Carl E. Gongwer

Carl E. Gongwer, 87, of Warren formerly of Goshen passed away early Tuesday morning, April 19, 2016 at Heritage Pointe Retirement Community, formerly known as United Methodist Memorial Home.

He was born on the family farm October 15, 1928 in Olive Township, Elkhart County to Willis Leroy and Treva Faye (Hunsberger) Gongwer.

He graduated from Wakarusa High School in 1946, from Taylor University (Upland, Indiana) in 1952 with a B.A. degree in Psychology, and from Indiana University in 1964 with a Masters degree in Spanish Language and Literature.

On September 2, 1952, he married Mary Anna Davis. Together they had four children, one of whom died at the early age of eight. Carl, a member of the United Missionary Church and later an ordained pastor with the Free Methodist denomination, and his wife Mary served as missionaries together with World Gospel Mission (WGM) in Mexico from 1953 until 1960. He then taught at a couple of different institutions before accepting a professorship at Taylor University where he taught Spanish Language and Literature for the next 22 years. During those years he conducted numerous summer teaching programs in Mexico and the Dominican Republic.

He received early retirement from Taylor in 1988, and he and Mary spent the next three years on teaching assignments in Honduras, Bolivia and Argentina.  When Mary became ill in 1997, Carl and Mary moved to Heritage Pointe retirement community in Warren, Indiana, in order to provide care for Mary. Carl also volunteered and provided translation services for chaplains in the local prison/jail and other Christian mission organizations.

After Mary passed away in 2006, Carl continued to live at Heritage Pointe and focused his efforts on providing translation services for the WGM headquarters in Marion, Indiana, and supporting mission activities in Latin America. In 2004 WGM awarded him the Volunteer in Service Award for his ongoing contributions.

He is survived by his three children, Jan/Carleen (Shane) Fortin, Melody Gongwer, and John Gongwer; a grandson, Derek Bouchard; his two younger brothers Wayne (Joan) Gongwer and Richard (Judy) Gongwer, and his older sister Lois (Gongwer) Miller.

The family will greet friends on Thursday, April 21, 2016 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Yoder-Culp Funeral Home where a 10 a.m. funeral service will be held on Friday, April 22, 2016.

Burial will follow at Olive Cemetery at Olive Mennonite Church located at 61081 Co Rd 3, Elkhart, IN 46517 (north of Wakarusa).

Memorial gifts may be directed to World Gospel Mission, P.O. Box 948, Marion, IN  46952

The Gongwer family would like to extend their heartfelt appreciation to the staff at Heritage Pointe for all their kindnesses to Carl and Mary during their long stay, as well as the support and love of relatives and friends in the States and Latin America.