Charles Boyer Shenk, 97, died July 4, 2026, in Columbus, Ohio. He was born Dec. 5, 1928, in Norfolk, Va., to Coffman and Retta (Boyer) Shenk. He was a missionary in Japan for 37 years with his wife Ruth, serving under Mennonite Board of Missions. They started three churches on the island of Hokkaido and helped train Japanese pastors. Their last 10 years were in Tokyo, working with Japan Anabaptist Center and several Mennonite churches.
Charles grew up in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Takoma Park and then in Biglerville, Pa. At Eastern Mennonite High School in Harrisonburg, Va., he met Ruth Frey of Archbold, Ohio, and they were married June 19, 1949. They attended Eastern Mennonite College, worked at Mennonite Publishing House in Scottdale, Pa., and then moved to Charles’ hometown, where he worked in his family’s chicken-processing business.
Feeling a call to missions, the family moved in 1955 to Goshen, Ind., where Charles earned a degree at Goshen College and started graduate studies at Goshen Biblical Seminary. In 1957, he was ordained to the ministry at his home congregation, Bethel Mennonite Church. After two years of language study, they served in four towns and cities on Hokkaido. Furloughs included study at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminaries, where he earned a master of divinity degree.
Retiring in 1994, they became members of Columbus Mennonite Church. Ten years later they moved to Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community in Harrisonburg. Ruth died Sept. 10, 2005. Charles moved back to Columbus and on Feb. 24, 2007, married Elizabeth (Liz) Avendano. They enjoyed several international trips, including twice to Japan.
Charlie will be remembered for his easygoing interaction with people, sense of humor, love of photography, eating sushi, participating in his church community and progressive politics. Before his senior year of high school, he volunteered with other Mennonites and Brethren to take a shipload of horses to war-ravaged farms in Poland.
He is survived by his wife Liz and four children, Steven of Harrisonburg, Va., Gloria of Lititz, Pa., Barbara of Champaign/Urbana, Ill., and Ken of Findlay, Ohio, and their spouses, Karen Moshier-Shenk, Howard Good, Dannie Otto and Natalie Johnson Shenk; 10 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife Ruth and brothers Stanley and Martin.
A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Sept. 20 at Columbus Mennonite Church.
