Maynard Lyle Peters

Maynard Lyle Peters, 95, was born on November 25, 1930, to Ransom and Mary Peters. In a tragic accident when he was two years old, his father was electrocuted working on the power lines at the end of their drive, leaving his mother with two small children. His mother later married Frank Wenger joining the two families.

Maynard was baptized into the Church of God in Christ Mennonite on January 13, 1946, by Minister Milferd Wenger, staying true to these vows all his life.

A young lady caught his eye in Sunday School, and he later married her on August 26, 1951. Vera Wiggers became his very treasured wife, making their home in Hesston, Kansas.  In 1957, they, along with a few other families, packed up and moved south to Georgia. The move was not easy to begin with as they had five years of extreme hardship, losing a significant number of livestock and their crops. However, through all their difficulties, the Lord provided.

On January 23, 1962, Maynard was ordained in the Gospel Ministry. He had a love and compassion for people and their salvation, especially those in need. That same love took them across the waters to Nigeria with their three children. There they spent two years during which they lost their precious three-and-a-half- year-old son, Rolland Dean, to cerebral malaria, burying him on African soil. Due to his wife’s fragile health, their time there was shortened and they returned home.

He enjoyed his time serving on different mission boards over the years, also spending time in Pennsylvania, and Cole Camp, Missouri, where they made lifelong friends.  Their travels took them to various places all over the world, where he never knew a stranger. He found fulfillment in serving others even in his last years at Moundridge Manor, where he was blessed with exceptional love and care. He lived his Christian life with such joy that it rippled out to others wherever he was. His love for youth and children often led to many calling him Grandpa, and he embraced many as part of the family.

His own grandchildren and great-grandchildren were the delight of his life. He spent many hours entertaining them and his stories kept them spellbound. He loved to take them with him when he had errands in town and would always stop for ice cream or some other treat. Grandpa was a lover of anything sweet, always having candy to hand out. Even as they got older, his love for them was unconditional.

His survivors include his wife, Vera, son Allen and wife Liz, daughter Thelma and husband Lee Kahn. Five grandchildren, Todd Peters, Tanya (Jonathan Benner), Chad Kahn (Molly) Shawna (Ben Ensz), Scott Kahn (Christy), and eight great-grandchildren. One of seventeen children, nine of which preceded him in death, he leaves behind seven surviving siblings.

He is preceded in death by his parents, parents-in-law, one son, two sisters-in-law, and five brothers-in-law.

The family will receive friends from 6:30 – 8:30PM Sunday evening, May 3, 2026, at Pinecrest Mennonite Church. Funeral services will be held at 10:30AM Monday morning, May 4, 2026, at Pinecrest Mennonite Church with interment following in the church cemetery.