Edward J Yoder

Edward John Yoder was born July 1, 1925, in Iowa County, Iowa near the village of Parnell, to John M and Nancy Guengerich Yoder. He died on July 12, 2011, in Phoenix, Arizona. As a youth, Edward lived and worked on farms in the Parnell area. In June 1945, at the age of 18, he joined Civilian Public Service in Terry, Montana, where he surveyed land and fought forest fires. He stayed in the CPS camps until they were closed down at the end of World War II. In December 1949, Edward visited Phoenix, Arizona with his oldest sister Hazel and his parents due to his father's health. At a wedding for his cousin on December 10, at Sunnyslope Mennonite Church, Edward met Sarah Ellen Kauffman. A spark was ignited, and Edward visited Phoenix for the next two years to court Ellen. Edward and Ellen were married on December 27, 1951, in Phoenix at Sunnyslope Mennonite Church. Edward worked for Wright Manufacturing for 7 years before starting his own air conditioning business, A-1 Air Conditioning. In 1973, Edward sold his business and was semi-retired for the next 25 years during which time he and Ellen manufactured thousands of grass catchers for commercial landscapers. Edward's volunteer spirit was shown by his work with Mennonite Disaster Service. Through his semi-retirement years, Edward served in MDS including cleaning up flood damage in 1976 after the Grand Teton Dam failure in Idaho; cleaning homes after the 1978 flooding of Allenville near Buckeye, Arizona, and along the Agua Fria River; winterizing homes for Native Americans in Wounded Knee, South Dakota; and making numerous trips to California to assess damage for MDS involvement. In his last MDS assignment, Edward and Ellen spent the month of August 2009 in Dulzura, California as caretakers for an MDS campsite there. Edward tremendously enjoyed coffee break at Desert Cove Restaurant near his home and spending summer holidays at the family cabin in the Bradshaw Mountains near Crown King, Arizona. He loved to play games and spent many hours playing dominoes or Rummy Cam with Ellen and others.Edward went to be with the Lord July 12, 2011, in Phoenix, Arizona at the age of 86 after a brief illness. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Ellen; his sisters Hazel Yoder and Doris Spicher, both of Glendale Arizona; four sons Galen (Vera), Michael, Steven (Joanne), Philip (Debbie) and one daughter Saralyn Yoder, all from the Phoenix area; 7 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his sister Ruth Yoder and step-grandson, Jeremy Conklin. The viewing and visitation will be held on Friday, July 15, from 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at the A.L. Moore-Grimshaw Mortuaries located at 710 West Bethany Home Road, Phoenix, AZ 85013. The Memorial Service will be held at Sunnyslope Mennonite Church, on Monday, July 18, at 7:00 pm.