Handrich, Willard Donald (1916-2006)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 2006 Oct 23 p. 7

Birth date: 1916 Dec 12

text of obituary:

Retired pastor, 2 family members die in accident

Boat cpasizes on Lake Superior

By Robert Rhodes

Mennonite Weekly Review

GRAND MARAIS, Mich. — A retired Mennonite pastor who was a skilled woodsman and carpenter died oct. 6, along with his son and daughter-in-law, when their boat capsized in rough seas on Lake Superior.

Killed were Willar Donald Handrich, 89, his son Eldon Handrich, 59, and his son's wife, Maggie Handrich, 60, both of Laramie, Wyo.

A fourth companion, longtime friend Robert Nyman, 62, of Grand Marais, was rescued after more than 14 hours in 55-degree water. He told authorities he saw the other three drown after struggling for hours to remain afloat near the overturned vessel.

After two days of searching, none of the bodies was recovered, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Willard Handrich was the founding pastor of Grand Marais Mennonite Church in 1949, according to Pastor Steven Post.

Post said Oct. 10 that Handrich was a skilled woodsman and carpenter who cut much of the wood for the church building himself, in addition to crafting the pews and cherry-wood altar, which are still in use.

"They really had sacrificed to do the work here," Post said of Handrich and his widow, Mary, who married in 1941.

Born Dec. 25, 1916, at Fairview, the son of Elmer and Verna Beachy Handrich, he was a graduate of Fairview High School.

Handrich married Mary Lehman on Dec. 31, 1941, and was a conscientious objector during World War II. He served in Civilian Public Service from 1942-46, including a stint as a smoke jumper in the Montana Rockies in 1945, according to the family. He also worked for a seed growers association and was joint owner of a grain elevator in Millersburg from 1946-50.

Handrich was ordained on Oct. 3, 1948, and served the Grand Marais congregation as pastor for 32 years. He also was a self-employed woodsman and drove an ambulance in the area before a regular volunteer service was formed.

After retirement, Handrich and his wife traveled and spent time in Alamo, Texas. He was an avid gardener and beekeeper, as well as a hunter and fisherman who enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren.

Handrich's daughter, Carla Stoltzfus of Lakewood, Colo., said he remained vital even in old age, chopping wood and enjoying sailing up to the time of his death.

Surviving are Handrich's wife, Mary; three daughters, Carla Stoltzfus and her husband, Vernon, of Lakewood, Colo., Shirley Bustos and her husband, Mario, of Valparaiso, Ind., and Joetta Schlabach and her husband, Gerald, of St. Paul, Minn.; a brother, Bruce; nine grandchildren; a step-grandson; and four great-grandchildren.

Eldon Michael Handrich was born Feb. 6, 1947, at Alpena. He graduated from Burt Township School in Grand Marais and earned bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Colorado Medical School. He completed a family practice residency and served operating rooms in Cheyenne and Rock Springs, Wyo. With his first wife, Frances Dallarosa, Handrich had two children, Tessa of San Diego, Calif., and Dylan of Golden, Colo.

Maggie Handrich was an emergency room nurse. A native of Illinois and the daughter of Arthur and Mary Dehart martin, she had a son, Brent Prunty of Wheatland, Wyo.

The couple, who were married in 1992, raised bison on their Prairie Monarch ranch near Laramie, where Maggie Handrich excelled in butter and cheese making, according to the family.

Eldon Handrich competed in marathons and winter triathlons, was a pilot and enjoyed outdoor sports. Like his father, he was a beekeeper.

A memorial service was held Oct. 13 at Grand Marais Mennonite Church.

Memorials may be made to Mennonite Central Committee, 21 S. 12th St., Akron, PA 17501, for international water projects, or to Heifer Project International, P.O. Box 8058, Little Rock, AR 72203, to provide animals to families in developing countries.