25 Sep Obit: Father of Rev. Ed Gebert

Jimmy L. Gebert, 80, passed away September 24, 2014, in Winona Lake, Ind. He was the father of Rev. Ed Gebert, pastor of Mount Victory UB church (Decatur, Ind.).

The funeral will be held at 11 am Saturday, September 27, with visitation one hour beforehand. Location: McHatton-Sadler Funeral Chapel in Pierceton, Ind.

Pastor Gebert’s address:

211 Pleasant Ridge Rd
Celina, OH 45822-2671

15 Sep Obit: Father of UB Pastor’s Spouse Deb VanArsdalen

Deb VanArsdalen’s father, Emil Schock, passed away last week. His memorial service was held on Saturday, September 13. Deb’s husband, Dan, is senior pastor of Alvordton UB church (Alvordton, Ohio). Cards can be sent to:

Deb VanArsdalen
201 Lakeview Drive
Bryan, OH 43506

18 Aug Obit: Marylou Birdsall

Marylou Birdsall passed away at 3:30 on Thursday, August 14, 2014. She was 85 years old, and living at Swiss Village in Berne, Ind.

Visitation: 9-11 am Tuesday, August 19, 2014.
Funeral: 11 am Tuesday, August 19, 2014. Sons Doug, Brent, and Brian will officiate.
Location: Swiss Village Chapel, 1350 W. Main St., Berne, Ind.

Memorials are to be given to Huntington University. You can sign the on-line guestbook at the Yager-Kirchhofer Funeral Home. Burial will be at the Pilgrims Rest Cemetery in Huntington, Ind., with graveside services at 1:30 pm Tuesday, August 14.

Marylou and her late husband, Roger, served in the pastorate for 39 years, pastoring five United Brethren churches and one non-UB church. She was a true partner in ministry with her husband. She is survived by sons Doug, Brent, and Brian, and daughter Connie Potter. In addition there are 15 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

Marylou attended Huntington University, where she met and married seminary student S. Roger Birdsall. They both graduated in 1950 and moved to Boise, Idaho, where he began his pastoral ministry and she began her elementary teaching career. Their first two children, Connie and Doug, were born there. In 1954, the Birdsall family moved to Sylmar, Calif., to serve another United Brethren church. Two more sons, Brent and Brian, joined the family there.

In 1960, the family moved to Peoria, Ill., where they spent the next 22 years pastoring First UB church of Peoria. Marylou taught hundreds of students at Rolling Acres Elementary School until her retirement in 1983.

Rev. and Mrs. Birdsall frequently traveled internationally upon retirement, including extended mission trips to visit their sons who were missionaries in Sierra Leone, West Africa; Tokyo, Japan; and Kiev, Ukraine. They also traveled together to teach at Bible colleges in Jamaica and Bangalore, India.

Marylou was known and loved at church and school for her musical talents at the piano and organ. She continued playing the piano almost to the end of her life for Rotary Clubs in Huntington and Berne, for handicapped persons, and at Swiss Village for the enjoyment of residents and staff. In addition, many people appreciated her easy laughter, pleasant disposition, and imaginative story-telling. Being a mother and grandmother as well as mentoring other young women “who just needed a mother” brought her great joy.

Funeral arrangements will be posted when available.

08 Aug Obit: Eleanor Laughlin Morey, Former UB Missionary

Eleanor Laughlin Morey (right), a former UB missionary to Sierra Leone, passed away on August 7, 2014, at her home in Mt. Morris, Mich. She was 80. Eleanor served three years as a teacher in Sierra Leone, 1968-1971. She and Kenneth Morey, who passed away in 2010, were married in 1978. She retired from Flint Community Schools, and remained active as a member of Richfield Road UB church (Flint, Mich.). Eleanor is survived by her four children.

Visitation: 1-4 pm and 6-8 pm on Friday, August 8.
Visitation location: Allen Funeral Home, 9136 Davison Rd., Davison, Mich.
Funeral: 2 pm Saturday, August 9, 2014.
Funeral location: Richfield Road UB church, 6259 Richfield Road, flint, Mich. Visitation one hour beforehand.

Rev. Jim Pryor, pastor of Richfield Road, will officiate at the funeral.

26 Jul Obit: Death of Donna Hollopeter’s Mother

Donna Hollopeter, associate director of Global Ministries since 1993, is mourning the death of her mother, who passed away on Friday, July 25. The funeral will be held 11 am Wednesday, July 30, at Alan Funeral Home in Bloomsburg, Pa.

Condolences can be sent to Donna at this address:

Donna Hollopeter
38 Quayle Run
Huntington, IN 46750

09 Jul Obit: Darlene Eberly

Darlene F. Eberly (right), 67, passed away at 7:45 am on Tuesday, July 8, 2014, at the Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pa. She was surrounded by her loving family.

Visitation: 5-8 pm Friday, July 11, 2014.
Visitation location: Harold M. Zimmerman & Son Funeral Home, 45 S. Carlisle St., Greencastle, Pa.
Funeral: 10 am Saturday, July 12. Visitation one hour preceding the service.
Funeral location: Otterbein UB church, 146 Leitersburg St., Greencastle, Pa.

Rev. David G. Rawley, pastor of Otterbein UB church, and Rev. Leroy Eberly will officiate at the funeral. Burial will be at the Cedar Hill Cemetery in Greencastle.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be given in her memory to Here’s Hope Ministries, P.O Box 323, Greencastle, PA 17225.

Darlene and her husband of 50 years, Robert Eberly, were married in 1964 and had two children, Brenda Moore (Roanoke, Ind.) and Deborah Ramer (Greencastle, Pa.). A third daughter, Katrina, died in infancy in 1967. Bob and Darlene were members of Otterbein UB church in Greencastle, Pa.

The family served as United Brethren missionaries in Sierra Leone 1979-1983. Bob was business manager and, for a short time, acting field superintendent. Brenda was hostess at the UB mission house in Freetown. They have remained heavily involved in mission work, including UB work in Honduras and Sierra Leone.

Bob and Darlene co-founded Here’s Hope Ministries and in 2005 started Hosanna House a foster care home for children in Belize, Central America. Brenda and her husband, Chris, an ordained UB minister, are endorsed staff with Global Ministries; they serve with Here’s Hope Ministries.

More recently, Darlene worked as the office manager for the Eberly real estate rentals. In March, she began radiation treatments for aggressive melanoma cancer. Bob, a member of the denominational Executive Leadership Team, is mayor of Greencastle, Pa.

Cards can be sent to Bob Eberly at PO Box 323, Greencastle, PA  17225

17 Apr Obit: Pauline Gibbs

Bob and Pauline Gibbs

Pauline Gibbs, 93, passed away on Wednesday, April 16, 2014. She and her late husband of 65 years, Pastor Robert Gibbs, ministered in the United Brethren Church for many years. Upon retirement, they served short-term with the UB work in Macau on three occasions. Before retiring, Pauline worked as an elementary school teacher.

Viewing: 2-4 pm and 6-8 pm Monday, April 21.
Funeral: 11 am Tuesday, April 22.
Viewing and funeral location: Palmer, Bush and Jensen Family Funeral Homes, Delta Chapel, 6020 W. Saginaw Hwy, Lansing, MI 48917.

Officiating at the funeral will be Roy Atherton, pastor of Imagine This UB church in Grand Ledge, Mich. Memorial contributions should be sent to Imagine this or to United Brethren Global Ministries.

15 Apr Obit: Juanita Haneline, Mother of Pastor’s Wife Linda Doolittle

Juanita Haneline, 81, passed away early Friday morning, April 11, 2014. She was the mother of Linda Doolittle, whose husband, Ted, is pastor of Calvary UB church in Saginaw, Mich.

The funeral was held April 13 at Richfield Road UB church in Flint, Mich., where Juanita and her late husband, Robert, were members for many decades. Rev. Jim Pryer, pastor of Richfield Road, and former youth pastor Bill Blue co-officiated at the funeral.

Cards can be sent to Linda Doolittle at 3315 Woodland Court, Saginaw, MI 48601