Hazel Irene Yoder

Hazel Irene Yoder died peacefully on October 23, 2021 at Greencroft Healthcare in Goshen, Indiana.

Hazel was born January 18, 1934 in Foossland, Illinois, the fifth child of Harold and Alma (Unzicker) Zehr.

She graduated from Goshen College in 1957 and that same year married Thomas Yoder. The couple moved to South Central, Kansas where they started a family before returning to central, Illinois where Tom taught middle school History and Hazel worked as a nurse. Hazel lived in Normal, Illinois for 56 years until she moved to Goshen, Indiana in 2018 to be closer to family.

Hazel had a long career in nursing, she worked as a nurse in both Newton, Kansas and Bloomington, Illinois, taught nursing at the Mennonite School of Nursing for many years before becoming the Director of Nursing at Meadows Retirement Community in Meadows, Illinois. She had a particular interest in memory care and helped start one of the first Alzheimer’s units in Illinois. After retirement she tirelessly care for her husband, who was seriously injured in a bicycle accident in 1993, until he died in 2009.

Church was an important part of her life, and she was an active member of the Mennonite Church of Normal for over 40 years.  She served as a youth group leader and on numerous committees. During retirement she particularly enjoyed reading to children who attended the Head Start program housed in the church. She also enjoyed traveling and learning, taking trips to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Portugal, Europe and the Marshal Islands with her husband, and attending several Road Scholar programs with her sister, Rachel and friend, Dorothy.

She is survived by her children, Dawn Yoder (Doug) Harms of North Newton, Kansas, Scot (Karen) Yoder of Mason, Michigan and Mark (Debra) Yoder of Goshen, Indiana; and seven grandchildren, Matthew, Nathan, Chris, Katelyn, Adam, Alex and Elyse.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Thomas Yoder; and seven siblings, Edith Zehr, Jay Zehr, John Zehr, Dean Zehr, Allan Zehr, Rachel Zehr and Lila King.

A burial of cremated remains will take place at Ropp Cemetery at 10 a.m. on November 12, followed by an 11 a.m. memorial service at the Mennonite Church of Normal, Normal, Illinois.

Memorial gifts in Hazel’s honor may be directed to Mennonite Central Committee, 21 South 12 ^th Street, P.O. Box 500 Akron, PA 17501-0500