28 Dec Obit: Death of Bishop Emeritus Wilber L. Sites, Jr.

Bishop Emeritus Wilber L. Sites, Jr., passed away at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, December 28, 2010. He was 84 years old.

Dr. Sites was elected bishop in 1977 and served for 12 years, retiring in 1989. Prior to that, he served in pastoral ministry at these United Brethren churches:

• 1953-1954: Pen Mar (Cascade, Md.)
• 1954-1956: Hopewell (Auburn, Ind.)
• 1957-1961: Willshire and Zion (Willshire, Ohio)
• 1961-1963: associate pastor of King Street (Chambersburg, Pa.)
• 1963-1969: Mount Pleasant (Chambersburg, Pa.)
• 1969-1977: Otterbein (Waynesboro, Pa.)

Dr. Sites graduated from Huntington University in 1958, and from the HU seminary in 1961 with a Master of Divinity. He was ordained in 1961. Huntington University awarded him an honorary doctorate in 1978. He earned a Doctor of Ministry from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Deerfield, Ill.) in 1986.

During their retirement years, Dr. Sites and his wife, Mossie, did short-term mission work in Macau and at Jamaica Bible College. He and Mossie were married in 1946 and had three children.

Visitation: 6-8 pm Thursday, December 30, 2010
Funeral: 10 am Friday, December 31, 2010 (with visitation 1 hour before). Officiating: Dennis Sites (son, senior pastor of Jerusalem Chapel UB in Churchville, Va.), and Jason Bakker, associate pastor at Salem UB.

In lieu of flowers, the family prefers memorials to Jamaica Bible College, c/o Salem United Brethren Church.

Cards can be sent to Mossie Sites at:

2719 Fillmore Drive
Chambersburg, PA 17201

01 Nov Obit: Rachel E. Sanders

Rachel E. Sanders (right), 93, wife of retired UB minister Willard Sanders, passed away Sunday, October 31, in Berne, Ind. She was a member of Hudson United Brethren Church (Hudson, Ind.). She and Willard were married in 1939.

She is survived by her husband Willard, two daughters, two sons, 20 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren, and 6 great-great-grandchildren.

Visitation: 4-7 pm Monday, Nov. 1, at Swiss Village in Berne, Ind.; and 4-7 pm Tuesday, Nov. 2, at Johnson Funeral Home in Hudson, Ind.
Funeral: 10 am Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2010. Pastor Craig Burkholder of Hudson UB and Pastor Jason Hollopeter of nearby Corunna UB (Corunna, Ind.) will officiate.
Funeral Location: Hudson UB church, 516 N. Main Street, Hudson, Ind.

22 Oct Obit: James E. Sturgeon

James E. Sturgeon, 72, of Rockford, Ohio passed away Friday morning, October 22, 2010, at his residence in Rockford, Ohio. He was a member of Praise Point UB church in Wilshire, Ohio.

Before entering the ministry, Jim worked for Chrysler 1956-1970. He graduated from Huntington University in 1974, and from its Graduate School of Christian Ministries in 1975.

Jim retired in September 2003 as a pastor. He had served these congregations:

• New Hope UB (Huntington, Ind.). He presided over the relocation of the church, initially called Etna Avenue UB church, to its present location.
• Park UB (Bluffton, Ind.).
• Calvary UB (Rockford, Ohio)
• Decatur UB (Decatur, Ind.).

Surviving are his wife, Joann Sturgeon, and three children.

Visitation: 11 am – 2 pm and 3-8 pm Sunday, October 24. Also, 1 hour before the funeral on Oct. 25.

Visitation Location: Zwick & Jahn Funeral Home, 520 North Second Street, Decatur, Ind. 46733.

Funeral: 2 pm Monday, October 25. Wes Kuntzman officiating.

Funeral Location: Praise Point Church, Wilshire, Ohio. 555 Decatur Rd North, Willshire, Ohio.

23 Sep Obit: Elva Whybark Armitage

Elva L. Whybark Armitage, 92, passed away Sunday, September 19, 2010, in Lewiston, Idaho, from complications related to cancer surgery. For 56 years, she was married to Arly Whybark, and for 37 of those years, they pastored United Brethren churches in northern Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. Elva was active in the various Women’s Missionary Societies, often serving as president.

Arly passed away in 1989. In 1990, she married Rollin Armitage; he passed away in 2002. She was most recently a member of the Lewiston First Church of the Nazarene.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, September 23, at Malcom’s Brower-Wann Funeral Home of Lewiston, Idaho.

20 Sep Obit: Rev. Simon White

Rev. Simon White, 55, former pastor of First UB Church of the Bronx (New York City), was killed September 18 in a car accident on the New York State Thruway. Also killed were his wife, Zelda, and four members of the Joy Fellow Christian Assembly (a non-UB Jamaican church), of which White was the pastor.

The Whites and 12 parishioners were traveling in a 15-passenger Ford Econoline van when the left rear tire blew out. The vehicle spiraled, and ejected 8 passengers. The dead included Simon White’s sister and an assistant pastor.

AOLNews published an article about the accident.

Rev. White grew up in Jamaica and was a former minister in Jamaica Conference.

13 Sep Obit: Rev. Reuben Zurcher

Rev. Reuben Zurcher, a retired United Brethren minister, passed away early this morning, Sept. 13, 2010. He was a World War 2 veteran and, at the time of his death, a member of Monroe United Brethren church in Monroe, Ind.

Rev. Zurcher graduated from Huntington College in 1962 and began his pastoral ministry at the Zanesville, Ind., United Brethren church. He served six other UB pastorates: Third Street (Fort Wayne, Ind.), St. Mary’s (Ohio), Olivet (near Dayton, Ohio), Kettering (Dayton, Ohio), Alexandria (Ind.), and Bobo (Willshire, Ohio). He also served a term as conference superintendent in Central Conference. The family believes he retired in 1986.

Viewing: Tuesday, Sept 14, 2010, 2-4 pm and 6-8 pm.
Viewing Location: Maplewood Park D.O. McComb and Sons funeral home, 4017 Maplecrest Rd., Fort Wayne, Ind. 46815.

Funeral: 10 am Wednesday, Sept 15, 2010. Viewing will be at 9 am.
Location: Maplewood Park D.O. McComb and Sons funeral home, 4017 Maplecrest Rd., Fort Wayne, Ind. 46815.

Read more about Rev. Zurcher on the D. O. McComb website.

12 Sep Obit: Burley Clay

Burley Clay, 88, a retired United Brethren minister, passed away September 10, 2010. He was a pastor for 58 years–48 in the Missionary Church, and 10 in the United Brethren church. He pastored the Alvordton, Ohio, and Waldron, Mich., UB churches during the 1980s. Prior to that, they served non-UB churches in Arizona and California.

Burley Clay is the father of Polly Dunten, whose husband, Darwin, is pastor of Findlay First United Brethren Church, Findlay, Ohio.

Arrangements:

Viewing: Monday, Sept. 13, 2010.
Location: Walker Funeral Home, 5155 W. Sylvania Avenue, Toledo, Ohio.
Funeral: 11 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2010. Visitation at 10 a.m.
Location: Redeemer (Community) Missionary Church, 5321 Springdale Ave., Toledo, Ohio.

Rev. Clay is survived by his wife of 66 years, Alice, 6 children, 15 grandchildren, and 16 great-grandchildren.

15 Jul Obit: Death of Virginia Blaine

Virginia (Royse) Blaine, 92, passed away at 3:17 p.m. on Wednesday, July 14, 2010. She was the wife and companion in ministry since 1944 (66 years) of Rev. Robert Blaine, a longtime pastor in the United Brethren church.

The Blaines and their two children and families all live in Greenfield, Ohio.

Virginia was a member of the United Brethren Church in Greenfield for over 70 years. She had been attending Anchor Baptist Church in Washington Court House.

Visitation: 5-8 p.m. Friday, July 16.
Visitation location: Anchor Baptist Church, 456 Jamison Road, Washington Court House, Ohio.
Funeral: 1 p.m. Saturday, July 17, at Anchor Baptist Church. Pastor Jeremy Griffith and Rev. William Blain will officiate.

04 Jul Obit: Elizabeth Hunt, UB Pastor’s Wife

Elizabeth Lydia Grace Hunt, 81, of Ithaca, Mich., passed away Wednesday, June 30. She was the widow of Rev. William Hunt, a former United Brethren minister.

Arrangements

Viewing: 6-8 p.m. Monday, July 5.
Location: Smith Family Funeral Homes Ithaca Chapel, Itacha, Mich.
Funeral: 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, July 6.
Location: Ithaca Church of God.

Elizabeth married William Hunt in Sunfield, Mich., on December 23, 1957. Bill passed away in 2008. Elizabeth retired from teaching in the Ithaca Public Schools in 1985 after 30 years. She was a singing evangelist for 5 years in the United Brethren Church in 1952.

Online condolences can be sent from the Smith Family Funeral Homes website.