Yoder, C. Z. (1845-1939)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1939 Dec 20 p. 1;

Birth date: 1845 Nov 28

text of obituary:

Mennonite Items of General Interest.

. . .

— Rev. C. Z. Yoder, widely known Mennonite minister, passed away recently at his home in Wayne county, Ohio, at the advanced age of 94 years. He was in fairly good health until the last weeks of his life and was able to attend the General Mennonite conference held last August at Allensville, Pa. he was often called "one of the grand old men of the Mennonite church", He was laid to his earthly resting place on December 12.

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1939 Dec 27 p. 1

text of obituary:

Mennonite Items of General Interest.

. . .

— Referring to the recent death of Rev. C. Z. Yoder of Wayne Co., Ohio, a correspondent of the Belleville Times of Belleville, Pa., makes the following comment in a recent issue: "We were very sorry to learn of the death of C. Z. Yoder of Wayne Co., Ohio. He is well remembered here by a lot of people who attended that early morning service before breakfast at the Mennonite conference held here this past summer. The 94-year old patriarch seemed healthy and strong at that time. His inspiring leadership, and hearty singing of "We Will Work Till Jesus Comes", will be remembered by us as long as we live. We hoped he could live to be 100 years old, but his work was done.

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1940 Jan 3 p. 1

text of obituary:

Life of Aged Minister One of Extraordinary And Varied Interests

LIFE-SPAN OF REV. C. Z. YODER NEARLY ONE CENTURY, REACHED AGE OF 94

A life covering a span of nearly one century came to a close when the Rev. C. Z. Yoder of Ohio passed to his final reward on December 9 at the age of 94 years. Rev. Yoder's death occurred at the home of his son, J. S. Yoder, south of Smithville, Ohio.

A brief biography is as follows:

Mr. Yoder was born in Kishacoquillas Valley, Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, November 28, 1845, hence was aged 94 years and 11 days. He was the son of John K. and Lydia Zook Yoder, and was born on the farm where Miss Margaret Allison now resides.

At the age of 10 years, he left here with his parents who moved to Ohio, this trip being made in a covered wagon. On November 28 he observed his 94th birthday anniversary with a quiet family celebration at the farm home near Wooster, Ohio, where he had lived since 1869.

Funeral services were held in the Oak Grove Mennonite church in charge of Rev. J. S. Gerig assisted by Rev. I. W. Royer and Rev. David McFadden. Burial was in Oak Grove cemetery.

Mr. Yoder was a frequent visitor in Belleville and vicintiy where he had many freinds and relatives.

Surviving Mr. Yoder are seven sons: John S. at home; David A. of Toledo; Rufus M. of Lancaster; Dr. Ora C. of Peooria, Ill.; Ira D. and Menno Simon of Barberton, and Joseph D. of Larchmont, N. Y. He leaves also 16 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren. His wife, nee Lydia Smiley, when he married on October 26, 1868, died on January 22, 1933, and his only daughter, Mary, died on February 16, 1923.

It was only four years ago, when he entered the nonagenarian class that Rev. C. Z. Yoder closed his career as a payless preacher at the Oak Grove Mennonite church. Since 1904 he served without remuneration as pastor for his people. He was a deacon of the church for 14 years prior to taking the pulpit.

For nearly a score of years he preached to his parishioners in German. he aided in organizing the Oak Grove Sunday School and served as superintendent of it for 22 years.s He was active also in organizing Sunday Schools in the Mennonite congregations of the Middle West and in the national organization of missionary work in the Mennonite church, serving as president of the Mennonite Mission Board for 10 years.

He was always fond of music, particularly that of his church. Last august he led 6,000 in singing hymns at the annual National Mennonite conference in Allensville, Pa., after traveling 250 miles to attend these sessions.

One of his greatest pleasures of life until the time of his death was reading daily three or four chapters from a 174-year-old German Bible and writing the events of the day in the diary which he had kept for the past 77 years.

In more than eight decades of residence in Greene Township, Mr. Yoder stored up much in his excellent memory and was a source of historical information back to his childhood days when his mother owned the first cook stove in her neighborhood in Pennsylvania. He remembered how 70 years ago he bought his resent farm, cleared 20 acres of treat and many acres of stumps and swamp and house its stock in a log barn. Three years later he built a huge white frame house for his bride.

Forty-four years ago, in face of adverse advice from his neighbors, he built one of the first rural greenhouses sin the state. Today his farm holds 18 of these long glass houses for growing of berries and vegetables and is under the management of his grandson.

As was the case with his religious work, Mr. Yoder entered wholeheartedly into farming. He was instrumental in organizing many farmers' institutions and playing an important role in getting the Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station located in Wooster.

Interviewed about a month ago as his 94th anniversary approached, As Yoder said that his simple philosophy was contained in the interrogation, "Why worry?"

"Will I live to be a century?" he told his interviewer. "Well, it makes no difference to me if I live to be 100 or if I'm taken tomorrow. I'm very happy here and I'll be happy to go."

Asked to comment on conditions of today as compared to those of their periods of our country, he prophesied: "We'll pull through whatever comes. Our government is good. I simply wouldn't live in any other land."