Doreen Frances Harms, 97, of North Newton, Kan., died Dec. 27, 2022, at Kidron Bethel Healthcare. She was born Nov. 14, 1925, to Isaac and Helen (Harms) Harms.

She was raised on a farm east of Newton. She was baptized at Grace Hill Mennonite Church on May 24, 1942. She grew up during the Great Depression.  Two years of rural elementary school teaching were sandwiched into several years of college.

In 1948, she went into Mennonite Central Committee service in Akron, Pa., for a two-year term, which eventually became 43 years. Her MCC service began with secretarial work in the refugee department at the time of large refugee transports to South American and Canada. After the U.S. Displaced Persons Act of 1948, she was asked to direct refugee resettlement in the U.S. for 400 refugees.  In 1950 she helped to organize and then directed an international exchange program for 18- to 30-year-old international people aimed at international peace and understanding.

In 1952, she was asked to go to the Mennonite refugee camp in Germany to work with U.S. refugee immigration from that end as well as help with food/clothing distribution and set up a tracing service for families torn apart and displaced because of World War II.

After that her work with MCC centered in Akron, although she went back to Europe for eight more years to work with East-West relations and the broader MCC program in Europe and North Africa.

The work in Akron through the years involved several assignments, but a total of 29 years were starting and directing several international exchange programs. This involved working with several thousand young people from 60 countries.

Mid-1991, she retired to Kidron Bethel retirement village. During retirement, she served on various boards and their committees and volunteered at numerous agencies in the Newton community and was active in Grace Hill Mennonite Church.

Survivors include nieces Sharon Harms, Delorme and Janelle Harms; and nephews Daryl and Loren Harms.

She was preceded in death by brother Vernon Harms and sister Marjorie Harms.

Memorials may be sent to MCC, Grace Hill Mennonite Church or Kidron Bethel Retirement Services.