Her life flows on: Remembering Mary K. Oyer
Published: January 16, 2024
Reflections on Mary Oyer鈥檚 time on the bg真人 faculty
Mary K. Oyer, DMA, of Goshen, Indiana, who served as Professor of Church Music from 1989 to 1998 at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (bg真人) in Elkhart, Indiana, died Jan. 11 in Goshen. She was 100.
Rebecca Slough, PhD, Academic Dean Emerita and Professor Emerita of Worship and the Arts, offers the following reflection on Mary鈥檚 contributions during her time at the seminary, including perspectives from former colleagues.
Rebecca first learned to know Mary in 1983 when they were involved with planning and leading worship at the joint convention of the General Conference Mennonite Church and the Mennonite Church in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. In the years that followed, they both worked on a project that would result in the publication of Hymnal: A Worship Book (Herald, 1992). When Mary chose to end her time at bg真人, Rebecca was selected to carry forward the work, and she joined the bg真人 faculty as Assistant Professor of Church Music in 1998. Over the years, they developed a close friendship, and Rebecca later worked with Shirley Sprunger King to produce a book and DVD on Mary鈥檚 life and legacy, (Cascadia/Herald/Institute of Mennonite Studies, 2007).
Mary Oyer came to bg真人 in 1989 with a doctorate in music; 44 years of undergraduate music and fine arts teaching; 20 years of learning, teaching and travel throughout the African continent; countless experiences of leading congregational singing; work on several songbooks and hymnals; and many unexpected yet interesting turning points in her life.
What Mary offered to the bg真人 community was her generous spirit, personal warmth, capacity for affirmation, a curiosity that kept her learning, and the ability to form strong cross-cultural relationships. The opportunity to teach at bg真人 helped her deepen her identity as a teacher.
As Interim Professor of Church Music, Mary taught Hymnology and Christianity and fine arts courses. She, June Alliman Yoder, DMin, and Marlene Kropf, DMin, formed the 鈥渢rinity鈥� of professors who taught the combined worship and preaching course.
鈥淰itality and joy were the hallmarks of Mary鈥檚 teaching, as I remember our collaboration in Foundations of Worship and Preaching,鈥� said Marlene, now Associate Professor Emerita in Spiritual Formation and Worship. 鈥淪he always arrived in class well prepared and then kept us captivated throughout the session. I remember her enthusiasm as she taught pastors-to-be how to use a hymnal and to understand the significance of all the information included on each page. Students鈥� faces would light up with appreciation when they realized what a treasure of theology and church and musical history they held in their hands!鈥�
June, now Professor Emerita of Preaching and Communication, added, 鈥淭he fact that Mary was such an icon for the growth of hymnology in the Mennonite Church made her an important faculty member at bg真人.鈥�
Mary traveled from coast to coast giving workshops and leading singing in congregations and conferences of all sizes. While at bg真人, she was a song leader at the 1997 Mennonite World Conference Assembly in Calcutta, India.
She also taught students to 鈥済aze鈥� reflectively on icons and paintings, waiting for deeper meanings to surface, and to listen for various layers of theological meaning in the textures of sacred music.
鈥淢ary was such an enthusiastic and affirming teacher,鈥� noted Gayle Gerber Koontz, PhD, who served as Academic Dean during some of Mary鈥檚 years on the bg真人 faculty and is now Professor Emerita of Theology and Ethics.
Mary often commented that she was glad to serve under a woman dean at bg真人; she had little experience with women as administrators during her long career.
Janeen Bertsche Johnson, MDiv, Director of Campus Ministries, Admissions and Development Associate, and Alumni Director, sang in the bg真人 choir during Mary鈥檚 tenure.
鈥淢ary had the right combination of perfection and lightheartedness that made singing under her a really great experience,鈥� she reflected. 鈥淚’m so grateful for her gracious mentoring while she was my colleague and in later years as well.鈥�
Daniel Schipani, DrPsy, PhD, a departmental colleague of Mary鈥檚 who is now Professor Emeritus of Pastoral Care and Counseling, also sang in the bg真人 choir.
鈥淭o sing as a choir was always a special time for learning and performing with joy, an emotional and spiritually worshipful discipline,鈥� he said.
Marlene added, 鈥淢ary often commented on how much she learned from each of us. And that was one of her remarkable gifts 鈥� to go on learning, in her 70, 80s and 90s. She was an amazing mentor in how to grow old gracefully.
鈥淥ne year everyone in the Foundations of Worship and Preaching class gathered to celebrate Mary鈥檚 birthday,鈥� Marlene continued. 鈥淎s she entered the bg真人 lounge, they began singing, 鈥楳y life flows on 鈥� and on 鈥� and on 鈥�,鈥� and Mary loved it.鈥�
In April 1998, the seminary hosted a banquet and two-day hymn sing to honor Mary’s lifetime of leadership.
鈥淚t was a tribute to Mary’s influence that all of the invited musicians came at their own expense to be part of the weekend event,鈥� Janeen said.
Mary鈥檚 life flowed on for more than 25 years after leaving bg真人. On her final day of employment, she received a call from church executives from the Reformed Church of America inviting her to teach hymnology, fine arts and occasional African music courses at Tainan Theological College and Seminary in Taiwan, which she did from 1999 to 2004. Her life will continue to flow on in the church and world through the many students and congregations she taught, the hymn collections she edited and the countless friendships she formed.
Visitation will be 4 to 8 p.m. ET, Saturday, March 9, 2024, at College Mennonite Church in Goshen, Indiana, where a 2:30 p.m. ET memorial service will be conducted Sunday, March 10, 2024.
Additional information about Mary
See also Goshen College鈥檚 piece on Mary鈥檚 life, and links to other pieces about her:
Mary Oyer hymn sing audio recordings available online. 鈥�Wade in the Water: Singing our Faith鈥� 鈥� a community hymn sing organized and led by Mary K. Oyer and Kent Dutchersmith with musicians from Faith Mennonite Church, Goshen, Indiana 鈥� is now available as a YouTube playlist in honor of Mary, who died Jan. 11, 2024. The hymn sing was held June 15, 2007, at Goshen College鈥檚 Sauder Hall as part of Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference鈥檚 Annual Sessions, and the recordings are shared by Faith Mennonite Church with the permission and blessing of the conference. The recordings illuminate Mary鈥檚 warm, open and gracious way of leading people in creating music together and of introducing new music from across the world. ambs.edu/in-mi-hymn-sing
Obituary
2023鈥�2024
Mary Kathryn Oyer died peacefully on Jan. 11, 2024, after a vibrant life immersed in music and dedicated to learning and teaching.
Oyer was born to Noah and Siddie King Oyer on April 5, 1923, in Hesston, Kansas. In 1924 her family moved to Goshen, Indiana, where Noah served as dean of Goshen College until his early death in 1931.
Music was a cherished part of Oyer鈥檚 life from an early age, and she began playing cello in elementary school. After graduating from Goshen College in 1945 with a major in music and a minor in art, she earned master鈥檚 and doctoral degrees from the University of Michigan in 1947 and 1958, respectively. For her master鈥檚 thesis, she designed an innovative Fine Arts curriculum that integrated music and the arts. Her doctoral program focused on cello performance, and she was the first string player to earn a Doctor of Musical Arts performance degree from Michigan. She studied cello with Oliver Edel at the university, and with Leonard Rose at a summer music festival.
Oyer served on the Goshen College faculty from 1945 to 1987, teaching cello and courses in music and the arts. Her signature Fine Arts course enriched the lives of more than 5,000 students. After retiring from Goshen College, she taught at Associated (now Anabaptist) Mennonite Biblical Seminary from 1989 to 1998, and accepted shorter faculty assignments at educational institutions including Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya, and Tainan Theological College and Seminary in Tainan, Taiwan.
Oyer鈥檚 love of the arts and learning led her in new directions throughout her life. In 1963鈥�64, as part of her work as executive secretary of the 1969 Mennonite Hymnal, she spent a sabbatical year studying hymnody with Erik Routley in Edinburgh, Scotland. Following her return, she traveled widely throughout North America, introducing many congregations to the intent and content of the new hymnal. She earned broad respect for this work and continued to explore diverse types of music within the church, including African American and Native American Indian music. Oyer also became an active leader in the Hymn Society in North America, where she served as research editor, was a keynote speaker at many conferences, and was inducted as a Fellow in 1989.
In the summer of 1969, Oyer spent two months traveling and studying in several countries in east and west Africa. She returned to Goshen with lively enthusiasm for new and broader understandings of music and the arts, which she integrated into her teaching. Over the next quarter century she returned to Africa many times, visiting more than 20 countries and returning most frequently to Kenya. During the 1970s, she spent nearly every summer in Africa, and she taught at Kenyatta University for two years in the mid-1980s. Oyer studied music with African musicians and invited some of them to join her in teaching classes at Goshen College. She also visited individuals working with Mennonite Central Committee throughout Africa.
Oyer鈥檚 last five years of teaching were in Taiwan (1999鈥�2004), an experience that further broadened her musical understanding. Sojourns in Japan, India and elsewhere, as well as involvement in several Mennonite World Conferences, further enriched her life and thinking. Throughout her life, she found exploration of the arts of other cultures to be the most meaningful pathway to understanding those cultures.
Former students have expressed appreciation for Oyer鈥檚 joy, vibrancy and love of learning; her humor, intellect and openness to new ideas; and her keen interest and support for them as whole persons. For Mary, faith was the foundation for many of these attributes. Her family and friends have deeply appreciated her many gifts and are grateful that she willingly and graciously shared them with so many others throughout the many decades of her life.
Oyer is survived by sister-in-law, Carol S. Oyer of Goshen, Indiana; nieces Rebecca Oyer of Lafayette, Louisiana, Kathryn Oyer of Goshen, and Sarah (Sally) Oyer (Michael Cerceo) of Seattle; nephew Timothy Oyer (Joanne) of Chicago; great-nieces Carrie Friesen-Meyers (Eliot) of Berkeley, California, Rachael Gingrich (Jonathan) of Portland, Oregon, Anicka Meyers (Shey Dunlop) of Portland, Oregon, and Mia Cerceo of Chicago; great-nephews Benjamin Cerceo of Seattle, John Oyer of Chicago, and Noah Oyer of Chicago; and great-great nieces and nephews Greta, Alex, Owen and Leighton. She was preceded in death by her parents, and by siblings Verna I. Oyer and John S. Oyer.
Visitation will be 4 to 8 p.m. ET, Saturday, March 9, 2024, at College Mennonite Church in Goshen, Indiana, where a 2:30 p.m. ET memorial service will be conducted Sunday, March 10, 2024.
Further information is available at . Memorial contributions may be made to , Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, , or .
Located in Elkhart, Indiana, on ancestral land of the Potawatomi and Miami peoples, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary is a learning community with an Anabaptist vision, offering theological education for learners both on campus and at a distance as well as a wide array of lifelong learning programs 鈥� all with the goal of educating followers of Jesus Christ to be leaders for God鈥檚 reconciling mission in the world. ambs.edu
Want to receive bg真人 news and updates via email?