Esther Pearl (Lehrman) Rinner
1922 - 2020
Esther Pearl (Lehrman) Rinner was born
Sept. 10, 1922, in Aberdeen, Idaho, the daughter of
Henry H. and Theresa (Wiebe) Lehrman.
Esther was 97 and died on May 30, 2020 in North Newton, Kansas.
She was baptized and became a member of
the First Mennonite Church of Aberdeen, and
enjoyed being a member of the Girl
Scouts. She attended Bethel College and was granted a
teaching certificate there in 1942. She
then taught at the one-room Candy School east of
Newton for one year and then for two
years in the elementary school in American Falls, Idaho.
She returned to Bethel College where
she received her B.S. degree In Education in 1947,
graduating with Distinction. During two
summers in a women's service unit and then for
one year in the 1940s, she was an
attendant in a state mental hospital in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
This was followed by a year and a half
of voluntary service in LaPlata, Puerto Rico under Mennonite Central
Committee, working
with children in a community center.
On June 30, 1949 Esther was married in
the First Mennonite Church of Aberdeen, Idaho to
Andrew James (Jim) Rinner of Wayland,
Iowa, a Civilian Public Service worker she had met
while serving in Ypsilanti. Throughout
their married life, his career as a nursing student and then
nursing instructor took them to homes
in Chicago, North Newton, Hutchinson, Denver, and
since 1960 in Newton, Kansas. The
couple's two daughters, Jeanette and Amy, were born
during the family's years in
Hutchinson. Jim and Esther spent their last years at the Kidron
Bethel Retirement Center in North
Newton. Her husband died on April 27, 2004 after almost 55
years of marriage.
Esther was always active in church
work, community, and education. She was a substitute
teacher In Hutchinson and was employed
as secretary for the Mennonite Western District
Conference office and the development
office at Bethel College in North Newton. Most of her
working years were as secretary and
administrative assistant for the executive secretary of the
General Conference Mennonite Commission
on Home Ministries in the Newton, Kansas
headquarters. She was a volunteer in
many places, including Sunday school and Vacation Bible School
teacher and director, congregational
and church council secretary in Bethel College Mennonite
Church; teacher in Newton's Released
Time Bible School; docent at Warkentin House;
treasurer for Newton Church Women
United; member of a Harvey County Extension
Homemakers Unit; PTA president at
Washington School; 4-H Club leader; Bethel Deaconess
Hospital Auxiliary; volunteer at Newton
Medical Center gift shop and at the Mennonite Library
and Archives at Bethel College.
Esther had a great love of travel,
beginning in her childhood when her family drove from
Idaho in a Model T Ford to visit
relatives in Kansas in the 1930s. In her married life, the family
traveled to many places, including
across the Western United States and several times to
Europe. She and Jim also traveled to
the Soviet Union, Israel and Canada. She loved classical
music, doing handwork and making
scrapbooks.
Besides her husband, she was preceded
in death by her parents and sisters Ruby Lehrman
and Elva Brucks, brother Charles
Lehrman, and son-in-law Steve Grantstein. She is survived by
sister-in-law Lois Lehrman of BuhI,
Idaho; daughters Jeanette Grantstein of Wichita and Amy
(Rinner, Dueckman) Waddell (Marc) of
Abbotsford, British Columbia; grandchildren Abigail
Grantstein Howard (Lucas), James David
Dueckman (Pauline), Noel Dueckman
(Stephanie),Laura Dueckman Merritt
(Ryan), and great-grandchildren Evangeline Grantstein,
Bonnie Grantstein, Caroline Howard and
Zachary Dueckman and nine beloved nieces and
nephews.
Memorials can be designated for Bethel
College Rinner Nursing Scholarship Fund, Bethel
College Mennonite Church, or Western
District Mennonite Conference In Care of Petersen Funeral Home.
A memorial service will be held at the
Bethel College Mennonite Church at a future date to be determined
