Greaser, Earl Daniel (1927-2003)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 2003 Sep 8 p. 10

Birth date: 1927 Mar 1

text of obituary:

Pioneer in care for elderly dies at 76

By Mennonite Mission Network

HARRISONBURG, Va. — Earl Daniel Greaser, a former administrator of Maple Lawn Homes in Eureka, Ill., for the former Mennonite Board of Missions, died Aug. 2 of leukemia. He was 76. His illness had only been diagnosed 12 days earlier.

He had most recently been executive director and director of development for Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community in Harrisonburg from 1976 to 2000. He oversaw the building of an expanded campus for the retirement community and a state-of-the-art Alzheimer's care unit.

He was administrator of Maple Lawn Homes for 22 years when Maple Lawn and other facilities for older people were owned and operated by MBM. The Mennonite Church started these facilities as a ministry for older people who were largely indigent and had no responsible relatives or others willing to take care of them.

He was a member of Lindale Mennonite Church, serving on the building committee, as usher, song leader, elder and Sunday school teacher.

Greaser was born March 1, 1927, in Garden City, Mo., the son of Charles and Pearl Hershberger Greaser.

On April 15, 1949, he married Verna Faye Garber, who survives. Also surviving are five children, Sheri Hartzler of Harrisonburg, an associate producer at Mennonite media, Rita Eby of Harrisonburg, Edie Nebel of Wayland, Iowa, Leon Greaser of Wichita, Kan., and Alan Greaser of Goshen, Ind.; a brother, Lawrence Greaser of Goshen, Ind., former administrator for Latin America for MBM; and 10 grandchildren.

A memorial service was held Aug. 5. Burial was in Lindale Cemetery.