Herbert Backhus

Herbert J. Backhus, 84, of Tampa, former employee of Marion County Co-op of Tampa, died Sept. 12 at Hillsboro Community Medical Center.

The funeral was Tuesday, Sept. 16 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Tampa. A prayer service was Monday at Zeiner Funeral Home in Marion.

He was born June 25, 1924, to John G. and Helena (Ottens­meier) Backhus near Tampa. On March 21, 1957, he was married to Ida Schmidt, who predeceased him in 1991.

He is survived by brothers Harry of Leavenworth, John of Enterprise and Wilbert of Tampa; sisters Elma Meyer of Tampa, Ella Heidemann of Decatur, Ill., and Frieda Bentz of Tampa; and nieces and nephews.

A memorial fund has been established with St. John’s Lutheran Church in care of the funeral home.

Virginia Fadenrecht

Viginia Fadenrecht, 89, former music secretary at Tabor College, died Sept. 14 at Hillsboro Community Medical Center.

The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 18, at First Baptist Church of Durham. A private family burial will follow.

The family will receive guests from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday at Jost Funeral Home in Hills­boro.

She was born May 17, 1919, to Lauren E. Harman and Bertha May (Craft) Harman in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. On June 11, 1944, she was married to Albert Faden­recht, who predeceased her in 2007.

She is survived by a son, Daryl and Marilyn Fadenrecht of Wichita.

Memorial funds have been established with Gideons North American Baptist Mission Society and the First Baptist Church of Durham. Condolences can be sent to the family via This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Esther Ollenburger

Esther Ollenburger, 97, companion to her husband in ministry, died Sept. 13 at Parkside Homes in Hillsboro.

The funeral will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 17, at Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church with pastor Dave Plett officiating. Burial will be at Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Cemetery.

Visitation will begin at 9:30 a.m. prior to the service.

She was born March 27, 1911, to Brenhard Wiens and Margaret (Jantzen) Wiens in Turpin, Okla. On March 25, 1934, she was married to Edwin C. Ollenburger, who predeceased her in 1994.

She is survived by a son, Ben and Janice Ollenburger of Elkhart, Ind.; a daughter Rosalie and Ted Nickel of Fresno, Calif.; a sister, Rubena Wiebe of Hills­boro; six grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

A memorial fund has been established with Mennonite Brethren Missions and Services. Condolences can be sent to the family via This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Rusty Peavy

Rusty George Peavy, 54, a heavy-equipment mechanic from Canton, died Sept. 9 at Salem Home in Hillsboro.

The funeral was at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 13, at McPherson Free Methodist Church with pastor Deborah Somerville officiating. The family burial was private.

He was born July 21, 1954, to George Russell Peavy and Jean Conner Arnold at Warner Robbins, Ga. On March 26, 1983, he was married to Karen McElwee, who survives in Canton. He is also survived by two sons, Chase and Cody, both of Canton; and a sister, Cheryl Wilson of Georgia.

Memorial contributions for the Chase and Cody Peavy College Fund may be sent in care of Jost Funeral Home, Hillsboro, or McPherson Credit Union.

Condolensces may be sent to the family via jost@jostfuneralhome. com

John Zimmerman

John R. Zimmerman, 87, of Commerce, Texas, educator and researcher, died Sept. 8 in Plano, Texas.

The funeral was Sept. 11 at First Baptist Church in Marion.

He was born Sept. 11, 1920, in Eureka. He was married to Lenore Stenzel Zimmerman, who predeceased him.

He is survived by children John and Mable Zimmerman of Wylie, Texas, Kathryn Zimmer­man of Ellensburg, Wash., and Tamara Zimmerman Wilburn and husband Matt of Frisco, Texas; sister-in-law Helen Chill of Marion; and four grandchildren.

A memorial fund has been established with the John R. and Lenore S. Zimmerman Physics Scholarship Fund at Emporia State University.

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