Maynard Janzen

Maynard D. Janzen was born to Otto R. Janzen and Irma L. (Klassen) Janzen in Hillsboro, Kansas, at the home of his
grandparents on Feb. 21, 1935. He passed away on June 7 at the age of 79 years.

He grew up on a farm east of Goessel and attended a one-roomed country school in rural Marion County. He graduated from Goessel High School in Goessel. He enjoyed being involved in sports and musical
activities. He played piano and saxophone and sang in various musical groups.

He received a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and music from Bethel College and taught both general education and music at the elementary level for several years.

His musical pursuits included singing in various choirs, and he participated in two choir tours of Europe. He sang with the Chapel Aires Men’s Quartet for a number of years, accompanied several musical groups including the Kansas Mennonite Men’s Chorus and the Menno Brass. He gave private piano lessons to many
students for several years and served as church organist.

His life affected people at various levels. He enjoyed his independence and was involved in a number of real estate endeavors. He built two houses and moved and remodeled another large house.

He owned and maintained a number of rentals and worked as a real estate agent for some time. He also owned and operated the Hesston Community Sale for 15 years and later developed the surrounding area for building lots.

His interests encompassed a variety of areas. Music was his first love, but he also enjoyed snow skiing and he owned and flew his own Piper Cherokee airplane. During his college years, he spent several summers working in various agricultural jobs along the West Coast.

Maynard married Ginny on Sept. 27, 1980, and they lived together until 1998. They divorced but have remained good friends over the years. Ginny has been very active and supportive in the ensuing years as Maynard’s health deteriorated due to Parkinson’s Disease.

Maynard was preceded in death by his parents, Otto and Irma Janzen; a brother, Stuart, and sister, Delpha Dean, who were killed in a tragic automobile accident when they were 11 and 6 years old; and another sister, Sharon, who died of cancer.

He is survived by two brothers, Junior (Joyce) of Hesston and Leon (Juanita) of Hesston; his good friend and former wife, Ginny Ramsey of Peabody; two stepdaughters, Dawn (Tony) Cuellar of Newton and Danielle (Shaun) Vandiver of Emporia; and a number of step-grandchildren and nieces and nephews.

His independent spirit gave him the drive to accomplish many things. Even at Kidron/Bethel he would push the envelope as far as possible believing that if he got into a situation that he couldn’t handle there would be someone around who would come to the rescue. The family wants to express heartfelt appreciation to the dedicated staff at K/B for their dedicated support during his stay at K/B. The excellent and tender care provided to Maynard would not have been surpassed if they had been taking care of their own father or grandfather.

We appreciate the numerous acts of kindness and thoughtfulness extended to the family during this time.

Services were held at Bethel College Mennonite Church on Saturday, June 21, 2014, at 11 a.m. Donations in Maynard’s memory may be made to Bethel College or Mennonite Central Committee in care of
Petersen Funeral Home.