Did Alan Yoder administer your first-ever eye exam? And, perhaps your second? Maybe your third? Probably your fourth? And maybe your parent’s, or your children’s exams?

Did you ever call him after-hours with an eye-related issue, and he said, “I’ll meet you up at the office in about 15 minutes.” Often he’d be there before you arrived.

If so, you are not alone. For 55 or 56 years, depending upon how you look at the calendar, Dr. Alan Yoder, was probably your eye doctor.

On Friday, many of his patients decided to stop in the office for a visit. You see it was his last day asking, “Better one, or two.”

Since vehicles aren’t permitted inside 107 N. Main St., the drivers simply drove by and honked, and honked and honked.

Meanwhile, Alan and his wife, Dian, enjoyed the cacophony of horns from a front-row seat in the only empty parking space between the theatre and the town hall.

You see, there are lots and lots of Dr. Yoder’s patients.

And, you can line up over 30 vehicles from the town hall to 107 N. Main. We know because we counted, stopping at 30, but then discovered the line up wrapped around Elm Street, and at that point you up the count by a dozen or so.

Alan and Dian both grew up in Berne, Indiana, and therefore the jump from that state line into Ohio’s had several benefits. Most important was that he could pronounce properly all of the Swiss surnames of his patients. And, he could tell patients that he was wife is a Habegger. At least in this small town, that’s half the battle.

It must have worked out because after he arrived, he never left.

Dr. Yoder studied optometry at Indiana University, where he graduated in 1965.

According to his son, Mark, he heard about an opportunity in Bluffton from a lab representative.  

“Dad told the rep that he was Mennonite, and the rep noted that the only Mennonite optometrist he knew was Gordon Bixel in Bluffton, Ohio,” said Mark.  

“Dad connected and came to visit Bluffton while mom was still pregnant with me in 1964. 

“He helped Dr. Bixel (who had developed Parkinson's disease) in the summer of 1964 and on the weekends. He then came to Bluffton in 1965 and set up shop in the Hankish building at our present location."

Dr. Yoder has been an active partner in countless community activities. Those include but aren't limited to the Et Cetera Shop project, Bluffton Lions Club, the Festival of Wheels and for over 40 years he has served on the board of Citizens National Bank.