Paul S. Davidhizar

Paul Davidhizar died at Greencroft Retirement Community in Goshen, Indiana on 2:53 pm on April 9, 2025 at the age of 103 with his family by his side. He was born on August 24, 1921, the third of four sons born to Fred and Nora (Kehr) Davidhizar in Wakarusa, Indiana. He grew up during the Depression in the Wakarusa area and graduated from Wakarusa High School in 1940.

Paul married Marcille Arlene Kaufman September 8, 1945 in Manson, Iowa. They lived in Iowa for 12 years; Goshen, Indiana for 23 years; and Phoenix, Arizona for 10 years. They were married for 45 years until Marcille’s death in 1990. He then married Ellen Jennings Oyer on September 18, 1993. They were married for 20 years until her death in 2014. During their years together, they lived in Phoenix, Arizona and Canby, Oregon. In 2021 at the age of 100, Paul moved from Oregon to Greencroft in Goshen, where he died in healthcare after a brief illness. He was able to converse with his family and be mobile until four days before his death.

As a child and along with his family, Paul attended and was a member of Yellow Creek Mennonite Church. Later after moving from Goshen, he became a member of Manson (IA) Mennonite Church, North Goshen (IN) Mennonite Church, Trinity Mennonite Church (Phoenix, AZ), and Zion Mennonite Church (Canby, OR). He took his faith seriously and was always active in his church, teaching adult Sunday School, being adult Sunday School Superintendent, and supporting his pastors and the mission of the church. To the end, he was known for his articulate prayers that always ended with a hearty and throaty “Amen!”

Paul was a conscientious objector during World War II. He participated in Civilian Public Service, working on roads in Sidling Hill, PA and firing furnaces at a mental hospital in Exeter, Rhode Island. He took his CPS work very seriously and looked back on that experience as an important part of his life. He was a truck driver and enjoyed the “open road.” Driving truck meant being away from his family for a few days at a time, which always bothered him. However, because he loved and enjoyed caring and providing for his wife and children, he was still happy to go on long family vacation trips of driving and travel through many US states, hiking and camping along the way. He said he loved to fish, but seldom did in order to put his family first. He enjoyed woodworking, and all his decedents have a clock or piece of something he made. He was known for his grilled chicken, which he referred to as his “burnt offering.”

Paul was known to never complain and always had a positive attitude. He was patient, unselfish, and hard-working. He enjoyed people and was always a gentleman, heating up the car and opening the car door for his wives. He loved nature and being outdoors; his favorite hymn was “How Great Thou Art.” People often talk about his infectious laugh. For the last three years, his entertainment came from watching the birds, squirrels, and passers-by outside his Greencroft apartment. For the last five years of his life, if you asked him how he was, his common response was either “Among the living” or “I’m on the right side of the grass.”

Survivors include his daughters, Virginia/Ginny (Karl) Birky and Nancy (Craig) Yoder, both of Goshen; grandsons Brent (Rachel) Yoder and Bradley (Caitlin Cronk) Yoder; three great-granddaughters, Caroline, Olivia, and Natalie Yoder. Paul is also survived by step-sons Phil Oyer, Stan (Vonnie) Oyer, and Gary (Louisa) Oyer; step-grandsons John (Saralyn) Oyer, Michael (Mary) Oyer, Jason (Alexandra) Oyer, Trevor (Abby) Oyer, and Jared (Jenna) Oyer; and great-grandchildren Clay, Adelynn, Parker, and Maya. He is also survived by 15 nieces and nephews.

Paul was preceded in death by his first wife, Marcille Kaufman Davidhizar (1990) and his second wife, Ellen Oyer Davidhizar (2014); an infant son, Danny; three brothers, Raymond (Ruth) Davidhizar, George (Grace) Davidhizar, and Virgil (Donna) Davidhizar.

A memorial service will be held for Paul at 2 pm on June 28 at the North Goshen Mennonite Church. A time of visitation will take place prior to the service at 12:30 pm. His ashes will be buried beside his first wife (Marcille) and son at the Rose Hill Cemetery in Manson, Iowa. Yoder-Culp Funeral Home is overseeing arrangements. Memorial gifts may be made to Mennonite Disaster Service; https://mds.org .