Schmidt, Dorothy M. Unruh (1916-2010)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 2010 Sep 27 p. 9

Birth date: 1916 Jul 11

text of obituary:

DOROTHY M. SCHMIDT

Dorothy Schmidt, 94, of North Newton, Kan., died Sept. 3, 2010. She was born July 11, 1916, to Harrison and Anna Schroeder Unruh.

She grew up near Hillsboro. She was baptized in 1930 and joined Johannesthal Mennonite Church, later Trinity Mennonite Church, at Hillsboro.

On May 7, 1937, she married Reinhold F. Schmidt. They moved to his home place near Grace Hill Mennonite Church. She joined Grace Hill and continued to be a faithful member until her death.

From 1933 to 1935 she attended Bethel College and received a teacher’s certificate. In 1935 she began a 25-year journey as an elementary school teacher. From 1935 to 1937 she taught in two one-room schools in Marion County. In 1958 she renewed her teacher’s certificate and returned to teach in elementary schools for 23 more years, four in Harvey County and 19 in Butler County. She took evening and summer classes and graduated from Bethel College in 1965. She retired from teaching in 1981.

In 1984 they attended Mennonite World Conference in Strasburg [sic Strasbourg], France. After retiring from the farm in 1976, they built a house near East Harvey Lake, where they lived until Reinhold’s death in 1987. Then she moved into a house in North Newton and in 1990 to Kidron-Bethel Retirement Village.

She taught Sunday school, served on the educational committee and spiritual council, Women in Mission, the Kidron-Bethel Auxiliary, Et Cetera Shop and Newton Medical Gift Shop. She wrote numerous family genealogies and translated the Grace Hill church book from German into English.

Survivors include her children, Randall Schmidt and his wife, Rachel, of Eudora, Betta Ruth Kym and her husband, Marlin, of Moundridge, Deanna Entz and her husband, Reynold, of Whitewater, and Ralph Schmidt and his wife, Jeanne, of Whitewater; a sister, Eunice Esau of Hutchinson; 12 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Reinhold F. Schmidt; two brothers, Chester and Allen Unruh; a daughter-in-law, Rosalie Voth Schmidt; and a great-grandson, Matthew Cole Schmidt.