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Wenger, Malcolm (1919-2003)
Newton Kansan obituary: 2003 Feb 24 p. 2
Birth date: 1919 Jul 28
Newton Kansan obituary: 2003 Feb 25 p. 2
Text of obituary:
Malcolm Wenger
Malcolm Wenger, 83, retired missionary and church worker, died Sunday (Feb. 23, 2003) at Via Christi Medical Center in Wichita.
He was born July 28, 1919, to Ira J. and Olivia (Koppes) Wenger in Aberdeen, Idaho. He married Esther Boehr Dec. 23, 1943, in Wisner, Neb. She survives of North Newton.
He was a retired minister who served as a General Conference Mennonite missionary and church worker for more than 40 years. After graduating from high school, he attended the Bible Institute of L. A., Bethel College, Wheaton College and Mennonite Biblical Seminary. He and his wife then spent 20 years with the Northern Cheyenne people in Busby, Lame Deer and Birney, Mont., where he pastored small churches and worked to develop Cheyenne leaders who could take his place. He was one of only a handful of non-Indians to become conversant in the Cheyenne language. In 1965, he was asked to serve as secretary for Indian Ministries with the Mennonite Board of Home Missions in Newton, where he remained until 1978. He and Esther then moved to Selkirk, Manitoba, where he served as executive secretary for Mennonite Native Ministries in Winnipeg, Canada, and pastored a Mennonite church serving Metis and Native Canadians people. After retirement, the Wengers served for short periods in Busby, Mont., Buhler, and Kykotsmovi, Ariz. He was an active member of Shalom Mennonite Church in Newton. He was an avid reader, not only of theology and philosophy, but also astronomy, geology and archaeology. He enjoyed hiking, collecting rocks and fossils, and fashioning wooden lamps, mirrors and frames as gifts for family. He was a fixer of things too broken for most people to save. He enjoyed making things work again.
Other survivors include: five daughters and spouses, Betsy (Wenger) and Randall Kaufman of Windom, Ann Wenger of Goshen, Ind., Martha Wenger and Konrad Ege of Mt. Rainier, Md., Becky (Wenger) and Ken Voth, and Grace Wenger of Newton; three grandchildren, Cristina Woodall, David Kaufman and Hans Ege Wenger; and a nephew, John Schmidt.
He was preceded in death by: a sister, Mrs. Orlando (Ruth) Schmidt; and a nephew, Ted Schmidt.
Visitation will be from 9 a. m. to 9 p. m. Thursday and from 9 a. m. to 2 p. m. Friday with family greeting friends from 9 a. m. to 9 p. m. Thursday, all at Petersen Funeral Home.
Graveside service will be 3 p. m. Friday at Eastlawn Cemetery in Zimmerdale.
Memorial service will be 7 p. m. Friday at Faith Mennonite Church with Pastor Eric Massanari officiating.
Memorials have been established with Mennonite Mission Network for Indian Leadership Training in care of the funeral home.
Newton Kansan obituary: 2003 Feb 26 p. 2
Text of obituary:
Malcolm Wenger
Malcolm Wenger, 83, retired missionary and church worker, died Sunday (Feb. 23, 2003) at Via Christi Medical Center in Wichita.
He was born July 28, 1919, to Ira J. and Olivia (Koppes) Wenger in Aberdeen, Idaho. He married Esther Boehr Dec. 23, 1943, in Wisner, Neb. She survives of North Newton.
He was a retired minister who served as a General Conference Mennonite missionary and church worker for more than 40 years. After graduating from high school, he attended the Bible Institute of L. A., Bethel College, Wheaton College and Mennonite Biblical Seminary. He and his wife then spent 20 years with the Northern Cheyenne people in Busby, Lame Deer and Birney, Mont., where he pastored small churches and worked to develop Cheyenne leaders who could take his place. He was one of only a handful of non-Indians to become conversant in the Cheyenne language. In 1965, he was asked to serve as secretary for Indian Ministries with the Mennonite Board of Home Missions in Newton, where he remained until 1978. He and Esther then moved to Selkirk, Manitoba, where he served as executive secretary for Mennonite Native Ministries in Winnipeg, Canada, and pastored a Mennonite church serving Metis and Native Canadians people. After retirement, the Wengers served for short periods in Busby, Mont., Buhler, and Kykotsmovi, Ariz. He was an active member of Shalom Mennonite Church in Newton. He was an avid reader, not only of theology and philosophy, but also astronomy, geology and archaeology. He enjoyed hiking, collecting rocks and fossils, and fashioning wooden lamps, mirrors and frames as gifts for family. He was a fixer of things too broken for most people to save. He enjoyed making things work again.
Other survivors include: five daughters and spouses, Betsy (Wenger) and Randall Kaufman of Windom, Ann Wenger of Goshen, Ind., Martha Wenger and Konrad Ege of Mt. Rainier, Md., Becky (Wenger) and Ken Voth, and Grace Wenger of Newton; three grandchildren, Cristina Woodall, David Kaufman and Hans Ege Wenger; and a nephew, John Schmidt.
He was preceded in death by: a sister, Mrs. Orlando (Ruth) Schmidt; and a nephew, Ted Schmidt.
Visitation will be from 9 a. m. to 9 p. m. Thursday and from 9 a. m. to 2 p. m. Friday with family greeting friends from 6 p. m. to 8 p. m. Thursday, all at Petersen Funeral Home.
Graveside service will be 3 p. m. Friday at Eastlawn Cemetery in Zimmerdale.
Memorial service will be 7 p. m. Friday at Faith Mennonite Church with Pastor Eric Massanari officiating.
Memorials have been established with Mennonite Mission Network for Indian Leadership Training in care of the funeral home.
Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 2003 Mar 10 p. 7
text of obituary:
By Mennonite Mission Network
NORTH NEWTON, Kan. — Malcolm Wenger, a linguist and Bible translator who ministered with Native Americans for 40 years and became skilled in the complex Cheyenne language, died Feb. 23 in Wichita. He was 83.
Wenger believed Native Americans should take over their own church affairs from their Christian missionary advisers. He arranged intertribal talks that led to the formation of the Mennonite Indian Leaders Council.
He and his wife, Esther, lived on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Montana from 1944 to 1966 and continued in ministry with Indian people until their retirement in 1985.
Wenger preached most of his sermons in Cheyenne. He helped develop a written language for the tribe and was involved in translating the Bible.
"Malcolm was a German Mennonite farm boy who really became a cross-cultural servant-leader," said Willis Busenitz, pastor of White River Cheyenne Mennonite Church in Busby, Mont. "He had a vision that Indian people would be totally responsible for their own churches. . . . He believed very strongly that Cheyenne people, native people, should be responsible for their own spiritual lives."
Wenger served with the Commission on Home Ministries of the General Conference Mennonite Church, working with native ministries from the Newton office from 1965 to 1979.
Wenger was born July 28, 1919, to Ira J. and Olivia (Koppes) Wenger at Aberdeen, Idaho. He married Esther Boehr on Dec. 23, 1943, in Wisner, Neb.
From 1979 to 1985 the Wengers lived in Selkirk, Man., where Malcolm was executive secretary for Mennonite Native Ministries in Winnipeg and pastor of a Mennonite congregation serving Metis and First Nations people.
In retirement, Wenger traveled to Oklahoma, Arizona, Montana and other places to visit and give direction to native people.
He was a member of Shalom Mennonite Church in Newton.
He is survived by his wife, Esther, five daughters, Betsy Kaufman of Windom, Ann Wenger of Goshen, Ind., Martha Wenger of Mount Rainier, Md., and Becky Voth and Grace Wenger, both of Newton; and three grandchildren.