and a bachelor of divinity degree in 1965.

For 50 years he served the church: as pastor of Mennonite congregations in Marshall, Ark., Dallas, Texas, and Garden City, Ulysses and Elbing, Kan. In 1965 he took his family to Brazil, where he was professor of New Testament and missions at the Mennonite Brethren Seminary in Curitiba and also field administrator from 1968 to 1974. He served as chaplain at Garden Valley Retirement Village and as administrator at Emporia Presbyterian Manor. He held interim pastoral positions at Mennonite congregations in Goessel, Moundridge and Newton, Kan.

He was a faithful husband and excellent father, a skillful builder and craftsman, a wise listener and planner, a counselor to those in suffering and distress, and a thoughtful preacher who stressed service over self. He was gifted in ancient and modern languages, Hebrew, Greek, German and Portuguese. A believer in the importance of learning, he was a voracious reader. He sang in small groups and the Mennonite Men’s chorus.

Survivors include his wife, Bertha; four sons, Daniel and his wife, Mary Classen, of Chicago, Michael and his wife, Jo Ellen Wahl Born, of South Bend, Ind., Bradley and his wife, Diane Kinser Born, of Newton, and William and his wife, Shawna Wedel Born, of Goshen, Ind.; a brother, William Born of Bakersfield, Calif.; a sister, Norma Goentzel of Denver; and 10 grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by a sister, Myrtice Schulz.

Services were held at Faith Mennonite Church of Newton.