Edward Lewis Kerschensteiner

Edward Lewis Kerschensteiner our loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather passed away January 15, 2022 at St. Luke's Medical Center with his loving wife Anna Lou and daughter Dawn at his side. He was born July 30, 1931 in Berlin, Pennsylvania son of Harvey and Ethel Kerschensteiner. He graduated from Meyersdale HS, Pennsylvania in 1949. He remained in the area working on the family farm and assisting his father in delivering coal. He was also called to the ministry early in life and began preaching for Summit Mills, Crossroads, and Hostetler Church of the Brethren his home church under the mentoring of Rev. J. Ewing Jones (1949-1952). After a little help and nudge from friends he finally noticed Anna Lou Mazer the young lady who had admired him from afar in church and school. After her graduation they married on August 17, 1952. After their marriage they were off to Chicago to begin a 2 year training program for the ministry at Bethany Bible School. He then attended McPherson College in Kansas graduating in 1956 and returned to Chicago to complete his formal training for ministry at Bethany Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois graduating in 1959. While attending college he served a half year as interim pastor for Emporium (1955) and over a year for Castleford (1955-56) Church of the Brethren both in Kansas. He served summer pastoral internships in Bedford, Pennsylvania (1957) and Mathias, West Virginia (1958). Ed began his full time ministry for Virden Church of the Brethren in Illinois (1958-1964). He went on to serve the Heatherdowns Church of the Brethren Toledo, Ohio (1964-1973), Mountain View Church of the Brethren Boise, ID (1973-1976), Eel River/West Eel River near Manchester, IN (1977-1980), Rocky Ford Church of the Brethren, CO (1980-1987), and Boise Valley Church of the Brethren (1987-2021). He officially retired from the ministry March 7, 2021 after 72 years of active preaching ministry. Ed enjoyed serving the Lord, time with his family, traveling (all 50 states), hiking the Idaho Mountains, and helping others with projects. He volunteered on numerous Brethren Disaster Relief Projects taking his grandchildren with him. He also loved reading about history, advances in technology, medical advances, and religious views on living life as Christians. He marveled at how much change he had seen and loved to share stories with the family of how things were done over his lifetime. He was a mentor and teacher to so many, sharing God’s grace in how he lived his life. His legacy includes “Sparky” the church mouse, children’s storytimes, youth leadership, and encouragement to everyone he met. He left a lifelong lesson and legacy of how to live life with “Joy”, giving and sharing our love, our time, and our money.

Ed is survived in death by his wife Anna Lou (Mazer) Kerschensteiner, his three children; Harold and wife Leila, Scott and wife Raylene, and Dawn (Kerschensteiner) Heller, his nine grandchildren; Brandon and wife Kim, Josh and wife Sara, Troy and wife Jessika, Chelsea Kerschensteiner, Kyla Heller, Alyssa Kerschensteiner, Natasha (Heller) Lenz and husband Broc, David and wife Gen, and Elizabeth Heller, his 13 great-grandchildren, and his sister Doris Knieriem.