Phil and Carol Fiedler and children during their missionary days in the 1970s.

Carol Fiedler, 79, former UB missionary in Sierra Leone, passed away August 17, 2018. She is survived by her husband of 60 years, Phil Fiedler, and their four children: Glenn, Greg, Galen, and Tanya.

The Fiedlers served at Mattru in Sierra Leone 1974-1980, and returned in the early 1990s to serve at Sierra Leone Bible College. In May 1994, with the rebel war escalating, the UB Board of Missions decided to completely nationalize all work in Sierra Leone and withdraw all remaining missionaries by the end of 1994. Phil and Carol Fiedler, along with nurse Sarah Banter, left together in December 1994. It would be another 14 years before any UB missionaries were sent to Sierra Leone.

The Fiedlers have been living in Olive Branch, Miss.

Visitation will be at 4 pm on Saturday, August 25, followed by a memorial service at 4:30. Location: Longview Heights Baptist Church, 4501 Goodman Road, Olive Branch, MS 38654.

Donations and memorials in honor of Carol Jean Fiedler for the church’s pre-kindergarten program may be sent to Longview Heights Baptist Church, 4501 Goodman Road, Olive Branch, MS 38654. Flowers in her honor can be sent to Longview Heights Baptist Church 4501 Goodman Road, Olive Branch, MS 38654.

Michael and Merissa Stine, and son Luke.

Rev. Michael Lee Stine, 38, passed away August 11, 2018, at his home. He was from Shippensburg, Pa., and was married to Merissa in 2009 at the nearby Orrstown United Brethren church. Stine ws diagnosed with colon cancer at age 33, and it returned two years later as stage 4 cancer.

Stine was ordained in 2008, and served at four United Brethren churches: Mt. Carmel (Fulks Run, Va.), Mainsville (Shippensburg), Orrstown, and Mongul (Shippensburg). More recently, he served at a Brethren in Christ church in Wiliamsport, Md. He also worked on websites for 20 years, published several books, and taught online Bible courses at Grand Canyon University.

He is survived by his wife of nine years, Merissa, and son Luke.

Viewing time: 5-8 pm Tuesday, August 14.
Viewing location: Fogelsanger-Bricker Funeral Home, 112 West King St., Shippensburg, Pa.
Funeral time: 11 am Wednesday, August 15, 2018.
Funeral location: Orrstown UB church, Orrstown, Pa.

Bob and Irma Kentie

Bob Kentie, pastor of the Garrison Road UB church in Fort Erie, Ontario, passed away suddenly on Monday night, July 30. Brian Magnus, bishop of the United Brethren Church in Canada, sent this report:

Bob had gone into the Welland Hospital the end of last week and had some abdominal surgery. He was recovering over the weekend and had hoped to go home tomorrow [Tuesday], but instead he slumped over in his hospital bed and couldn’t be resuscitated. I believe he was just 60 years old.

Lynette and I last saw Bob at the visitation for my father on Thursday, June 21. Bob and Irma had driven up to Kitchener, and they were so happy that Irma was slowly improving and was doing better than she had in several years. Bob had been devoting many hours to her care.

Bob Kentie spent many years as a businessman and eventually felt called to the ministry. He served as a youth pastor and senior pastor in Brethren in Christ churches before joining the Garrison Road staff 12 years ago. He started out as youth pastor, and in 2007 became senior pastor. He and Irma have three adult children.

Dwight and Patti Kuntz

Dwight Kuntz, 72, passed away on the evening of Friday, July 27, 2018. He had been hospitalized since July 2, when health problems forced him to return from Jamaica.

Dwight was a United Brethren minister, ordained in 1982, and was a member of Living Grace Community Church (formerly Union Chapel UB church) in Fort Wayne, Ind. Since 2012, he and his wife of 47 years, Patti, had been spending part of the year in Jamaica as UB Global missionaries, serving as liaisons with work teams from North America.

Dwight served in the US Army 1967-1971.

Visitation: 2-4 pm and 6-9 pm Wednesday, August 1, 2018.
Visitation location: D.O. McComb & Sons Pine Valley Park Funeral Home, 1320 East Dupont Road, Fort Wayne, Ind.
Funeral: 10 am Thursday, August 2, 2018. Visitation one hour beforehand.
Funeral location: Emmanuel Community Church, 12222 US Highway 24 West, Fort Wayne, Ind.

Memorials may be made to Patricia Kuntz.

Cards can be sent to:

Patti Kuntz
602 North Camden Drive
Fort Wayne, IN 46825

Dwight and Patti Kuntz

Dwight Kuntz passed away late Friday night, July 27, 2018. He was an ordained United Brethren minister, and since 2012, he and his wife, Patti, had been spending part of the year in Jamaica as UB Global missionaries working with short-term teams. That is what he was doing on July 2, when he became very ill and had to be rushed back to Indiana for treatment.

Patti posted the following on Facebook around 11pm on Friday:

“He is with Jesus. We were with him all day, praying, singing, crying, loving. Dwight Kuntz was a good man, he loved Jesus with all his heart, a wonderful husband, loving me unconditionally, an awesome father and Papa, who will be remembered forever.

“I will miss you, Love of my Life. Because of Christ Jesus, we will see you and David again in Glory!”

Rev. Martin Magnus

Rev. Martin Magnus passed at 3:45 a.m. on Sunday, June 24, 2018, in Kitchener, Ontario. He was 92 years old.

Visitation with the family: 2-4 pm on Thursday, June 28, 2018.
Memorial service date: 6:30 pm on Thursday, June 28, 2018.
Visitation and memorial service location: Stanley Park Community Church, 9 Dreger Avenue at Ottawa Street, Kitchener, ON. N2A 2A4

Martin was a United Brethren pastor in Ontario for 30 years and in Michigan for six years. He was also a conference superintendent for 11 years. Three times he was a Canadian delegate to the international General Conference, where he also received votes for bishop.

His pastorates in Ontario included Garrison Road (Fort Erie), Stevensville, Grace (Sherkston), Stanley Park (Kitchener), Shiloh (Tiverton) and Zion (North Bruce) churches.

He and his wife Lois, who passed away in 2012, raised five children. He had 13 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Son Brian Magnus wrote, “He had fallen from his adult tricycle three weeks before and slowly deteriorated since then. The last few days were spent with family by his side talking to him and singing God’s praises. Dad was 92 years old, and right up until his fall he lived independently in his own house and travelled to church and to get groceries on his trike.”

Two of Martin’s sons are ministers in the United Brethren Church in Canada. Brian, who is also bishop of the Canadian conference, is pastor of Parkwood Gardens UB church in Guelph. Randy is pastor of Roseville UB church in Ayr. Here are their addresses:

Brian K. Magnus
24 Lois Lane
Guelph, ON N1K 1W7
Canada

Randall J. Magnus
3 Marshall Street, R. R. 1
Ayr, ON N0B 1E0
Canada

Neal and Carol Brinneman

Richard Neal Brinneman, 83, a longtime United Brethren endorsed missionary, passed away Saturday, May 26, 2018, after several days in hospice care.

Neal, a 1957 Huntington University graduate, spent 1966-1969 as a teacher and principal at Bumpe High School in Sierra Leone. In 1970 he joined Wycliffe Bible Translators and went to Togo to begin translating the Bible into the Lama language spoken by 200,000 people in West Africa.

Meanwhile Carol, a graduate of Houghton College, joined Wycliffe in 1970 and ended up spending seven years translating the Bible for the Godie people in Ivory Coast, a West African country to the west of Togo.

Neal and Carol were married in 1979 in Ivory Coast, and worked together in Togo. They helped complete the Lama New Testament in 1994, and then moved to North Carolina to work with JAARS, the aviation and technical support service of Wycliffe. Neal helped translators with computer and software needs, while Carol was a talented writer and editor.

Carol wrote, “Neal and I had an extraordinary chance to serve God together so that others might have God’s Word, God’s promises, in their own language. We worked together well as a team. We anticipated seeing the entire Bible completed by the Lama (Togo) team within three years. At 83 years old, Neal had still not retired from Wycliffe. He loved helping others complete Bible translations, and loved attending church and teaching Sunday school.”

Mary Ann Goldsmith, 86, wife of UB minister Rev. Wayne Goldsmith, passed away on March 31, 2018. She was a pastor’s wife for 66 years.

Viewing: 5-8pm Wednesday, April 4, 2018.
Viewing location: D.O. McComb & Sons Maplewood Park Funeral Home, 4017 Maplecrest Rd., Fort Wayne, Ind.
Funeral: 3pm Thursday, April 5, 2018.
Funeral location: Central Church, 5801 Schwartz Rd, Ft Wayne, Ind.

Read the online funeral notice.

Phil and Sandy Whipple with Patsy Burelison Nelson (center).

Patsy Burelison Nelson, the mother of former bishop Phil Whipple, passed away on March 21. Phil wrote on Tuesday: “My mom has decided to move to a new address. She left for her permanent home this afternoon. She decided that this Easter would be spent in heaven with Jesus himself. It is a wonderful blessing to have the hope that we have in Christ. Today is not the end, but rather the beginning. No more pain, no more confusion, and no more limitations.”

Viewing: 5-8 pm Monday, March 26.
Funeral: 11 am Tuesday, March 27.
Viewing and funeral location: Grace Point Church of the Nazarene, 8611 Mayhew Rd, Fort Wayne, IN 46835.

Phil and Sandy Whipple pastor a Missionary Church congregation in Yale, Mich. Address:

Phil Whipple
14840 Jeddo Rd.
Brown City, MI 48416