Mary K. Mishler

Mary Kathryn Mishler, 102, of Goshen, died Thursday, September 7, 2023, at Greencroft Health Care.

Mary was born June 5, 1921, in Elida, Ohio, to Joseph and Barbara (Greider) Diller.

On July 12, 1946, she married Dorsa J. Mishler, of Shipshewana, at her mother’s home in Elida, Ohio. He preceded her in death in 2005.

She is survived by four sons:  John (Phyllis) Mishler of Goshen, Robert (Carol) Mishler of Singers Glen, Virginia, Don (Nina Newburn) Mishler of Goshen, and Dennis (Pattie) Mishler of Brownsburg, Indiana; seven grandchildren: Nathan Mishler, Rob Mishler,  Annie Springer, Mary Kathryn Mishler II, Jade Madrid, Jackie Brewer, and Andrew Mishler;  three step-grandchildren: Anna Parker, John and Lonnie Newburn; seven great-grandchildren, and three step-great-grandchildren.  A sister, Martha Yoder, of Archbold, Ohio, and a brother-in-law, Paul Mishler, of Shipshewana, also survive.

Along with her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by two brothers, Herman and Norman Diller and a sister, Esther Hartman, as well as an infant daughter, Barbara Anna, and an infant granddaughter Annalee Mishler.

Mary graduated from Gomer High School, Elida, Ohio, and worked for several years at the Lima Post Office before meeting and marrying Dorsa. As newlyweds, Mary and Dorsa left for Ethiopia where they served with the Mennonite Central Committee, from 1946 to 1948, doing relief work.  Mary worked in the new hospital as an assistant nurse, with only on-the-job training from Nurse Nancy Conrad.  A highlight of their time in Ethiopia was the meal that Mary and Dorsa enjoyed as guests of Ethiopian King Haile Selassie and his Queen at their Royal Summer Palace!  Mary recalled the couple’s years in Ethiopia as some of the happiest and most fulfilling of their lives.  Dorsa and Mary helped to lay the foundation for the hospital in Nazareth, which remains in operation.  The Meserete Kirstos Church they helped establish, with the blessing of Haile Selassie, now numbers in the hundreds of thousands of members, countrywide.

Mary was proud of her career as a therapist at Oaklawn Psychiatric Center, which spanned over twenty-five years.  Her specialty was enabling patient healing through psychodrama.  She helped countless numbers of Oaklawn patients work through their problems and improve their lives.

In 1963, Mary had the opportunity to continue her education at Indiana University, where she studied art, focusing on pottery and drawing. She became a skilled stained-glass artist and executed a large set of windows for the chapel at Oaklawn Psychiatric Center, which she considered her masterpiece.  Mary also made special stained-glass pieces for the homes of her children and grandchildren, along with two intricate Tiffany style lamps.

Mary was an active and enthusiastic member of Prairie Street Mennonite Church for over seventy years.  In 1998, she received a well-deserved honor as “Woman of the Year” by the Women of Elkhart County.

Our Mom, Mary Kathryn Diller Mishler, was a “force of nature”; she was industrious, energetic, passionate, enthusiastic, determined, and rather forthright.

A reception for friends and a memorial service will follow at a later date, with burial at Prairie Street Cemetery.

Memorial donations in memory may be given to Prairie Street Mennonite Church or to the Oaklawn Foundation.