John Preheim

John Preheim, 82, of Goshen, Indiana, passed away peacefully with his family at his side at Goshen General Hospital on April 19, 2024.

He was born on July 18, 1941, in Marion, South Dakota, to Peter P. and Edith Preheim.  The youngest of ten children, John graduated from Marion High School in 1959 and went on to attend Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas.  Upon graduation, he married Jo Ann Doerksen on June 1, 1963, in Inman, Kansas, and they would go on to enjoy over 60 happy years together.

Following graduation from Bethel, John and Jo Ann moved to Indianapolis for John to complete 1-W service at LaRue Carter Hospital.  Upon completion, he began teaching elementary school for Speedway Schools.  While in Indianapolis, John also earned a master’s degree from Indiana University.  In 1972, John accepted a position in Elkhart, Indiana, as administrator for a joint program between Elkhart Community Schools and Oaklawn Mental Health Center to serve emotionally handicapped students. Eventually this program was merged into regular school buildings and John would serve the rest of his career as a classroom teacher for Elkhart Community Schools before retiring in 2003 after 38 years of service.

Upon retirement, John became an active volunteer with organizations such as Meals on Wheels, Menno-Hof, Elkhart Community Schools, Goshen Community Schools, and Goshen College.  Perhaps his greatest volunteer enjoyment came from working athletic events at Concord High School where he was the timer for home football games and served as scorekeeper for home and away boys basketball games for the past 20 years.

Faith was very important to John.  He and Jo Ann were members of First Mennonite Church in Speedway, Indiana; Hively Avenue Mennonite Church in Elkhart; and Silverwood Mennonite Church in Goshen.  He also served a term as Chairman of the Board for Camp Friedenswald in Cassopolis, Michigan, and he and Jo Ann served twice as registration coordinators for Mennonite World Conference.

John was also an active member of the Dunlap Lions Club.  He spent countless hours helping prepare eyeglasses to send to Mexico through a Lions Club program to provide them to those in need.  He and Jo Ann made 13 trips to Mexico to help distribute the glasses.  He and Jo Ann also spent two weeks each summer for eighteen years living and working as volunteer lighthouse keepers at Big Sable Point Lighthouse in Ludington, Michigan.

In his spare time, John enjoyed spending time with his family, gardening, helping others, and traveling. He visited all 50 state capitols and had also visited multiple European countries.  He especially loved traveling to see sporting events with his sons.  John and his son David saw a game in every major league baseball stadium, and he and his son Scott toured many NASCAR tracks and saw numerous races together.  In the wintertime, John enjoyed Indiana High School Basketball and traveled to see a boys basketball game in over 380 of the 410 high school gyms in the state.

John is survived by his wife Jo Ann and sons Scott (Judy) Preheim of Middlebury and David (Stephen Sostaric) of Mishawaka.  Also surviving are his sisters Barbara Carlson of Wichita, Kansas, and Ann Regier of Grant, Nebraska; his brother Peter Preheim of Marion, South Dakota; and many nieces and nephews.  He was preceded in death by his parents and brothers Waldo, Delbert, Roland, and Don and sisters Verna and Emma.

Visitation will be held from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. on Friday, May 3 at Yoder-Culp Funeral Home in Goshen.  A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 4 at Silverwood Mennonite Church in Goshen.

Memorial gifts may be given to Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas, or to Camp Friedenswald in Cassopolis, Michigan.