Yoder, Walter E. (1889-1964)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1964 Nov 5 p. 3

Birth date: 1889

text of obituary:

Retired Professor, Leader in Church Music Dies at Goshen

Goshen, Ind. — Memorial services were conducted at the College Mennonite Church here Sunday afternoon for Walter E. Yoder, 75, professor emeritus of music at Goshen College and well known in the (Old) Mennonite Church for his contributions in the field of church music.

Death came at the Goshen Hospital on Oct.30, where he had been admitted the day before after suffering a recurrence of a heart ailment. Officiating at the services were John H. Mosemann, Paul E. Mininger, S. C. Yoder and Robert Detweiler. Also taking part was the Goshen College A Cappella Chorus.

A native of LaGrange County, Ind., Prof Yoder began his ministry as a young man when he conducted music institutes throughout the Mennonite Church. He studied music under the late John D. Brunk at the Goshen College School of Music, graduating in 1913. He later took up farming near Metamora, Ill. and was active in church music work there.

In 1931 he accepted a call to head the music department at Goshen College, completing work for his B.S. degree at the college and for the masters degree at Northwestern University. He directed the college a cappella chorus, and under his leadership the college offered a major in music for the first time. He served frequently at church music institutes, and was well known as a leader in congregational singing.

Prof. Yoder served for many years as chairman of the music committee of the Mennonite Church. He served on the committee for the Church Hymnal, published in 1927, and later edited Junior Hymns and another hymnary, Songs of the Church. At the time of death he was co-editor of a joint committee engaged in compiling a new hymnbook for the Mennonite Church and the General Conference Mennonite Church.

Surviving in the immediate family are his wife, the former Matilda Schertz, daughters and two sons and their families.

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Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1964 Dec 10 p. 11

TRIBUTE TO WALTER E. YODER

Professor Shaped Goshen Music Tradition

Dr. Mary K. Oyer, professor of music at Goshen College, wrote this tribute to Professor Walter E. Yoder, widely known music leader in the Mennonite Church, who died Oct. 30 at the age of 75.

PROFESSOR Walter E. Yoder exerted a profound influence on the Goshen College campus community over the past 34 years.

He played the crucial part in shaping the music department. For years he was the only full-time faculty member. Under his leadership a music major was first offered in the late 1930's. He used the meager material resources at his disposal during the Depression times to open up rich new worlds to his students.

He stimulated his music theory students to compose by continuing to compose himself and by performing their works with his choruses. He developed a vital choral tradition on the campus through his conducting of the A Cappella Chorus and men's and women's groups. Although he was not an instrumentalist himself, he maintained a constant hope of establishing an orchestra at Goshen College — a hope which he saw fulfilled shortly before his retirement.

HIS VISION was broad enough not only to accept and absorb the changes that took place over his 30 years of teaching but also to guide the direction of many of those changes.

The whole student body learned to know him well through his leading of chapel singing. He had a remarkable intuition about congregational singing. How fast or slowly should a particular group sing on a particular day in order to find the hymn most helpful? Which hymn would be most appropriate for a given occasion? His judgments in such matters were almost uncanny.

His sensitivity to both poetry and music guided him in shaping a kind of "canon" of hymns which has become basic to worship at Goshen College. Many current students, who unfortunately did not know Prof. Yoder, nevertheless have felt the influence of his taste through their parents or song leaders who had deepened their appreciation under Walter Yoder's leading.

BUT THE Walter Yoder who made the deepest impact on his students and colleagues was the whole person. This was the person who, whether teaching, leading singing, or greeting one briefly on the campus, gave himself with warm and genuine interest to the other persons or group.

This was the person who accepted his neighbor so graciously that he disarmed him and gave him freedom to be himself. This was the person whose faith shown out quite clearly and who, therefore, moved with a reverent confidence.

The Goshen College community has lost a rare spirit — a man pure in heart; but the very qualities which were valued most will continue to live and bear fruit in the lives of his friends.

The Mennonite obituary: 1964 Nov 24 p. 734