Smucker, Ernest Edward (1919-1982)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1982 Oct 14 p. 11

Birth date: 1919 Jun 3

text of obituary:

ERNEST EDWARD SMUCKER

Dr. Ernest Edward Smucker, 63, a surgeon on the staff of Goshen General Hospital, died June 24 at his home in Goshen, Ind. He had been ain ill health due to cancer for one and one-half years.

Ernest was born in Goshen on June 3, 1919. His parents, Ralph R. and Alma (Albrecht) Smucker were missionaries and sailed for India when he was nine months old. He attended Woodstock School in India and received a B.S. degree from Goshen College in 1941. He was baptized at Sankra Mennonite Church, India by P. A. Friesen in January 1932.

Ernest was married to Mary Irene Liechty on Aug. 30, 1941. They lived in Chicago where he attended Northwestern University Medical School, receiving his M.D. in 1945. The war manpower commission suggested a needy area to begin practice. World War II ended, but the Smuckers followed through with their plans and he was in general practice at Fisher, Ill for 12 years. In 1957 the family moved to Evanston, Ill., where he returned to Northwestern University for a residency in general surgery. The family moved to Goshen, Ind. in August 1961 where he practiced general surgery until his death.

In 1965 the Mennonite Medical Association recommended him to MCC to teach surgery at Kibunzi, the Belgian Congo, now Zaire. It was the time of the Stanleyville uprising and the European doctors had left. In 1969 the Smuckers went to Nav Jivan Hospital, Bihar, India to help with surgery for several months. In 1976-77 they served with the Mennonite Board of Missions in India training doctors to do surgery.

Ernest was member of the Goshen College Mennonite Church where he served on the board of elders for six years, three years as chairman. He taught Sunday school while in college and medical school and later when in practice at Fisher, Ill. and Goshen, Ind. He taught Bible study fellowship classes at the Dunlap United Methodist Church for four years. He served with Overseas Ministries for the Mennonite Board of Missions and attended the last meeting May 13-15 at Harrisonburg, Va.

He became a diplomate of the American Board of Surgery in 1961 and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons in 1974. He was also a member of the American Medical Association, state and county branches of the Christian Medical Society and of the Mennonite Medical Association. At Goshen General Hospital he was past president of the medical staff, served on the building committee and was a member of the long-range planning committee.

He worked as a medical consultant for Mennonite Mutual Aid for many years. For several years he was an anatomy instructor at Goshen College. He was a member of the Goshen Rotary Club. He built the medical building at 101 Marilyn Ave. which was completed in 1980.

Surviving with his wife Mary are four sons, Jon E. of Goshen, Ernest C. of Newton, Kan., Mark L. of Charlottesville, Va. and Paul A. of Indianapolis, three daughters, Elaine (Mrs. John) Harley of Goshen, Julia (Mrs. Michael) Baccash of Evanston, Ill and Mary (Mrs. Daniel) Lemons, New York, N.Y., 13 grandchildren, his brother, Arthur A., and his stepmother, Fannie (Mrs. Ralph) Smucker, both of Goshen.

A prayer service using Psalm 103 led by Rachel Fisher at Yoder Cup Funeral Home on June 26 was followed by burial at Violett Cemetery. Memorial services were held at College Mennonite Church June 27 with Arnold Roth in charge.