July 28, 2012

LOWVILLE, N.Y.   —  Benjamin Yousey, 91, of Brookside Circle, died Saturday morning, July 28,  at the Lewis County Residential Healthcare Facility with his family by his side.

A funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, July 31, at Croghan Mennonite Church with the church ministry officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. Calling hours will be held 6 to 9 p.m. Monday, July 30, at the church. 

Arrangements have been entrusted to the Adirondack Funeral Home, Croghan.

Born Jan. 21, 1921, in the town of New Bremen to Menno and Lena Moser Yousey, he attended Beaver Falls High School and received his GED in 1965. 

He married Irene Widrick May 23, 1946 at the Amish Mennonite Conservative Church of Croghan with the Rev. Lloyd Boshart officiating. He and Irene operated a dairy farm just outside Croghan on RT. 812 from 1946 to 1981. From 1981 until retiring in 1996 he worked as a custodian at the Beaver River Central School. After retirement he did part-time carpentry work. He was a maple syrup producer all of his life. Irene died February 13, 2010.

He served on the board of the Adirondack Mennonite Camping Association, was a member of the Association of Mennonite Aid Society, was a member of the Lewis County Maple Producers, worked with pre-school children at Hand in Hand Daycare while residing at Brookside. He also volunteered for Mennonite Disaster Relief. He was a lifelong student of the bible and shared his knowledge as a Sunday school teacher and a Vacation Bible School teacher for many decades.

He enjoyed woodworking, reading, travelling, and visiting with friends and family.

He is survived by five daughters and four sons in law, Lena Mae Martin, Fulton, Yvonne and Jim Dunn, Evergreen Colo., Marcia and Fred Moshier, Harrisonburg, Va., Jane and Ned Nafziger, Canton, OH and Beverly and David Chartrand, Oswego; 11 grandchildren, nieces, nephews and cousins; two brothers in law Harold Widrick, Ontario, Canada, and Earl Widrick, Adams Center; two sisters-in-law and their husbands, Gladys and Floyd Moshier, Lowville and Loretta and Aaron Widrick, Martinsburg; a brother-in-law and his wife, Simon and Diane Gingerich, Castorland.

He was predeceased by his siblings Warren, Reuben and Emma Yousey, Elva Widrick, Mabel Yancey, and his step siblings, Joseph Schweitzer, Ezra Schweitzer, and Ann Huni.

Messages of sympathy may be made at www.adirondackfh.com.

Memorial contributions may be made to Beaver Camp 8884 Buck Point Rd. Lowville NY 13367 or the Croghan Mennonite Church Mission Budget PO Box 68 Croghan, NY 13327.

Information provided by Adirondack Funeral Home and Newzjunky, Watertown, N.Y.