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We received news that Reverend Thomas Mellott passed away on February 10, 2024.
Thomas was a graduate of Huntington College (1964) and served three United Brethren churches including Salem (Chambersburg), Devonshire (Harrisburg) and Otterbein (Greencastle).
A Celebration of Life service will be held on Thursday, April 4th at 10:00 am at Devonshire UB Church in Harrisburg. PA.
Rev. Mellott’s obituary can be found here.
We received word that Howard Beaver passed away on February 16, 2024, in his home surrounded by family.
Howard served as the senior pastor at Christian Life Assembly of God for over 17 years and later served as the senior pastor at Mt. Olivet Church in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania from 2006 to 2012. In his retirement, he continued to serve as an elder at Otterbein United Brethren Church in Greencastle, Pennsylvania.
Let’s join in prayer with Howard’s family in their time of grief. Let’s also celebrate the impact that was made as a result of his faithfulness in following the Lord’s calling.
Howard’s obituary can be found here.
Rev. Dan and Jane Kopp
Rev. Dan Kopp, a UB minister since 1980, passed away July 7, 2023, on his 65th birthday. Dan had battled stage 4 gallbladder cancer for the past year.
Dan grew up in the United Brethren church, the son of Rev. Clarence A. Kopp, Jr., who served as bishop 1981-1993. Dan graduated from Huntington University in 1980 with degrees in Psychology and Christian Education, and in 1982 received the Master of Christian Ministries from the HU graduate school. He was ordained that year.
Most of Dan’s career involved pastoring two churches that he and his wife, Jane, started: First Love UB in Reynoldsburg, Ohio (1984-1998), and NorthPointe UB in Lewis Center, Ohio (1999-2017).
Funeral arrangements are not yet available.
Marilyn Waters
Marilyn Waters passed away May 26, 2023. A funeral service was held on June 16 in Harlan, Ind.
In 1996, Marilyn joined the staff of the UB National Office to manage the denominational bookstore. She has diligently handled all curriculum orders from United Brethren churches, shipping out thousands of pieces of Sunday school literature and other materials every quarter. She retired from that position in May 2011, after having served for 15 years. Many UBs across the denomination would have interacted with Marilyn.
Gerald Gallaway, a United Brethren minister for 36 years, passed away May 25, 2023.
Visitation: 4-7 p.m. June 23, 2023
Funeral: 1:00 p.m. Saturday, June 24, 2023.
Visitation and Funeral Location: McCallum United Brethren Church, 5505 Otis Lake Rd, Delton, MI 49046
Gallaway grew up in Leslie, Mich., and went on to attend Huntington University, graduating from both the college and seminary. He and Saundra (known as Sonnie) met at Huntington and were married in 1961. Four years later, they embarked on a career pastoring six different churches or circuits in Michigan.
His after-retirement years were spent singing and playing his guitar at various nursing homes in Hastings, Delton, Galesburg, and Plainwell, as well as in church.
According to the published obituary, “The family is requesting that all who attend both the visitation and service wear bright Hawaiian colors. In his years after retirement, Gerald found joy in the Hawaiian colors and also the music.”
Beverly Rhodifer, 92, wife of the late Rev. George Rodifer, passed away April 20, 2023, in Livingston, Tenn. She and George, who died in 2010, were married for 60 years. George began pastoring in the United Brethren church in 1972, and served nine different churches in Ohio and Indiana, all in the former Central Conference.
Earl Haggard, a former minister in Kansas and Ohio, passed away April 13, 2023, in Kansas City, Kansas. He attended Huntington University, and went on to pastor the Abilene UB church (Abilene, Kansas) and Salem Chapel UB church (Junction City, Ohio). He was ordained in the UB church in 1986, and remained UB until 1997, when he became a minister in the United Methodist Church.
Rev. Kenneth E. Graham, 94, passed away April 19, 2023, in Oregon, Ohio. He served three different churches in western Pennsylvania and northern Ohio over a 41-year period, including 33 years at Mainstreet UB church (Walbridge, Ohio), before retiring in 1993. He was a prominent figure in the former Sandusky Conference, serving as a superintendent, General Conference delegate, and in other leadership roles in the conference and denomination.
Visitation: 3-7 pm Monday, May 1, 2023.
Visitation location: Witzler-Shank-Walker Funeral Home, 701 N. Main Street, Walbridge, Ohio
Funeral: 10:30 am Tuesday, May 2, 2023.
Funeral location: Mainstreet Church, 5465 Moline-Martin Road, Walbridge, Ohio. Pastor Marty Pennington will officiate.
Ken and Rachel Graham were married in 1951 and spent the next 71 years together. She passed away in September 2022.
Their first pastorate the Franklin UB church in Franklin, Pa., 1952-1958. He was ordained as a UB minister in 1954. Next came two years at the Bowling Green UB church in Bowling Green, Ohio. Then, in 1960, Graham began 33 years as pastor of the Main Street UB church in Walbridge, Ohio. He remained there until retiring in 1993. Along the way he participated in UB mission trips to Jamaica and Sierra Leone.
The family suggests that memorial contributions be made to Mainstreet Church.
Lanie Miller
Elaine “Lanie” Miller, 94, passed away on Wednesday evening, April 12, at Sage Bluff nursing home in Fort Wayne, Ind. She was the wife of C. Ray Miller, who served 20 years as a United Brethren bishop, 1973-1993.
Elaine was born in 1928 in Waynesboro, Pa. She graduated from high school in 1946, and that year she and Ray were married. They moved on Huntington, Ind., in 1947 to attend Huntington College. During that time, Ray was pastor of the Grayston Avenue UB Church in Huntington.
In 1954 they moved back to Pennsylvania and served several pastorates, including 14 years at the Prince Street UB Church in Shippensburg, Pa. In 1973, Ray was elected a bishop in the United Brethren Church and they moved back to Huntington. They later moved to Fort Wayne, where they lived until her passing.
Elaine enjoyed reading and watching sports. She was a homemaker and it was often said that “you hardly ever see Lanie without Ray.” They were partners in life and ministry. She was a member of the Emmanuel Community Church in Fort Wayne.
Elaine is survived by her husband, C. Ray; a son, Dennis (Karin) Miller of Fort Wayne; a daughter, Pamela (Patrick) Jones of Lancaster, N.Y.; four grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.
A private memorial service will be held in the coming week, with internment at the Covington Gardens in Fort Wayne.
Memorial donations may be given to UB Global or to Huntington University.
Correspondence for C. Ray Miller can be sent to him in care of Emmanuel Community church:
C. Ray Miller
Emmanuel Community Church
12222 US Highway 24 W
Fort Wayne, IN 46814-7472
Dr. Ron Baker
Dr. Ron Baker, 76, a former UB missionary doctor in Sierra Leone, passed away on Friday, March 10, 2023, in Berrien Springs, Mich.
Visitation: 5-8 pm Friday, March 17, 2023.
Funeral: 10 am Saturday, March 18, 2023, with visitation one hour beforehand.
Visitation and Funeral Location: Berrien Center Bible Church, 8830 M-140, Berrien Center, MI 49102 (berriencenter.church)
Ron grew up mostly in Sierra Leone, West Africa, where his parents, Dr. DeWitt and Evelyn Baker, were United Brethren in Christ missionaries. In 6th grade, at the Kabala-Rupp school for missionary children in northern Sierra Leone, he committed his life to Jesus Christ. He was able to immerse himself in the local language and culture, which would serve him well when he came back as an adult to serve as a missionary doctor.
Ron graduated from Huntington University, where he met his wife, Jane, and from Indiana University Medical School. In 1974, the Bakers arrived in Sierra Leone as fulltime United Brethren missionaries. Ron become Chief Medical Officer at Mattru Hospital. During the next 16 years, Mattru became a thriving, well-known hospital with a strong spiritual foundation. By 1981, the hospital had grown to 69 beds with pediatrics, obstetrics, surgical, and out-patient units. Many new buildings arose on the hospital’s 15 acres.
Being one of only a few white men who were fluent in Mende, the local language, Ron was greatly respected. He recalled years later, “Every time we did surgery, we prayed out loud. We had guys who could pray in several different languages. I could pray in Mende or Krio, Solomon could pray in Temne or Sherbro, another guy could speak Limba. We couldn’t speak all of the languages, but we covered a lot of them.” The locals were also drawn to him and his family due to the love of Christ demonstrated to them.
Upon leaving the field in mid-1990, Ron began working permanently at Southwestern Medical Clinic in Stevensville, Mich., where he had worked during his furloughs since 1981. It was a way-station of sorts for a number of missionary doctors. Over the years, Ron made a number of trips back to Sierra Leone, often leading short-term medical teams.
Ron’s motto was “Work Hard. Play Hard.” He loved to share his passion for hunting and fishing, mentoring many in the craft. Ron was very active at Berrien Center Bible Church. Most importantly, throughout his life he made it a priority to share his faith with countless people in the US and overseas.
Ron was preceded in death by his parents, Dr. DeWitt and Evelyn Baker; and his younger brother, Norman, who was killed as a boy in a boating accident while on a school trip in Sierra Leone. He is survived by his wife Jane; children Jennifer, Jeff, and Julie and their families; and sisters Joyce Hewitt and Annette Shepherdson.
As an expression of sympathy, memorial contributions may be sent to Huntington University (huntington.edu), UB Global (ubglobal.org), or Berrien Center Bible Church (berriencenter.church).
Messages and memories may be shared online at allredfuneralhome.com.
