Miller, Ida D. Bontrager (1918-1965)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1965 Apr 15 p.1, 16

Birth date: 1918 Sep 5

text of obituary:

TWIN DEATH CLOUDS — Two separate funnel clouds hugging the earth, spread devastation along U.S. 33 a quarter of a mile west of Elkhart, Ind. The New York Central Railroad tracks are at right. Path of the tornado was about one and a half miles south of the Mennonite Biblical Seminary campus. Picture was made by the Elkhart Truth photographer Bill Borneman shortly before the twisters struck the Dunlap community south of Elkhart, killing some two dozen persons. (Photo courtesy of the Hutchinson News and Associated Press.)

Mennonite Churches Destroyed

Multiple Tornadoes Leave 70 Dead In Two Northern Indiana Counties By Richard Blosser, Assoc. Ed.

MENNONITE CHURCHES and communities in Indiana and Ohio share in the suffering, destruction and bereavement in the wake of the vicious wave of tornadoes which raked large sections of the Great Lakes Region last Sunday evening, leaving more than 250 dead, some 5,000 injured and millions in property damage.

Believed hardest hit of all is the Elkhart and Lagrange County region of northern Indiana, with approximately 73 known dead as of Tuesday night, over 400 injured, and at least 1,400 homeless. Of the dead about 20 are Mennonites. For both counties, it was the worst disaster in their history.

Telephone reports from Dr. Melvin Gingerich of Goshen and Dr. Erland Waltner of Elkhart on Wednesday morning gave further details of the tragedy. They confirmed that the number of deaths and the full extent of damage had not yet been accurately determined. The area was under martial law. President Lyndon Johnson was scheduled to arrive at Elkhart on Wednesday to personally survey the damage.

PROPERTY DAMAGE in the two-county area is in the millions, and demolished structures include two Mennonite churches — the Sunnyside (Old) Mennonite Church in Dunlap and the Shore (Old) Mennonite Church near Shipshewana in Lagrange County. At least nine members of the latter church were killed. The storm reportedly hit while evening services were in progress.

The greatest destruction and loss of life occurred in the unincorporated community of Dunlap (population about 2,500) between Goshen and Elkhart. The two cities are about 10 miles apart.

A twin funnel descended on the area about 6:15 p.m., traveling in an easterly direction. The storm ripped through the Midway Mobile Home Court along US-33, demolishing some 30 trailer homes and killing or injuring a number of their occupants. It then continued in a northeasterly direction and smashed a suburban area north of Goshen on SR-15.

About an hour later another funnel struck north Dunlap, flattening the Sunnyside Addition, including the Sunnyside Church.

ONE OR MORE of the funnels continued eastward and dipped down in the Middlebury community about 15 miles east of Elkhart and also in the Shipshewana area in Lagrange County, some 20 miles east of Elkhart. Property damage and loss of life was heavy in both communities. , In the predominantly Amish and Mennonite community of Shipshewana, four persons were killed as they engaged in quartet practice in a home. They were Leroy Yoder of Topeka, principal of the Honeyville School, his wife, and Yoder's uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. Willis Bontrager.

Others in the Shipshewana area who lost their lives, as reported by the Associated Press, were Charles Clindaniel, Frank and Grace Haarer, Bernice Hostetler, Bessie Hostetler, David Miller, 20, Ida Miller, Iva Nofzinger, 30, and Mr. and Mrs. John S. Yoder. Also reported killed was Noble Haarer, 35, of Lagrange.

A mass funeral service for th dead of the Shore Church and the Forks (Old) Mennonite Church is to be held Thursday at the Shipshewana High School.

AMONG THOSE KILLED in the Middlebury area were Mrs. Jean Krehbiel, 35, and 18-month-old Timothy Krehbiel, wife and son of Rev. Myron Krehbiel, pastor of the Pleasant Grove Mennonite Church (General Conference). It was reported that Mrs. Krehbiel and son, were en route to their home when a building was tossed onto their car by the storm. The double funeral in to be Thursday at the Pleasant Oaks Church — the first funeral in the new church building.

IN A BRIEF REPORT written on Monday, Dr. Gingerich writes of how the community responded in meeting the emergency. He states, “Hundreds of people were seriously injured and were rushed to the Goshen, Elkhart, South Bend and possibly other hospitals. All doctors, nurses, and aides were pressed into service.

“More than 100 of the seriously hurt were treated at the Goshen Hospital, and the overflow crowd of less seriously injured patients were housed in the Goshen College High Park girls dormitory which is near the hospital, and which fortunately was empty during spring vacation.

“The community responded magnificently to the crisis and all kinds of organizations offered their services. Clothing and food was collected in various centers all day today (Monday) and homes were opened to the homeless. Mennonite disaster Service along with the Red cross {sic] and other agencies has been on the job through the night and today.”

Later Dr. Gingerich reported that large quantities of relief goods had been brought to the Goshen College Church, where women of the church were sorting it for distribution by the Red Cross.

FORTUNATELY, the storms hit before dark, and there was ample warning of severe weather by radio and television. Otherwise the toll of dead and injured might have been much higher.

Dr. Gingerich states there were numerous reports of people racing out of the storm's path in their cars, or being spared by taking refuge in basements. Dr. and Mrs. Guy Hershberger of Goshen were visiting their son Paul Hershberger and family in the Sunnyside Addition, Dunlap, when they noted the second funnel approaching. They quickly got in a car and left the area. Moments later Sunnyside was hit and the Paul Hershberger home demolished.

AT LEAST ONE of the funnels passed about one and a half miles south of the Mennonite Biblical Seminary campus in Elkhart. Dr. Waltner, president of the seminary, reports that the seminary was not damaged, and all personnel are safe. However, Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Dean of the Midway Trailer Court in Dunlap and members of the Hively Ave. Mennonite Church, Elkhart, were severely injured. They are reported recovering. Mrs. Dean is a daughter of Mrs. Vinora Saltzman, assistant librarian at the seminary.

Four other families of the Hively Avenue Church residing in a housing development at the south edge of Elkhart lost their homes. However, the families had all taken refuge in their basements, and were not injured.

They are the Dr. Leonard Smucker, Dr. Otto Klassen, Alden Bohn and Harold Hartman families, all associated with the Oaklawn Psychiatric Center. Mrs. Hartman and Mrs. Klassen are sisters of Alden Bohn, and their parents are Rev. and Mrs. Ernest Bohn.

Students and staff members of the Elkhart seminary are assisting in the tornado relief work.

OTHER storm-ravaged regions of Indiana include Howard County in the north central region and Adams County in east central Indiana, both with large Mennonite settlements. The little towns of Russiaville and Alto near Kokomo were virtually wiped out, as was Linngrove southwest of Berne in Adams County.

Among the dozen or more listed as killed in Howard County were Mrs. Alice Shenk of Kokomo and Leroy Alvin Kuhns, 65, of Russiaville. Reported killed at Linngrove were Martin Graber and Elroy Stauffer. Reports from Berne are incomplete, but indicate some property damage there.

IN A TELEPHONE REPORT to the Review Tuesday night, Mrs. Eldon Graber of Bluffton College reported that 10 were dead in Allen County, Ohio including five in the Bluffton area. None of these were Mennonites. The tornado moved into the area about 9:45 p.m. Sunday, hitting west of Beaverdam and in an area south of Bluffton and then continuing east of town. The town of Bluffton escaped.

Among the dead were Mrs. Ulysses Reichenbach, 41, her son Joe Steiner, 20, and her mother, Mrs. lva H. Clymer of Findlay, all members of the Methodist Church. Mr. Reichenbach, however, is a Mennonite.

Three families of the Bluffton First Mennonite Church were affected but no one was injured. The Robert Flick farm home was leveled, and at the Truman Bixler farm the home was slightly damaged and all out-buildings demolished.

Bluffton College students were helping to patrol the affected areas to prevent looting.

Ref. MennObits index May 11, 1965 [1]