Issue 20 - Yoder Family Information

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A TRTBUTE TO BEN TOI'ER
BY His Children
Our father, Ben Yoder, vtas born to Harvey and Laura
Yoder in Middfebury, Indiana on october 13, 1913. He was
the eighth of nine children. Dad loved to tell stories
of his childhood and from those he and his brothers and
sisters teII, it was fj.Iled with joy and happiness (and
nany pranks), even though the famiJ.y was quite poor. The
stories were told over and over again whenever the
larger farnily vould gather and they seemed to help
hold everyone closer together.
when he was stiLl a very young child, Dad's family moved
to nearby coshen where he attended the Eighth Street
llennonite church and received twelve years of schooling.
Many of the frienciships Dad made during those years
lasted his entire life and he was helping to make plans
for his 6oth class reuni.on when he died.
Prior to entering the service in world War II D.d
narried our mother NelLie (Hoogenboorn). At this time he
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pacific Theater as a radioman with the united "a.a"i
coast Gu:::d- rrFan.his, rptrrrn.in 1a45 be c-enple!,ed i't=-ii"J"*l:.*';
education at coshen CoIlege. He also attended BaI.t
state, Indiana state and western Michigan university. oi "
wMU he received his Masters in Education.
After having worked most of his adult life in the real
estate business, Dad entered the teaching profession ai
the age of 39. He taught elenentary classes for most oi
his career and also spent ten years as a school'
Music also played an important part in Dadrs life. For
nany years fre -ang in a locaL choir. A favorite form of
rellxition was to sit at the electric orglan in the
family room and play whatever came to rnind. Although he
never played the organ in public, he was able to play
beautiiuliy. He could not read rnusic but had a wide
repertoire of songs he could readily play and seemed
able to play anything by ear. His nusic was enjoyed by
all vtho heard it.
Farnily vas always very irnportant to Dad. He cared for
alI of his children and nade many sacrifices for us
during our years of growing up. We all benefited fron
his piactical jokes and many stories. His sense of humor
and his unpredictable temper have provided all of us
with our own collection oftrBen Yoderrr stories' He
greatly loved his eight grandchildren and they, too,
will have Iasting stories of their Granpy.
Witho,rt a doubt Dadrs nost enjoyable hours over the last
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checi