Swartzendruber, Mark P. (1922-2009)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 2009 May 4 p. 13

Birth date: 1922

text of obituary:

MARK SWARTZENDRUBER

Mark P. Swartzendruber, 87, of Kalona, Iowa, died April 14, 2009. He was born in Johnson County to Peter and Lydia (Swartzendruber) Swartzendruber.

He graduated from Wellman High School in 1941. He attended Normal School Training at Iowa State Teacher’s College in Cedar Falls and taught at Pacific School #8 near Wellman for one and a half years. He served in Civilian Public Service in Idaho and Michigan from 1942 to 1946. Returning to the Kalona area, he was employed at Yoder Feeds for 45 years.

He married Doris Marner at Lower Deer Creek Mennonite Church on June 1, 1947. The couple lived in the Kalona area all their married life.

He was a lifelong member of Lower Deer Creek Mennonite Church, where he served as treasurer for many years. He and Doris were the first sponsors of Mennonite Youth Fellowship at Lower Deer Creek. He also served as a Sunday school teacher and superintendent. He was area coordinator for Mennonite Disaster Service for 30 years and also served on the board of Iowa Mennonite School and Pleasantview Home. He volunteered in the chaplaincy program at the University of Iowa Hospitals and was a member of the Kalona Optimist Club for 30 years. At Kalona Historical Village he guided bus tours for a number of years and was a member of the 8:30 Parlor Coffee Club. He also wrote a column of local news in the Kalona News for more than 10 years. He enjoyed meeting people, going to coffee with friends and neighbors, and “fishing” with anyone he met.

Survivors include his wife, Doris, of Kalona; a son, Linwood (Woody) Swartzendruber and his wife, Karen, of Ankeny; a daughter, Mary Lou Farmer and her husband, Roger, of Washington; a brother, John Swartzendruber and his wife, Anita, of Wayland; a sister, Faith Carpenter and her husband, Jim, of Sturgis, Mich.; a sister-in-law, Lois Swartzendruber of Wellman; two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by a brother, Wilbur Swartzendruber.