Daniel E. Hochstetler, 90, died March 16, 2026, at Greencroft Healthcare in Goshen, Ind. He was born May 11, 1935, seven miles east of Goshen in Clinton Township, to Elam S. Hochstetler and Eliza A. (Bender) Hochstetler. Dan spent nearly 66 years married to Arie (Miller) Hochstetler, who survives. 

Dan was born into an Amish farm family and baptized in the Amish church. Traveling to Hillcrest, Ark., at the age of 17 and working at Hillcrest Home for two years in alternative service nourished his lifelong interest in getting to know new places and people. After he graduated from Eastern Mennonite College in 1960 with a degree in Bible and philosophy, he and Arie married. In 1967 they and their children moved to the Gospel Lighthouse and since 1978 took active part in East Goshen Mennonite Church. He was active in Gideons International.

Dan spent most of his working life as a schoolteacher, first for Clinton Christian School and then in Montana in two Hutterite colonies. After the family returned to Goshen, he taught at York Elementary School and Heritage Middle School. He completed a master’s degree, helped pioneer regional outdoor education at Amigo Centre in Sturgis, Mich., in 1971 and spent a year teaching in a public school in Brownsville, Texas, as part of Mennonite Voluntary Service. 

Church and family history came to occupy more of Dan’s time after he retired in 1994. In 1988 he cofounded the Jacob Hochstetler Family Association, named after his Swiss immigrant forebear, who came to the United States in 1738. He was on its board and edited its newsletter for several decades and helped organize national meetings of the group. Among other travel, he made two treasured visits to Jacob Hochstetler’s starting point near Bern, Switzerland. He wrote and edited several books of family genealogy and history. A charter member of the Michiana Anabaptist Historians, he became the conference historian for the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference from 1996 to 2002, and he was East Goshen’s congregational historian for many years.

Surviving, in addition to his wife, are their children, Ken (Sue) Hochstetler, Kathy Hochstetler (Roger Hoover), Linda Hochstetler (Richard Clark), Lois Hochstetler and Cheryl (Steve) Hochstetler Shirk; seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.