Esther A. Deal

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Esther Arlene Showalter Deal, 90, of Goshen, died Monday, January 10, 2022 at Greencroft Healthcare.

She was born June 18, 1931 in Elkhart County to Noble L. and Edna (Kauffman) Showalter.

Esther graduated from Goshen College in 1953 with a B.S. in Education. She received a Masters degree from Ball State University in 1962.

She was an elementary public-school teacher in Clinton Township and Topeka, and in 1958 went to Phoenix, Arizona to teach on the Navajo Indian Reservation for five years. She returned to Indiana in 1964 and taught in Griffith and Concord elementary schools for four years each.

In September 1973 she married L. Thomas Deal, a businessman from Fort Wayne. Mr. Deal had four children from a previous marriage; Linda Speaks of Knoxville, Tennessee, Larry (Darlene) Deal of Kingstowne, Virginia; David (Linda) Deal of Las Vegas, Nevada and Tim Deal of Fort Wayne.

After the death of her husband Tom in 2007, she moved to Greencroft, Goshen from Fort Wayne. While living in Fort Wayne she was a member of Beacon Heights, Church of the Brethren and later joined Waterford Mennonite Church upon moving to Goshen.

Esther was very involved in American Association of University Women, loved singing in choirs, growing flowers and watching birds, traveling, quilting and volunteered with the Goshen Hospital Auxiliary and was also an avid reader.

Along with her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by two sisters, Vesta (Albert) Stroman and Charlene (Theron) Christophel; and five brothers, Stahly (Fern), Jay, Gerald, Glen and Dale (Janet)Showalter.

Surviving along with her step-children are three grandsons; five great-grandchildren; three sisters-in-law, Lois, Rose Ann and Sherry Showalter; and many nieces and nephews.

There will be one hour of visitation Friday, January 14, 2022 prior to the 2 p.m. funeral service at Yoder-Culp Funeral Home.

Memorial gifts may be directed to Mennonite Central Committee, P.O. Box 500, Akron, PA 17501-9989; https://mcc.org/, Goshen College, attn: Development Office, 1700 S. Main St., Goshen, IN 46526; https://www.goshen.edu/;  or Waterford Mennonite Church, 65975 State Road 15, Goshen, IN 46526; www.waterfordchurch.org.