Wayne Gerald North, 86, of Harrisonburg, Va., died Friday, July 8.

North served as associate general secretary and interim general secretary for the General Board of the Mennonite Church from 1979 to 1987, prior to the formation of Mennonite Church USA.

North also served as pastor at three Mennonite congregations: Beech Mennonite Church, Louisville, Ohio; Harrisonburg (Va.) Mennonite Church; and First Mennonite Church, Vineland, Ontario. He also served as superintendent of Central Christian High School in Kidron, Ohio, and was a regular writer for Mennonite Publishing House (a predecessor to MennoMedia). North also wrote frequently for Mennonite periodicals, including Gospel Herald and The Mennonite.

“Wayne was gentle and kind and often knew just the right word for a situation. He believed everyone deserved to be loved and treated with respect,” says his obituary.

In September 1980, North wrote a paper reflecting on the “Mennonite Church in the ’80s” that identifies trends and influences on the Mennonite Church. His paper identifies a number of future trends that he foresaw for Mennonites, including strains on church unity, “the double thrust” of  evangelism and social action, and emphases on personal experience and the importance of the local congregation, among others.

He also predicted that as wars increased, the biblical peace position would be sought by other Christians. “If our feet are shod with the gospel of peace, there will be many to respond,” he wrote.

Ervin Stutzman, Mennonite Church USA executive director, spoke at North’s memorial service on July 12. Stutzman celebrated North’s sense of humor, citing examples of humorous memos and speeches North presented during his tenure with the General Board, as well as humorous songs of tribute written by his co-workers.

“I sense that Wayne’s humor and grace was deeply rooted in his relationship with God through Jesus Christ and an inner peace that came from knowing he was loved of God. He communicated that to others in his leadership,” said Stutzman.

North was the son of the late Homer F. and Bertha Bechtel North and was born in Nappanee, Ind., on Oct. 29, 1929. Following his graduation from the Nappanee schools, he graduated from Hesston (Kan.) Junior College, Goshen (Ind.) College and Goshen Biblical Seminary.

In 1955, he married Doris Amstutz. They have six children, Rod (Alice Franks) of Greensboro, N.C.; Brenda (Stan Martin) of Cary, N.C.; Emily (Ben Sandel) of Harrisonburg: David, Denver; Janet (Fred Schlabach) of East Bernard, Vt.; and Jennifer (Kendal Bauman) of Harrisonburg. He enjoyed his 12 grandchildren: Elizabeth and Emily, Erin and Anali, Henry, Isaac and Ruby, Coen and Lewis, Micah, Zach and Malia.