Goering, Lonnie Gene (1944-1971)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1971 Jan 21 p. 3

Birth date: 1944 Jun 3

text of obituary:

Accident Injuries Prove Fatal To MTS Representative

Moundridge, Kan. — Funeral services were held at the Eden Mennonite Church near here Wednesday afternoon for Lonnie G. Goering, 26, who died Jan. 16 at Hershey, Pa. of injuries suffered in a traffic accident on Dec. 18.

Mr. Goering had lived in Pennsylvania for about a year, and was serving as a sales representative for Menno Travel Service.

Surviving are the parents, Mr. and Mrs. Lester Goering, and two sisters, Valetta Goering and Mrs. Howard (Wanda) Knight, all of Moundridge; and grandmothers, Mrs. Val Krehbiel of McPherson and Mrs. A. C. Goering of Moundridge.

The funeral was conducted by Dr. H. A. Fast and Rev. John Gaeddert.

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Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1971 Feb 4 p. 11

text of obituary:

LONNIE GOERING

Lonnie Gene Goering was born June 3, 1944 in Newton, Kan., the son of Ruth and Lester Goering. He grew up on a farm southwest of Moundridge with two sisters, Wanda (now Mrs. Howard Knight) and Valetta and a brother, Dean Lester who preceded him in death by six years.

He was baptized into the Eden Mennonite fellowship at the age of 16.

He graduated from Moundridge High School in 1962 and went on to attend Bethel College for two years. In 1964 he left for the Congo where he was engaged in building schools under the auspices of the MCC. He returned in 1966, but after a brief period spent at home, returned to the Congo in August 1967 where he was again involved in construction work.

He returned to Bethel College in September 1968, graduating in May 1970.

In September 1970 he was employed as a sales representative for Menno Travel Service in Ephrata, Pa. He was injured in a traffic accident at Middletown, Pa. on Dec. 18, 1970, sustaining severe injuries which resulted in his death on Jan. 16, 1971, having attained the age of 26 years.

In addition to his parents and sisters he is survived by two grandmothers, Mrs. Val Krebiel of McPherson and Mrs. A. C. Goering of Moundridge, and a niece and two nephews, children of his sister Wanda. Also surviving is Cheryl Gross, with whom he hoped to establish a home when they were ready.

These, briefly, are the facts about Lonnie Goering, but they do not contain the essence of his life. The following tribute was written by one of his former instructors: "Lonnie lived triumphantly; he was generous in ways that are available to us all, but taken by so few. Many people are the beneficiaries of the small, thoughtful acts which Lonnie engaged in constantly. He leaves a legacy of cheerful consideration expressed in a multitude of ways, and many of us are his heirs. His high spirits were contagious, leavening the lives of all about him. Lonnie was sensitive to people's needs and moods — their fears and anxieties, their hopes and dreams — and it was possibly this sensitivity which propelled him into an English major."

Memorial services for Lonnie were conducted at the Eden Mennonite Church on Jan. 20 by Dr. H. A. Fast and Rev. John Gaeddert.

The Mennonite obituary: 1971 Mar 9 p. 164