Ellen Ruth Voran

Ellen Ruth Voran, 91, of Hesston passed away November 22, 2020. She was born on June 22, 1929 in Newton, Kansas, the oldest of five children. Her parents were Peter R. Lohrentz and Emma Marie Ortman Lohrentz. The family lived on a farm eight miles west of Hesston on Dutch Avenue. Both sets of grandparents lived less than a mile from them and because of this close proximity, there were frequent visits to each home. They were influential in guiding and nurturing Ellen’s life. She was baptized on July 30, 1944 at Hebron Mennonite Church in Buhler and was a faithful member of Kingman Mennonite Church, Pleasant Valley Mennonite Church in Harper, and most recently Hesston Mennonite Church. Ellen attended rural Harvey County elementary schools including: Liberty School (District 78) and Berlin School (District 67), Moundridge High School, and Bethel College. After two years of college, she taught for two years at Moundridge Elementary School. In December 1950, she married Stanley Voran and they moved to the Voran family farm in Kingman County. They celebrated 62 years together until his death in 2012. Ellen enjoyed the role of farmer’s wife – milking cows by hand, cranking the cream separator, tending the chickens, gardening, yard work, driving a wheat truck and any other task that needed to be done. In the mid-1950s, several years after the birth of their son Roxie, Ellen returned to teaching. Initially she taught music in several rural Kingman County elementary schools, then the early elementary grades in Waterloo for two years, and then third grade in Harper Elementary School, teaching for a total of 34 years. During these years, she continued her own education, completing her undergraduate degree at Friends University and receiving a Master’s Degree in Education from Wichita State University. Ellen loved children and enjoyed teaching. Her intention was to instill in her students the joy of learning and lasting life skills. In 1979, she was recognized as Harper County Teacher of the Year, and in 1987 as Master Teacher. Ellen and Stan made many trips to visit their family in Texas which grew to include: daughter-in-law, Lynda and granddaughters, Emily and Rebecca. Each one brought special joy into her life. Ellen enjoyed music – singing in the church choir, playing the piano for church services, or playing for her own enjoyment. After retirement from teaching she had time to spend on her favorite hobby – quilting. She made many items that were donated to a Mennonite Central Committee Relief Sale or given as gifts. Many pleasant hours were spent quilting or sewing while listening to classical music. After moving to Schowalter Villa in Hesston in 2009, Ellen remained active in a variety of activities. In 2016, she was named Volunteer of the Year by Leading Age Kansas for her work cataloging and organizing hundreds of donated CDs and record albums for the facility’s Music and Memory program. Ellen was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Stanley; and brother, Vernon Lohrentz. She is survived by her son, Roxie; daughter-in-law, Lynda; and granddaughters Emily and Rebecca, all of Houston, Texas; brothers, Howard Lohrentz of Hesston and Ken Lohrentz of Lawrence; sister, Katherine Joann Ewert of Modesto, California; and numerous other relatives and friends. A private service will be live streamed on the web site of Hesston Mennonite Church, www.hesstonmc.org, and can be viewed at 10:00 am Saturday, November 28. Memorials are suggested to Mennonite Central Committee at www.mcc.org.

Ellen Ruth Voran

June 22, 1929 - November 22, 2020