(Member Of West Clinton Mennonite Church)
Ruth Gisel was born Dec 1, 1932, the second of three daughters born to Lloyd and Mable Klopfenstein Gisel.
Her father passed away of a ruptured appendix 3 years later, so she was not able to really remember him.
Ruth, her mother, and sisters went to live with their grandmother until she entered Grade 7. Later, her mother married Dennis Stuckey.
Ruth accepted Christ and was baptized at West Clinton Mennonite Church when she was 12. Near the end of her senior year, she started working at Liechty’s Hatchery in Wauseon and continued there for four years.
She then attended a three-month session of Bible School at Kitchener, Ontario for three years. Later she spent a year in voluntary service at West Liberty Children’s Home (now Adriel School).
While there, Ruth felt God’s leading to work more directly with children, so as an older student, she enrolled in Hesston College and later transferred to Goshen College to complete her B.S. in Education.
She later took post grad classes at Colorado College and U of M. After graduation she taught for four years at Delta.
After those four years Ruth felt led to “move on” and accepted a teaching position in Middletown, NY. It was quite a step of faith since she didn’t know anyone there.
She met a Christian girl who needed a roommate and together they shared an apartment & later bought a house together and rented to college students nearby. Ruth taught first, second, and fifth grade at Middletown for 25 years. While there she attended a Christian and Missionary Alliance Church.
In 1992, Ruth was “desiring to be back in a “peace” church, and felt she could be of help to her aging mother, so she put her house up for sale, bought a duplex in Archbold, and moved back home, where she became active again at West Clinton, and volunteered at Care and Share, FCHC, and Sauder Village.
In 1994, she met Everett Nafziger, who had lost his wife to cancer. They felt God leading them together and were married July 30.
They had an extended honeymoon to the West Coast, but their marriage was cut short very suddenly a month later in a tragic car accident.
Everett was killed instantly, step-grandson, Scott, was on life-support for five days, Scott’s mom, Diane, was critically injured, as was Ruth, who had multiple surgeries on her ankle and was in rehab for three months. This was a very difficult time for Ruth.
She never doubted God was in control, but it was hard to understand why her husband and grandson were taken away so suddenly.
Ruth later established the “Ruth Gisel Nafziger Education Scholarship” at Hesston College for students in education.
Ruth lived independently for 31 years until she recently moved to Fairlawn’s Assisted Living. It was there, getting up at night, that she fell, fracturing five ribs, and causing a leak in her stomach, necessitating a brief stay at the Hospice Center near Defiance. She passed from this life to her eternal reward on July 19, 2025.
Ruth was preceded in death by her husband, Everett; step-grandson, Scott; her father and mother; sister, Lois (Melvin) Leidig; and stepbrother, Maurice Stuckey.
She leaves to carry on life’s responsibilities her stepsons: Randy (Diane) and Doug (Wanda) Nafziger; step-grandchildren Stephanie (Tim) Klopfenstein, and Steve (Laura) Nafziger; six great step-grandchildren: Ryeana (Lane) Klopfenstein Bryson,of Mt Pleasant, NC; Hollyn and Kole Klopfenstein; Julisa, Adelynn, and Briella Nafziger, all of Archbold; a sister, Lavon Bixler, of Goshen, IN; nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews.
Visitation with the family will be at West Clinton Mennonite Church prior to Celebration of Life service July 28, at 11:00am, followed by a fellowship meal.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to the Ruth Gisel Nafziger Education Scholarship fund at Hesston College, West Clinton Mennonite Church, Defiance Area Hospice Center, Fairlawn Haven, or donor’s choice.
Ruth’s family would like to especially thank the staff at Fairlawn Assisted Living and Defiance Area Inpatient Hospice Center for their faithful care for Ruth these last few months.