Miriam Jeanelle Liechty

Miriam Jeanelle (Kuhns Zehr) Liechty, age 92, passed away on January 3, 2021 at Swiss Village in Berne.

Miriam was born Feb 14, 1928 in La Junta, CO  to Anna (Shupe) and Allen Kuhns.  She was the youngest of nine siblings.  Her childhood was spent in multiple locations throughout Kansas, Oklahoma, and Colorado.  She attended high school at the Hesston Academy, and graduated in 1950 from the La Junta Mennonite School of Nursing.  After graduation, she was employed at the Mennonite Deaconess Hospital in Beatrice, NE.  While there she met and married Edmund Zehr, who was serving as hospital administrator. She and Edmund had 3 young children and a fourth child on the way when Edmund died suddenly in 1957. After his death, Miriam relocated to Goshen Indiana, and during the next 2 years she took advanced training at Wesley Memorial Hospital and Northwestern University in Chicago, to become an anesthesia practitioner.  She completed training in 1959, becoming one of the nation’s first Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists.

After graduation, Miriam accepted a Nurse Anesthetist position at the Caylor-Nickel Clinic in Bluffton IN.  She chose to settle her young family in Berne and attend First Mennonite Church in Berne.  There she met Robert (Bob) Liechty, whom she married in February 1961 after a short courtship.  Bob lovingly adopted the four Zehr children, then ages 3 through 8, and he and Miriam were subsequently blessed with two additional children.

In addition to the Bluffton Clinic, Miriam worked as a Nurse Anesthetist at Jay County Hospital and at Swiss Village as a nurse. She also received training and certification in tax preparation and helped many people through her small business, Liechty Tax Service.

Miriam had a curious intellect and an active mind. She was a constant learner and loved a challenge. Her family marveled at her resolve to fix an appliance, mend an item of clothing, or repair any broken item. She was a creative “engineer” at heart, often inventing ways to improve the function of things or to create new gadgets. She was also a talented seamstress and spent countless hours knitting, crocheting and needle-working.  Her children and grandchildren treasure the many beautiful handmade gifts she made for them.

Miriam and Bob were married nearly 60 years. During retirement they enjoyed traveling internationally and throughout the US in their motor home. They spent many winters in Florida and Texas where they made many friends volunteering with Habitat for Humanity.

Most of all, Miriam was a committed and devoted follower of Jesus. She had a beautiful alto voice and filled the home with her hymns and songs. She loved fiercely and prayed fervently for her family, for those less fortunate, and for those facing challenges.  Perhaps because of the hardships she had faced in her own life, Miriam had a heart for those who were struggling and would go out of her way to share her love and acceptance. Her faith was strong and steady, and she did not shy away from examining and stretching her understanding. In times of doubt, Miriam always chose love as her guiding principle.

Miriam is survived by her loving husband Robert (Bob); her 6 children and their spouses, Edward (Mary Purves) and C. Daniel (Naomi Wilansky) Liechty, Mary (Peter) Graber, Martha (Paul) Conrad, Margaret (Phillip) Sprunger, and Janet (Philip Martens) Liechty; 13 grandchildren, Gretchen, Karl, Adele (Ed), Hannah (Dan), Emily, Nathan, Naomi (Mary), Jesse, Caitlin (Martha), Conrad, Carsten (Margaret), Raina, and Rex (Janet); and 10 great-grandchildren.

Miriam was preceded in death by her first husband Edmund Zehr, her parents Anna and Allen Kuhns, 5 sisters, and 3 brothers.

Due to COVID-19 public health and safety concerns, services and burial will take place privately with the immediate family. A link to view the memorial service will be available after the service at the First Mennonite Church website http://www.firstmennonite.org

Preferred memorials are to Camp Friedenswald, Mennonite Disaster Service, or Swiss Village Samaritan Fund.