In my role as Chaplain at Mennonite Memorial Home, I was blessed to meet many special residents. Some modeled not only great faith, but also special talents. Grace Moyer Frounfelker was one.
Very sharp of mind in her nineties, she was a native of Allentown, Pennsylvania, and had been living in Bluffton. She was active at First Mennonite Church. She and her husband had lived in a wilderness area out west. He was an outdoorsman and psychologist and wore a beard before beards became commonplace among men.
A sober examination of American society today must acknowledge a state of political confusion and public anxiety. Abroad, we are in a war of choice with Iran with no developed exit strategy. We have drawn closer to Communist China than at any time since Mao Zedong announced the founding of the People's Republic of China. Meanwhile, we increase our distance from NATO allies, and have been less than enthusiastic about supporting Ukraine against invading Russian forces.
In thinking about “America 250,” my mind immediately jumps to its ideals, beginning with the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Bluffton resident Ron Lora is a retired history professor, past president of the Swiss Community Historical Society and member of the Bluffton University Sports Hall of Fame. We are pleased to begin providing his monthly guest column in the Bluffton and Ada Icons.
By Ron Lora
F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway, two of the best American authors of the twentieth century, engaged in an intriguing exchange on rich people: “Let me tell you about the very rich. The rich are different from you and me,” wrote Fitzgerald. “Yes,” Hemingway replied, “They have more money.” That repartee didn’t actually occur face-to-face, but grew out of words they had written. Both had a point, but Hemingway is thought to have won the exchange.
When I was chaplain at Mennonite Memorial Home, I met many amazing residents. One of the most memorable was my friend, Marvel Hilty. A graduate of Bluffton High School, she worked for 30 years at Triplett Corporation. “We didn’t make much,” she said, “but we had fun.”
She told me her happiest times were when her kids were small. She had three children, Jerry Hilty, Diana Marshall and Joy (Leigh) Shoemaker. Included in her family were two stepchildren, eight grandchildren, six step-grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. She talked about them often, and when asked what lifted her spirits when feeling sad, she said, “being thankful for what I have.”
