HAMPTON, Virginia (Mennonite Mission Network) – Viola Edna Duerksen Ediger was passionate about serving people.
Ediger, who served in North America, South America, and Asia for more than 30 years, died in North Newton, Kansas, Aug. 11, 2015. She was 92.
A memorial service was held Aug. 14 at Bethel College Mennonite Church in North Newton.
Ediger was born Aug. 27, 1922, on the Wiens farm (about three miles northeast of Inman). She expressed a strong calling for mission work as a teenager.
Ediger initially left Bethel College after two years to teach in a school near Inman, Kansas, and then in Newton. She then did voluntary service with Mennonite Central Committee in California, in New York, and in Paraguay, South America, where she taught in German to Mennonite refugees. Years later, as an English teacher in Japan, Ediger would be known for being a stickler for good grammar.
“She was very particular about our always using good grammar,” said her daughter, Anne Ediger. “Speaking clearly and ‘correctly’ were always important to her.”
Ediger and her first husband, Ferd Ediger, served in Japan from 1953 to 1983 with the Commission on Overseas Mission, a predecessor agency to Mennonite Mission Network. They planted churches, initiated peace efforts, and both taught English at several colleges and universities. Five years after returning to North America, Ferd Ediger died in Regina, Saskatchewan, in 1988.
Also known affectionately as “Vi,” Ediger returned to Kansas in her role as a member of the Commission on Overseas Mission. She reconnected with Stan Voth, a fellow Bethel College alumnus whose parents had also served as missionaries in China and Japan. They married in 1992. In 1993-1994, Vi and Stan returned to Japan to coordinate the Japan Anabaptist Center in Tokyo, where Vi and Ferd had served years earlier. Vi and Stan celebrated 23 years of marriage earlier this year.
“I would just want to affirm what a fearless and energetic woman Vi was,” said Debra Voth, a daughter of Stan Voth. “I often marveled at her forthright and confident approach to situations.”
Debra Voth said that the couple had lots of magnets on their refrigerator with pictures of family and friends. One particular magnet read “Attitude is Everything,” which exemplified Ediger’s approach to life.
“Vi faced down many physical challenges in her later years. For me that quote sums up not only how she lived her life, but also the courageous spirit and unswerving faith that I will always remember.”
“My mother was indeed a person of strong convictions,” adds Anne. “At critical times in her life, she stood up even against the opinions of others for something she believed in, and on behalf of other people, including me several times. Her personal faith and her commitment to missions and to her family were also central values in her life.”
Ediger enjoyed traveling, reading, gardening, and people. She also loved to sing hymns and to harmonize with others in singing.
Ediger is survived by her husband, Stan, five children, eight grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.The family requests that memorial gifts be sent to Mennonite Mission Network, 718 N. Main St., Newton, KS 67114.
