Kay Marlys Deolyn Cripe

Kay Marlys Deolyn Cripe (nee Pederson) passed peacefully into the presence of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on Sunday, March 22, 2026.

She was born a preemie baby on June 20, 1934, in Wahpeton, North Dakota, to Lawrence August and Esther (Blumer) Pederson. The doctor didn’t expect her to live, but her dad took one look at her and said, “She’s a peach. We’ll keep her!” When Kay was a year old, the family of seven moved to Hastings, Minnesota, where Kay went to school and grew up until she was 18 years old.

Kay grew up in a godly family and they belonged to the First Baptist Church in Hastings. The summer Kay turned 10, she had memorized 100 Bible verses for DVBS. Through the verses that she learned, her heart was convicted of her need of a Savior, and she placed her faith in Jesus Christ.

Growing up, Kay had lessons in piano, clarinet, and drums. She played the clarinet in her high school’s marching band, and one year also played the drums. When she was much older, she taught herself to play the saxophone.

During her teen years, Kay had good teachers and youth leaders who helped formulate her strong beliefs in God and His word. She was introduced to the Navigators and memorized scripture systematically. She made a commitment to the Lord that she would never date a young man who was not a believer after hearing messages from Billy Graham.

While Kay was still in high school, she spent a summer with Rural Bible Crusade, providing DVBS programs to churches. Kay loved to teach the Bible to children, and that love never waned over her entire life.

When Kay was a senior in high school, a group of young men came from Goshen, Indiana, to work in the Hastings Mental Hospital. One of those young men was Ted Cripe, and six months after Kay graduated from high school, on January 17, 1953, she married Ted, the love of her life. They were married for 66 years.

After marriage, Kay moved to Goshen, Indiana, to begin her new life with Ted. Over the next several years, they lived a few different places in and around Goshen before settling in Cassopolis, Michigan, on a farm shared with Ted’s brother Dave.

Between 1953 and 1967, the Lord blessed them with six children: Rodney Dean (deceased), Susan Kay, Beverly Dawn, Nathan Ted, Bonita Joy, and Joel Allen (deceased). Kay was a faithful wife and mother, sewing many of her children’s clothes, teaching them to read and love books, reading to them, teaching them the Bible, praying with them, giving and providing them with piano and other instrumental lessons, training them to work and be responsible, and more.

In the summer of 1962, the family spent a week at Gull Lake Bible Conference (Michigan), where the Lord spoke to both Kay and Ted about full-time Christian service. They didn’t hesitate to obey the Lord, and in January 1963, the family left the farm and moved to Appalachian Bible College in Bradley, West Virginia, where they attended for 3½ years. After which they returned to northern Indiana and began pursuing a church planting ministry in the South Pacific. The Lord directed them to New Zealand, initially to Turangi, and subsequently to Auckland, Kaukapakapa, Turangi again, South Auckland, Taupo, West Auckland. Kay was actively involved in serving the Lord, especially in teaching children and encouraging the women in their Christian lives.

Kay served faithfully alongside Ted for 38 years in New Zealand, relocating to the U.S. in April 2005, where the Lord directed them to live at Waterford Crossing in Goshen. Following Ted’s death in 2019, Kay continued to live at Waterford Crossing until her care needs became greater. Her children then moved her to Cottage Garden in Goshen, where she lived for 9½ months, and then for the last two months to HolistiCare Homes in Elkhart. She received excellent care at both facilities, as well as loving care from her eldest daughter, Susi.

In addition to her parents and her husband, Ted, Kay was preceded in death by two sons, Rodney and Joel; a grandson, Seth McMahan; a great-granddaughter, Coraline McClure; and her four siblings, Janice Levering, Marjean Trebil, William (Bill) Pederson, and Duane Pederson.

Kay is survived by four of her children – Susan (Bob) Kulp, Elkhart, Indiana; Beverly (Jack) McMahan, Whangarei, New Zealand; Nathan (Susan) Cripe Freeport, Ohio; Bonita (Charlie) Frink, Beckley, West Virginia; twelve grandchildren – Melissa (Greg) Smith, Roanoke, Virginia; Aimee (Matt) McClure, Fort Wayne, Indiana; Monika (Rob) Daugherty, Martinsburg, West Virginia; Luke (Jasmine) McMahan, Whangarei, New Zealand; Katrina (Kelly) Boyce, Grafton, West Virginia; Jacinda (Ben) Golden, Jacksonville, Florida; Lorisa (Tony) Wiedenheft, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin; Richelle Cripe, Longmont, Colorado; Alicia (Benji) Cooley, Harrisonburg, Virginia; Shiloh (Bryce) Stone, Leola, Pennsylvania; Caleb (Danae) Frink, Beckley, West Virginia; Abigail (Danniel) Acosta, Staten Island, New York; 33 great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

A visitation will be held on Thursday, April 2, 2026, from 7:00–8:00 p.m. at Yoder-Culp Funeral Home.  A public graveside service will be held Friday April 3, 2026 at West Goshen Cemetery at 10:00 a.m. A celebration of life will be held at 10:30 a.m. on June 20, 2026, at West Goshen Church. Memorial contributions may be directed to Appalachian Bible College in Bradley, West Virginia.