Dorothea “Dotty” (Wirth) Janzen, 94, died Dec. 12, 2024, at Kidron Bethel Village Health Care Center in North Newton, Kan. She was born to Fred and Marie (Schneidenbach) Wirth on Oct. 4, 1930, in Paterson, N.J.
She was raised in a pastor’s family in Brooklyn, N.Y., and confirmed at the Wyona Street Evangelical and Reformed Church in Brooklyn. The family moved to Bergenfield, N.J., in her teenage years. She graduated from Beaver College (now Arcadia University) majoring in Bible and Christian education and later received a master of religious education from New York Theological Seminary. She married Heinz Janzen on Sept. 10, 1955, and served as a pastor’s wife during Heinz’s pastorates in Washington, Ill. and Kidron, Ohio, before moving to Newton in 1969 and joining Faith Mennonite Church.
Dotty completed a Clinical Pastoral Education program at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita in 1974, then taught Bible and served in campus ministries at Hesston College from 1974 to 1980. Heinz and Dotty were called to be co-pastors of Trinity Mennonite Church in Hillsboro, and in 1981 she was ordained to pastoral ministry.
In 1990, she was called to be associate pastor of Bethel College Mennonite Church in North Newton until she retired in 1997. Following retirement, she served for a year as interim pastor at Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church in Goessel. Contributions to the wider church included editing and rewriting along with Heinz the Minister’s Manual published in 1983. She served on the board of Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary and on the Ministerial Committee and Executive Committee of Western District Conference.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Heinz. Survivors include sisters Ruth Sauter of Doylestown, Pa., and Margaret (Richard) Diemer of New Harmony, Ind.; son Pete (Debra) Janzen of Wichita; daughter Margaret (Charlie) Hildebrand of Morden, Man.; daughter Mary Janzen of State College, Pa.; four grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Jan. 20 at Bethel College Mennonite Church.
