Clifford Beltz
Clifford (Woody) A. Beltz, 87, died Aug. 26, 2004, at Hillsboro Community Medical Center.
Born Nov. 8, 1916, at Lehigh, he was the son of Jacob and Anna (Ewert) Beltz.
The family lived and farmed near Durham.
At an early age, he accepted the Lord and was baptized in the First Baptist Church in Durham.
In 1936, he graduated form Durham High School.
On Aug. 3, 1941, he married JoHanna Richert, at Corn, Okla. She survives. The couple made their home in the Durham area.
In 1947, the family moved to Corn, Okla., to recuperate after Woody was severely burned during a water heater explosion. His daughter, Bette Lee, died at age four in the explosion.
In 1949, they moved to Hillsboro, where he worked as a plumber and later owned his own plumbing and heating business.
He also co-owned Beltz Appliance and B&B Handyman along with his wife and son John.
He was a member of Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church.
He was preceded in death by his daughter, Bette Lee Beltz.
Survivors include his wife of the home; son, John G. Beltz of Hillsboro; daughter, Rita Jo Johnson of Bakersfield, Calif.; sister, Dorothy Beltz of Hutchinson; brother and sister-in-law, Bob and Verla of Oklahoma City, Okla.; and three grandchildren, Jennifer of Bucharest, Romania, Jay and his wife Jennifer Johnson of Hume Lake, Calif., and Jill Johnson of Fresno, Calif.
Services were held Tuesday at Trinity Mennonite Church with Pastors Dave Plett and Bruce Porter officiating. Burial was at Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Cemetery.
Musicians were Karen Wiens, pianist, Lewis Hagen, trumpet, and Jenny Johnson, flute.
Memorials have been established with Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church building fund.
