Marilyn Joyce (Minter) Wolgemuth

Marilyn Joyce Minter Wolgemuth, age 93, died September 17, 2024, at the Kidron-Bethel Health Care facility in North Newton, Kansas. Marilyn was born December 16, 1930, to Samuel F. and Carolyn Luker Minter in Abilene, Kansas. She attended Chronister Grade School and Chapman High School. For her senior year, she attended Upland Academy in California. At Messiah College in Grantham, Pennsylvania, she met J. Carl Wolgemuth. Marilyn went on to nursing school in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and after she graduated, she and Carl were married on March 27, 1954, in Abilene, Kansas. Marilyn spent many years in ministry, beginning with four years with the Mennonite Central Committee as a Public Health nurse in the migrant camps in Coalinga, California. It was there they learned of Wycliffe Bible Translators and the need for translation teams to bring God?s Word to people who didn?t have the Bible in their heart language. Marilyn and Carl served with Wycliffe for 20 years, working with the Isthmus Aztec language in a village in southern Veracruz, Mexico. Chris Hurst took over the work they began, and in February 2017, the Isthmus Aztecs received the entire New Testament in their language. Chris says: ?I would like to acknowledge the pioneering and compassionate work done by Carl and Marilyn among the Aztec people. They helped us immensely as we took over the work, giving us their time to jump-start language learning and sharing all their linguistic and translation materials with us. They were much loved among the Aztec people, and we were privileged to build on the good legacy they left.? Besides the translation work, Marilyn labored many hours in the makeshift clinic in their home, treating everything from dysentery to pulling teeth and sewing ears back on after a drunken machete fight at the local bar. Marilyn spent fifteen years as a psychiatric nurse in Texas and Kansas. She volunteered with the Kansas State Nurses Association Peer Assistance Committee, monitoring impaired nurses. She retired from Prairie View Mental Health Center in Newton, KS, in 1996 and then served three years on the Prairie View Board of Directors.

Marilyn was a member of the Shalom Mennonite Church in Newton and served there as a parish nurse for several years.

In February 2012, Marilyn was named Outstanding Member of the Newton Area American Association of University Women for her exemplary life of professionalism, perseverance, and caring.

Her hobbies included quilting, reading, travel, and quality time with family and friends. She truly loved her varied 59 years as a professional nurse. She authored three books detailing the various seasons of her life (available on Amazon.com): Barefoot Girl: A Kansas Sunflower?s Memoir (her growing up years); Bedpans and Backrubs (her nursing school years); God?s Talk: Bringing the Gospel to the Isthmus Aztecs of Mexico in Their Heart Language (their work in Mexico).

Marilyn delighted in sharing a meal or morning coffee with friends just to talk about whatever subject came up. The 7 PM chat group in the lobby every night was the highlight of her day. People often asked to speak with her when they were having troubles, and she always had a listening ear. She put online puzzles together every day and played UpWords with several friends at various times during the week to keep her mind sharp in her last years. She never tired of being outside in the warm sunshine or gazing at a full moon.

Marilyn was preceded in death by her parents, a stillborn daughter, Joyce, and her husband, Carl.

Marilyn is survived by her daughter Carolyn [Candi] (Warren) Bishop of North Platte, NE; two brothers Mahlon (Cathy) Minter of Telford, PA, and Mark (Glenna) Minter of Abilene, KS; a sister Lois (Ed) Hoover of Seneca, MO; five grandchildren: Jake (Brooke) Christopher of Pensacola, FL; Leah (Marc) Ramsey of Scott City, KS; Sharon (Juan) Gallegos of Norfolk, VA; and twins Dave and Joe Christopher. She also has ten great-grandchildren: Journey and Arden Christopher; Madrie, Callyn, Sadie, Asher, Emma, and Allie Ramsey; Everlynn and Bronson Gallegos.

A memorial service and celebration of Marilyn?s life will be held on October 12, 2024, at 2:00 PM in Kidron Hall at Kidron-Bethel in North Newton, KS. In lieu of flowers, Marilyn wanted any memorial contributions to go toward the ongoing work with the Isthmus Aztec translation of the Old Testament. Wycliffe Bible Translators, PO Box 628200 Orlando, FL 32862 ? memo: Member #214197