Mary Glenna (Fisher) Kauffman, 93, died Oct. 20, 2024, in Bloomington, Ill. She was the first of three children born to Paul and Muna Fisher in Booneville, Ky., on Dec. 25, 1930.
As a Methodist minister’s daughter, she lived in Stockdale, Ayersville, Gilboa and West Unity, Ohio. She graduated from West Unity High School and Taylor University. In 1953, on an elevator at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, an alternative service custodian named Robert (Bob) Kauffman noticed the name “Mary” on her student nurse nametag and then arranged a “blind” date. Two years later, they were married at West Unity Methodist Church by Mary’s father, Paul Fisher. The couple moved to a tiny trailer in Bluffton, Ohio, where Bob earned his undergraduate degree and Mary worked at Lima Memorial Hospital.
In 1958, Mary began her career as a nursing instructor at Mennonite Hospital School of Nursing in Bloomington. She learned to know students, patients and fellow nursing instructors and made a difference in their lives. Mary and Bob started their family in 1958, eventually raising two girls and two boys.
In 1979, they were called to serve with the Mennonite Church in Taipei, Taiwan. They lived there for three and a half years. After returning to Bloomington in 1983, Mary was employed as a nurse at Heritage Manor Nursing Home, followed by Meadows Mennonite Home, where she worked until her retirement in 1993. Then the two traveled, visited family and Mary was able to knit and read to her heart’s content. She was known for her quick wit and fun-loving personality. She was a member of the Mennonite Church of Normal, Ill., for more than 60 years.
She was preceded in death on Sept. 11, 2024, by her husband. She is survived by her children, Susan Kauffman, Laurie (David) Yost, Jim (Alma) Kauffman and Tim (Tran) Kauffman; five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
A joint memorial service for Mary and Bob is scheduled for 10 a.m. Dec. 14 at the Mennonite Church of Normal. Donations be made to the Mennonite Church of Normal or Mennonite Central Committee.
