Bonnie Scheid

Dateline: Hesston Bonita Dee Welty was born 20 November 1929 in Newton, Kansas to Idell McFarlane Welty and Gerhard Welty, who raised her and two siblings, Wanda and Earl, in both Kansas and California homes. She attended Hesston Academy, Hesston College, and Bethel College, before marrying Delmar Ray Byler, son of JN and Edna Ruth Byer, also of Hesston. They served with the Mennonite Central Committee for two years in Puerto Rico, where their son Joseph Edward was born in 1952. Returning to Hesston, Jeanne Marie was born in 1954 and John Charles in 1957. In 1961, as members St Luke's Methodist Church in Oklahoma City, Bonnie and Delmar were called to serve the United Methodist Church as missionaries to Hong Kong 1962-68, he as Treasurer and she to teach English as a Foreign Language in Methodist Rooftop Schools, and serve as organist for Chinese Methodist churches. Their 18-month preparation led the family to Scarritt College (Nashville TN), Stony Point Missionary Orientation Center (Stony Point NY) and on to Yale Institute of Far East Languages (New Haven CT). While in Hong Kong, Bonnie very much enjoyed playing the organ at North Point Methodist Church and Ward Memorial Church, both Chinese churches. She served for one year as Chairman of the Church World Service Self-Help Projects and also worked at the Rice Bowl, where the products were sold. An excellent writer, she contributed articles for Asia Notebook, The Methodist World Outlook, Mennonite Gospel Herald, and The Upper Room. Returning to the U.S. in 1968 -- Tenafly NJ -- she worked at Prentice-Hall in the Educational Book Division. In 1976 she married Bob Scheid in NYC, a widower she met in a Presbyterian Koinonia group who had two grown children, Nancy and Daniel. Johanna Kebler, who lost both her parents in Chicago, came to live them at age 12. These three -- Bob, Bonnie and Johanna -- moved to Brazil in 1980 for 6 years where Bob worked to start up a new manufacturing facility for Union Carbide. In 1986, upon retirement, Bonnie and Bob made their home in Colorado for the next 22 years where for much of that time they operated a real estate company. For 6 years she served as Deacon at St James Presbyterian Church in Littleton CO. In her later years, back in Hesston KS where her life began, Bonnie wrote avidly about Health and Nutrition, as well as Inspirational articles for such Christian publications as Guideposts, Mature Living, and The Mennonite. She wrote weekly columns for the Hesston Record called Seniors Living Well, which are compiled into a book of the same name, the proceeds for which have always gone to her favorite charity: The Schowalter Villa's Good Samaritan Fund. A brief burial ceremony is planned at the Hesston Cemetery at 3:00 pm Thursday April 14, with the funeral service at Hesston Mennonite Church at 4:00 pm. (Those attending the graveside service are encouraged to bring a chair if necessary.) Bonnie is survived by her husband Bob (Hesston KS) and his children Dan (Denver CO) and Nancy (Florida); her daughter Jeanne (Austin TX), Johanna (Ashley OH), Laurel (Plano TX) and son John (Hesston KS). Her eldest son Joe died of liver cancer 6 years ago, on St Joseph's Day. She has nine grandchildren: Rachel Fisher (London UK), Chris Byler (Brooklyn NY), Andrew Byler (Northampton MA), Will Byler (Amherst MA), Danny and Kevin Scheid (Denver CO), Megan Button (Cedar Rapids IA), Jillian and Megan Hon (Ashley OH). Bonnie was pleased to meet the newest additions to the family at Christmas: Grand-daughter Rachel Fisher and husband Patrick Cootes brought their twin babies -- Margot Scarlett and Isaac Wolfgang Fisher -- all the way from London to Hesston to meet their great Grandmother! Graveside services will be held at 3:00 PM Thursday at the Hesston City Cemetery. Memorial services will follow at 4:00 PM at Hesston Mennonite Church. Memorial contributions may be made to the Schowalter Villa Good Samaritan Fund, in care of Miller-Ott Funeral Home, Hesston.

Bonnie Scheid

November 29, 1929 - April 10, 2016