Esther (Voth) Unruh

Esther Unruh

GOESSEL - Esther Unruh, 81, died Wednesday (Dec. 2, 2009) at Bethesda Home in Goessel. Unruh was the daughter of David and Mary Flaming Pankratz Voth. Born Aug. 8, 1928, she lived in the Goessel community almost all her life. She was baptized May 20, 1945, at Tabor Mennonite Church by the Rev. P. H. Richert. She married C. Howard Unruh in 1958, celebrating their 50th anniversary before his untimely passing in the summer of 2008. She and Howard raised four sons, and were blessed by seven grandchildren.

Service to others was a central theme of Esther's life. Her occupations included teaching in a country school, nursing at community institutions, including Bethesda Hospital and Home for the Aged, Schowalter Villa, and a nursing home in Marion She also worked several years at General Rose Hospital in Denver. She taught nursing at Bethel Deaconness Hospital and maintained contact with her nursing students throughout her life.

She was a full-time mother to her four boys but at the same time, devoted much energy to the well-being of others in her community. She created a volunteer activities program at Bethesda Home for the Aged called TELFO -- To Enrich Living For Others, which predated the addition of activities staff at the home. She helped create and find funding for the AGAPE Senior Center. She served on the boards of the local Area Agency on Aging and the Bethesda Nursing Home. She also helped to develop the Marion County Hospice organization.

After retiring from nursing, she continued to volunteer, assisting children through the CASA program and visiting prisoners at the Hutchinson Reformatory. Esther was an active member of the Tabor Mennonite Church and served as a deacon for several years.

Music was a special part of her life. She became a regular choir director, pianist and organist at church, and gave all of her children musical opportunities. Even now, her love of music lives on through her grandchildren.

Far-away places held a fascination for Esther. Her first trip abroad was right after high school when she traveled to Mexico for a voluntary service assignment with the Old Colony Mennonites in Chihuahua. Later in life, she enjoyed traveling to Brazil and Italy, as well across the United States.

Esther lived her last several years at Bethesda Home where the staff truly became part of her "family." Even as she required more assistance in caring for herself, she always looked for ways to show care to others at Bethesda. The Unruh family is grateful for the Bethesda family's loving kindness and will remember the special relationship they had with "Grandma."

Esther made her family and her community strong, and they will all miss her greatly.

Esther is survived by her sons Tom, John, Fred and Bill, as well as seven grandchildren. Her surviving siblings include Wilma Schmidt, Alice Duerksen, Hulda Schrag, Darlene Schroeder and Elmer D. Voth. She was preceded in death by her parents David and Mary Voth and her infant sister, Betty.

Visitation with the family will be from 7 to 9 p.m. today at Tabor Mennonite Church.

A graveside service will be at 2 p.m., Friday at the Tabor Mennonite Church Cemetery, followed by the memorial service at 3 p.m. at the church.

The family requests memorial donations be sent to Bethesda Home, Goessel.