Royce Roth

Royce B. Roth, 81, died Tuesday, October 17, 2017 at his home in Wayland, Iowa.  Memorial services will be held Saturday, November 4 at 11:00 am at Sugar Creek Mennonite Church, Wayland where he was an active member.  Visitation will be on Friday, November 3 from 6-8 pm at Sugar Creek Mennonite Church and one hour prior to the memorial service.   A private family graveside service was held at Bethel Mennonite Church cemetery.

Royce Benjie Roth was born May 17, 1936, near Wayland, Iowa, the second son of Elmer G. and Minnie F. Wenger Roth.   Royce married Eileen Buzzard from Elkhart, Indiana on March 24, 1956.  He was baptized at Sugar Creek Mennonite Church at age 12 and later became a charter member of Bethel Mennonite Church in 1950.  Royce attended Wayland High School before transferring to Hesston Academy (Kansas) for his senior year of high school where he met the love of his life, Eileen Kay Buzzard from Elkhart, Indiana.   They both finished their freshman year at Hesston College, Hesston, KS.  Royce and Eileen were wed on March 24, 1956 in Elkhart, Indiana.

Royce lived his priorities in this order, faith, family, and friends.  Royce was a farmer at heart working as a dairy farmer and in sales for Kennedy’s Dairy, Asgrow Seed, and Wayne Feed, retiring 1995.  Over the years, they lived in Glenwood Springs, CO, Wayland, Mt. Pleasant, Washington, Iowa City, and Crawfordsville. In retirement, they spent winters in Sarasota, FL.   They enjoyed traveling and visited all 50 states, with Alaska and Hawaii being the most memorable.

Royce’s greatest joy was serving others. He served on the Hesston College Board of Overseers 1984-1991, on the board of Crooked Creek Christian Camp, and was very active over the years in all aspects of his churches which included Pleasant View Mennonite Church, Mt. Pleasant; Washington Mennonite; First Mennonite Church, Iowa City; Bahia Vista Mennonite, Sarasota, FL, and most recently Sugar Creek Mennonite Church, Wayland, IA.  He volunteered at Crowded Closet, Mennonite Disaster Service, Habitat for Humanity, and Parkview Nursing Home.   In 2000, he was impacted by his mission trip to Ecuador.

He is survived by his wife, Eileen, Wayland; three children, Patty Roth Bancroft (Roger), Montrose, MO;  Jerry Roth (Joyce), Crawfordsville, IA;  Jay Roth (Margie), Lakewood, CO;  and two brothers, Willard E. (Alice) Roth, Goshen, IN; Larry D. (Mary Lou) Roth, Wayland; and two sisters, Karen Watson (Gordon) Washington; Janice Lindner (Roger) Keokuk;  and brother-in-law, Gerald Buzzard (Nina) Greensburg, PA.  He had 10 grandchildren, Michelle Green (Ben), Shawn Custer (Andrea), Dawn Fisher (Steve), Janet Belton (Jeffrey), JR Roth (Kenna), Jenny Moore (Tom), Adam Roth (Jessi), Shaena Roth, Stacy Thjorne (Christalyn), and Rachel Lighthouse; 22 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.  He was preceded in death by his parents and one son-in-law, Steve Custer.

Royce asked that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be to Crooked Creek Christian Camp or Sugar Creek Mennonite Church for Mennonite Disaster Service and mailed to P.O. Box 216, Wayland, IA  52654.