Obituaries
Emma May Shirk
Mar 1, 2026
Emma May Shirk, 89, a resident of Maple Farm Nursing Center, passed away on March 1, 2026.
Born in East Earl, she was the daughter of the late Theodore Kenneth and Ida May (McAfee) Bannon.
She was the wife of the late I. Eugene Shirk, with whom she shared 52 years of marriage until the time of his passing on November 8,...
Amos G. Hahn
Feb 28, 2026
Amos G Hahn, 79, passed away on Saturday, February 28, 2026, in Sarasota Memorial Hospital, Sarasota, FL, from an acute blood infection. He was preceded in death by his granddaughter, Joy Coblentz, his brother, Norman Hahn, husband of Elizabeth, and two sisters, Anna wife of the late Warren Martin and baby Esther Hahn. He was a member of Weaverland Mennonite...
William C. Gable, Jr.
Feb 28, 2026
William C. “Bill” Gable, Jr., a lifelong resident of the New Holland and Blue Ball communities, passed away on February 28, 2026. Born to the late William C. Gable, Sr. and Janet L. Gable, Bill graduated from Garden Spot High School in 1969 and attended Muhlenberg College. His career included early work in information technology, with 25 years at Blue...
Erik M. Sherman
Feb 25, 2026
Erik M. Sherman, 43, passed away on February 25, 2026.
Erik lived and died with a tremendously courageous and resilient spirit; he had a quiet yet fierce inner strength. Erik's life can be a lesson for all of us. No amount of hardship, loss or pain can make us turn bitter or dim our own inner light unless we choose to...
L. Lloyd Ruoss
Feb 25, 2026
L. Lloyd Ruoss, 89, of Marriottsville, MD, passed away on February 25, 2026.
Born in Pottstown, he was the son of the late L. Lloyd and Eva (Haas) Ruoss.
He was the husband of the late Myra (Hacker) Ruoss, who passed in 2009 and is the husband of Joy (Moore) Ruoss, with whom he has shared 15 years of marriage.
He was a...
Luke Ray Zimmerman
Feb 25, 2026
Luke Ray Zimmerman 85, passed away on Wednesday, February 25, 2026 at Lincoln Christian Home. He was preceded in death by his wife Arlene (Nolt) Zimmerman. He was a member of Pleasant Valley Mennonite Church.
He was a lifelong farmer, dairyman, truck driver, and previous owner of Country Sugar. The grandchildren remember Grandpa for his food, whether it was a snack...
Karene Swartz Zimmerman
Feb 22, 2026
Karene Swartz Zimmerman, 81, a resident of Landis Homes, entered her place in heaven on February 22, 2026.
She was the wife of Mark B. Zimmerman for over 56 years. Born in West Chester, PA, she was the daughter of the late Ernest and Wanda Swartz.
Karene spent most of her life in Chester County except for high school, Eastern Mennonite School...
H. William Church-Smith
Feb 21, 2026
H. William “Bill” Church- Smith, 85, of Elizabethtown, passed away on February 21, 2026 at Lancaster General Hospital.
Born in Smithville Flats, NY, he was the son of the late Herbert W. and Elsie Marie (Bottle) Church-Smith.
He was the husband of the late Diana Lee “Dee Dee” (Walker) Church-Smith, who passed on October 9, 2020.
After his retirement, he enjoyed gardening, quilting,...
Melvin Edward Martin
Feb 20, 2026
Melvin Edward Martin, 63, of Ephrata, passed away unexpectedly at home on Friday, February 20, 2026.
Born in Ephrata, he was the son of the late Melvin S. and Elizabeth Z. Burkholder Martin and the stepson of the late Mary Z. Burkholder Nolt Martin.
Melvin spent most of his life in the sales and service of ATV’s and was the owner of...
Mabel B. Dagen
Feb 17, 2026
Mabel B. Dagen, 88, a resident of Landis Homes, went home to be with the Lord on Tuesday, February 17, 2026.
She was the wife of the late Jacob L. Dagen, Jr., who died February 12, 2024. Born in New Danville, she was the daughter of the late Samuel and Rebecca (Hertzler) Bauman.
Mabel was a homemaker and worked for a time...
Barbara A. Burkhart
Feb 16, 2026
My mom, Barbara Burkhart, loved helping others and devoted her life to doing so. She donated years of her life to the Fivepointville Ambulance then found the will and the time to study, to learn, to sacrifice her time for others as a paramedic for the Ephrata Hospital. She was married to my dad, Stanley Burkhart, and she had two...
Charles Horning "Junie" Sauder
Feb 16, 2026
Charles Horning “Junie” Sauder, 88, died Monday, February 16, 2026, at Fairmount Homes. He is survived by his wife, Mary H. (Horst) Sauder. They would have been married 70 years in April.
Born in Ephrata, he was the son of the late Charles E. and Eva (Horning) Sauder.
Charles was the founder of C. H. Sauder Trucking, East Earl.
He was a member...
Jordan Cole Hurst
Feb 16, 2026
Jordan Cole Hurst was welcomed into the arms of Jesus on February 16, 2026.
He was the infant son of Nelson Ray and Marlene Martin (Weaver) Hurst, Terre Hill.
In addition to his parents, he is survived by his siblings, Austin, Zachary and Travis Hurst, all at home, grandparents, Aaron husband of Arlene Hurst of Terre Hill and Titus husband of Martha...
Van Chon Thai
Feb 15, 2026
Van Chon Thai, 75, of Leola, passed away on Sunday, February 15, 2026, surrounded by his loving family. Van was born in Vietnam to his late parents, Tich Thien Thai and Ly Tu Luong. His wife, Thuan Thi (Vo) Thai survives at home.
Van was a kind, respectful and loving man. He cherished the time he spent with his family, especially...
Frank Dawson Blest
Feb 12, 2026
Frank Dawson Blest, 93, a resident of Garden Spot Village, died on February 12, 2026, surrounded by family.
Born in Wilmington, DE, he was the son of the late Frank M. and Anna (Walker) Blest. He graduated from P.S.Dupont High School in 1950. In 1954 he received a bachelor’s degree in agriculture, followed by a master’s degree, both from the University...
Grace Sauder
Feb 10, 2026
Grace (Sweigart) Sauder, 93, of East Earl, passed away on February 10, 2026 at Lancaster General Hospital.
Born in Red Run, she was the daughter of the late Christian L. and Edna Koser (Lefever) Sweigart.
She was the wife of the late Raymond E. Sauder, with whom she shared 59 years of marriage until the time of his passing on March 13,...
Ella Barbara Groff
Feb 8, 2026
Ella B. Groff, 80, of New Holland, passed away at home on Sunday, February 8, 2026.
She was the wife of the late Lewis B. Groff who died September 9, 2025. Born in East Earl, she was the daughter of the late Noah H. and Sarah L. Fox Zimmerman.
Ella was a homemaker and a member of the Honey Brook Mennonite Church.
Surviving...
Thomas Wentz
Feb 6, 2026
Thomas H Wentz, III, 82, passed away on February 6, 2026. Born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on May 31, 1943, to Thomas H Wentz and Mary Jane Miller Wentz. Thomas’s life was defined by devotion, care, and passion—qualities that guided his relationships, work, and service. He was best known for a boundless kindness, a ready sense of humor, and a generous...
Zade Alexander Zimmerman
Feb 6, 2026
Zade Alexander Zimmerman, of East Earl, passed away shortly after birth on Friday, February 6, 2026.
He was the son of Darren and Destiny (Sensenig) Zimmerman.
Surviving besides his parents are maternal grandparents, Daryl and Crystal Sensenig; paternal grandparents, Eli and Ellen Zimmerman; maternal great grandparents, Robert and Glenda Weaver and Mark and Arlene Musser; and paternal great grandparents, Aaron and Edna...
Sumac
Feb 5, 2026
On February 5, 2026, Sumac bounded over the rainbow bridge.
We had to make the ultimate decision today and let our sweet boy go. Over the last several days, he has had so many seizures that they just became uncontrollable without being heavily medicated. At only a year old, there was no chance of the seizures getting any better with already...
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