JOHN S. DETWILER
Written by Esther Yoder (sister)

John Samuel Detwiler was born December 27, 1918, the second child and first son of Elmer Jacob and Lorena Miller Detwiler. He was named for his grandfathers, John Detwiler and Samuel Miller. The family was living with Emma Detwiler, John's grandmother in Fayette, Pa., a small western Pennsylvania town in Lawrence County. John's grandfather had died August 1, 1916, It was during this time in 1918, when the great influenza epidemic broke out. John's dad Elmer and his Uncle Joe, who also lived with Grandma Emma Detwiler, were already sick in bed with the flu. Dr. Barr, the family physician, ordered John's mother to leave the family and stay away from the flu patients in order to protect herself and her unborn baby. So Mother Detwiler
moved just two doors north to live with her Aunt Nancy Miller, a single lady who was always available for emergencies. It was while Mother Detwiler was staying with Aunt Nancy that John was born. As soon as the family recuperated from the flu, the family was reunited at Grandma Detwilers.

A few months later, the Elmer Detwiler family, which included two year old sister Bernice and baby John, moved to their own home just across the road from Aunt Nancy and still close to Grandma Emma Detwiler.

As the years passed, the family moved three times and finally settled on a 50-acre farm of their own on the Pulaski Road, 2 miles west of New Wilmington. By 1935, the family had grown to 7 children, 4. boys and 3 girls.

At the time of John's birth, Dad Detwiler, Pap as we all lovingly called him, was working as a laborer on the railroad. Over the next several years, he worked as a farmer, a house painter, and for several months worked at the steel mills in Youngstown, Ohio, driving 30 miles from where we lived. The farm on the Pulaski Road was the home where parents and all 7 children lived, the last 3 children having been born there. The parents and 3 of the 7 children remained on this farm until 1952 when they sold the property and moved to Goshen, Indiana.

John received his elementary education in one-room schools as did all rural children at that time. He walked to and from school each school day unless he was lucky enough to catch a ride with Pap who was making a trip to town and driving past the school. He attended Poverty Point and Neshannock Schools. Poverty Point has become an all-Amish school and Neshannock is now a retail cheese and craft shop. The original school building has been preserved with additions necessary for the store. The school yard where John and many other children played and spent many happy recess times, is now a cheese-making plant. The milk is provided by Amish farmers who refuse to modernize their barns into bulk-tank sales. They pour the milk into 10 and 20 gallon cans and have it hauled to the cheese plant.

John was a farm boy and can tell you about toting those filled -milk cans. After milking the cows by hand, straining the milk into those large cans, it needed to be carried several hundred yards to the milk house to cool. Then came the task of washing the milking utensils by hand of course. Each morning the filled cans of milk were again carried several hundred yards near the road in front of the house, to be picked up by truck and transported to a processing plant in New Wilmington.

John always helped with bigger farm jobs--feeding cows, pigs and chickens, plowing, harrowing, sowing and harvesting grain all by horse-drawn machinery. Cutting and shocking wheat and oats, hauling it to the barn on horse-drawn wagons and throwing the sheaves into the threshing machine were part of his responsibilities. Great care was practiced to avoid the large belt connecting the threshing machine and the large oil-pulled tractor.

John attended and graduated from New Wilmington High School in 1936. He walked the 2.2 miles to and from school and always had chores to do after he got home.

After high school graduation, John worked at various jobs one of which was on a dairy farm several miles from the family home.

In the summer of 1939, Prof. John. Umble from Goshen College visited the family and was especially interested in John. After a snack of home-made bread fresh from the oven and home-made apple butter, Prof. Umble left but had persuaded John and his parents that John should apply for admission to Goshen College.

In the fall of 1939, John entered Goshen College and graduated in 1943 with a B.A. degree. He then enrolled for further study and in 1944 graduated with a TH.B degree. John's attendance at Goshen College undoubtedly influenced 4 other Detwiler siblings to attend the college, 3 of whom graduated.

While at Goshen, John met, fell in love with and married Lois Burck from Albany, Oregon. The happy family you see here this evening is an indication of that good relationship.

My memory fails me in recalling many events with John during our growing-up years. Perhaps, since he was my big brother, 4 years older, I unkowingly ignored him many times. I'm sure we argued and fought as normal kids do. However, I do recall a few happenings.

In one large farmhouse where we lived, we had a large fire‑place in the living room. We had a dining room chair that for some unknown reason, no longer had a seat. During winter evenings, we would have a fire in the fireplace, place the blanket over the chair and sit in it with our bottoms hanging half-way to the floor.

Another remembrance is as a first grader, trying to keep up with John and Bernice as we walked to school. I usually ran part of the 2 miles in order to arrive at school the same time they did.

At another time while John was working on the dairy farm, he came home while I was washing the milking utensils. He suggested I use a brush instead of a cloth to wash the cans. I thought this suggestion absurd--we never used anything but a cloth. Today, I seldom wash dishes without a brush!

So--Lois, this is your husband; kids--this is your dad; grandchildren--this is your grandpa, and this is my big brother as I recall our growing-up years.

Written by Esther Yoder
December, 1988