| Notes |
- Obit:
John Smith of Metamora, Ill., was born Nov. 27, 1843; died July 6, 1906, aged 62 Y., 7 M., 9 D. In the spring of 1865 he was married to Sister Magdalena Schertz. To this union were born ten children, of whom three, with their mother, preceded Bro. Smith into eternity. Nov. 16, 1899, he was married to Sister Lydia Albrecht, who, with her daughter, Agnes Albrecht, and seven of his children remain to mourn the loss of an affectionate husband and father. Bro. Smith was ordained to the ministry in the year 1887, and a few years later was called as bishop, which office he faithfully filled to the time of his death. He was also appointed by the Western District A. M. Conference to care for the A. M. congregations in his State who were without a bishop. Funeral services were conducted at the house by Bro. A. H. Leaman, of the Chicago Mission, from James 4:14, and at the M. H. by Bro. S. Gerig of Wayland, Iowa, in German, and Bro. Samuel Garber of Groveland, Ill., in English, both taking for their text, 2 Tim. 4:7, 8. Bro. Smith was in as good health as ever, apparently. On Friday, July 6, he drove to Roanoke, and while there was taken with a severe pain in his chest. When he came home he made mention of it to his family and seemed to pay no more attention to it. He ate his supper as usual and during the evening he made several appointments with different brethren, to be filled on the following day, and was in the best of spirits during the evening. At about 9 o'clock he retired for the night and at 9:40 that grim reaper, Death, called and took him, and we have the assurance that he has entered a nobler work than he could ever have attained to in this life. Just a moment before he passed away he told his wife that he believed that pain was coming back again, and then he passed away. The family, the church and the community at large have suffered a great loss, but we have the promise of One who will never die, that he will be our comforter and that he will never forsake nor leave us, and with such a promise it is possible for us to bear up under so heavy a burden. Many times in his sermons did he refer to Matt. 24:44, "Therefore be ye also ready; for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of man cometh." Also 1 John 3:1, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God." It gives us much comfort to look back at the many good examples he has set for us and the good advice he has given us. Those who knew him best knew one whose desire it was to exemplify the teachings of our Lord and Savior. We leave it all with the Lord and give him the praise for all that he has done, trusting that some time we shall understand why it was to be so. We ask that all who know the power of prayer will not cease praying for us, that God may comfort the sorrowing ones and give his people here grace and strength to be steadfast unto the end.
Ordained minister of Roanoke Mennonite church in 1887 by Christian Ropp and a few years later was ordained to Bishop--until his death. At the time he was the leading Amish Mennonite bishop in Illinois.
Bishop Smith became an advocate of Prohibition and this stance led his son C. Henry to be attracted to progressive reform and to borrow ideas from American progressivism, according to Perry Bush, Bluffton University historian, and author of a biography of C. Henry. (http://www.mennoweekly.org/2010/10/11/research-sheds-light-historian/?page=1)
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1843 - 1906 (62 years)
