John Ivan Smucker, 94, died Dec. 19, 2024, in New Holland, Pa. He was born and raised on his family’s farm in the village of Bird-in-Hand, Pa., the third of seven children.
He received his primary education at a one-room schoolhouse in Bird-in-Hand. Per the tradition at that time, he dropped out of school after eighth grade to assist his family with farming. He subsequently got his high school equivalency degree and went on to Eastern Mennonite College, graduating in 1956 with a bachelor’s degree in Bible and philosophy.
A lifelong minister in the Mennonite Church, he was licensed to the ministry at age 27 and sent to New York City as an urban missionary in 1957 under Mennonite Board of Missions and his home congregation, Maple Grove. During nearly 50 years in New York City, he served as pastor of three evangelical churches: Mennonite House of Friendship (later known as Friendship Community Church) in the Belmont neighborhood of the Bronx, from 1957 to 1979; Queens Mennonite Church in Flushing, Queens, which merged with Elim Tabernacle Church of Bayside to become Immanuel Community Church, from 1983 to 1995; and First Presbyterian Church of Flushing from 1995 to 2008. He also served as dean, professor and board member of the New York School of Urban Ministry in Long Island City, Queens.
After retiring to Garden Spot Village in New Holland in 2008, he attended the Community Church of Garden Spot Village and Petra Church.
He is survived by his wife, Irene Yoder Smucker; four children, Dennis (Barbara), Carl (Patricia), Conrad (Marypat) and Joy Yany (Craig); 11 grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and two sisters.