Randolph J. Krehbiel
Obituary
Randolph J. Krehbiel was 76 when he
took his last breath on Nov. 12, 2019. Randy grew up on a farm near
Moundridge with his sister, Twila; brother, Dwight; and parents,
Herman and Letha Krehbiel. Here he learned to love and respect
nature, work hard, fix most things and care for people.
One of the most formative experiences
of Randy's life was the two years he spent in Algeria for his
alternative service, after graduating from Bethel College. He taught
children to plant gardens and raise rabbits and chickens. In turn,
they taught him Arabic and brought new perspective to his life.
Randy continued his lifelong journey of
caring for others as: a teacher in Markham, Illinois; a school social
worker in Minneapolis, Minnesota; a school liaison officer and
administrator at Prairie View in McPherson; a family life educator
for the General Conference Mennonite Church in Newton; and more than
20 years as a behavioral scientist for the KU Medical School and
later for Via Christi Hospitals in Wichita.
Randy was known for his friendly smile.
He always took interest in and showed compassion for people
experiencing challenges. In recognition of his contributions to "the
least of these," Randy was named WSU Social Worker of the year
in 2007.
One of the most important things to
Randy was his family. Randy and Myrna (Gaede) celebrated their 50th
wedding anniversary in June this year. Randy was the proud father of
two sons, Aaron and Matt. He also treasured his daughters-in-law,
Carin and Katherine, along with granddaughters Ari, Mae and Ruby.
Randy donated his body to the KU
Medical Center for research.
A memorial service will be held at 3
p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, in Menno Hall at Kidron Bethel Village, 3001
Ivy Dr., North Newton.
Instead of flowers, please consider
honoring Randy with donations to one of the following places that
were close to his heart: Into Account (intoaccount.org), an
organization that provides solidarity, advocacy and strategic support
to survivors of sexual violence connected to Christian contexts; Camp
Mennoscah (campmennoscah.org), a favorite gathering place for family
and lifelong friends; or Mennonite Disaster Service
(mds.mennonite.net), a volunteer network that assists people affected
by disasters in North America
If you would like to donate, checks
should be made out to your preferred charity and sent to: Randy
Krehbiel Memorial, c/o Petersen Family Funeral Home, 215 N. Main,
Newton, KS 67114.
