Alden Harry Voth
Obituary
Alden Voth was a man of conviction. He
felt passionately about world peace and justice and the power of
love. In his later years, after losing his only son to cancer and
facing the diagnosis of Alzheimer's, his faith deepened. He
concluded, as did Paul, that the Christian race "was the only
race worth running." And we who knew him are able to say, "He
ran hard right to the finish." In the later stages of
Alzheimer's he still touched many lives with his smile and a song.
Alden Voth was born into a Mennonite
family near Walton and spent his early years on the family farm. He
attended Walnut Grove Elementary, a one-room country school,
graduated in three years from Walton High, went on to Bethel College,
finished a master's degree in economics from the University of Iowa
at Ames, and in 1959 received his Ph.D. in International Relations
from the University of Chicago.
Upon graduation, he accepted a position
at Upland College that began a 30-year career in higher education. In
1963, he joined the Political Science Faculty at San Jose State
University. From 1965 to 1967, he taught at the American University
in Cairo as visiting professor of Economics and Political Science. He
returned to SJSU to continue teaching, writing and lecturing and
retired as Professor Emeritus of Political Science and International
Relations. In his spare time, Alden enjoyed running, tennis, watching
college basketball and saving money.
Alden is survived by his wife, Norma;
daughter, Susan; and son-in-law, Ron, all of San Jose.
He is also survived by his brothers,
Roy of El Dorado, Melvin of North Newton and Gary of Hesston. He was
preceded in death by his son, Thomas; brother, Irvin; and sisters,
Elma Voth and Verna Kattapong.
Friends and family are invited to a
memorial service from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017, at
Calvary Chapel, 1175 Hillsdale Ave. San Jose, 95118. 408-269-8331.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be
made to the Alzheimer's Activity Center, 2380 Enborg Lane San Jose,
CA 95128.
