Dr. Joseph Winfield Fretz, Ph.D.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/21014033/joseph-winfield-fretz

Birth: Sep. 29, 1910 Bedminster Bucks County Pennsylvania, USA Death: Jan. 24, 2005 North Newton Harvey County Kansas, USA

Fretz.- Joseph Winfield Fretz, 94, died Monday (Jan. 24, 2005) after a brief illness at Kidron-Bethel Retirement Center in North Newton. Spouse: Marguerite Geiger Fretz (deceased). Parents: J. Clarence and Ella Landis Fretz, Children: Stephen, Thomas, Sara Fretz-Goering; seven grandchildren; one great-grandchild. He was the founding president of Conrad Grebel College, Waterloo, Ontario (1963-73). He was also a professor of sociology at Bethel College in North Newton for 21 years (1942-1963) and at the University of Waterloo for 16 years (1963-1979). He was appointed acting president of Bethel College prior to being called to Conrad Grebel College. After retiring, he served as acting president of the Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminaries in Elkhart, Ind., from 1983 to 1984. He was a noted author of numerous publications and several books on Mennonites. He was born on Sept. 29, 1910, in the village of Bedminster, Pa., into a family of 11 children. He attended a one-room schoolhouse through eighth grade and graduated from Lansdale High School, 1930. He was a graduate of Bluffton College in Bluffton, Ohio, 1934, and received a bachelors of divinity at Chicago Theological Seminary, and M.A., 1938, and Ph.D. degrees in sociology at The University of Chicago, 1941. He received two honorary doctorates from both the University of Waterloo (1989) and Bluffion College (1987). Fretz taught sociology at Bethel College from 1942 to 1963, serving as Bethel's interim president from 1959-1960. He left Bethel in 1963 to become the founding President of Conrad Grebel College, Waterloo, Ontario. After serving in that position for 10 years, Fretz stepped down to teach sociology at the college, which he continued until he retired in 1979. Upon retiring, he moved to North Newton. Dr. Fretz had a lifelong interest in people and had a knack for connecting with people through his genuine friendliness, unfailing cheerfulness and humorous anecdotes. Early in his professor days he was called "Simple Life Fretz" for his desire to live frugally. In the 1950s, while teaching at Bethel College, he established a restaurant in Newton called The Guest House, which tested many of his economic, sociological and religious beliefs. The restaurant was one of the first in Newton to break down racial barriers, and it established itself with a reputation for fine food at reasonable prices. Traveling the world was a rewarding part of Fretz's life. In the 1950s, he received a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Fulbright grant to study immigrant groups in Paraguay, South America. Two books were published as a result of these trips.

Immigrant Group Settlements in Paraguay: a Study in the Sociology of Colonization, Bethel College 1962.

Pilgrims in Paraguay - The Story of Mennonite Colonization in South America, Herald Press 1953.

He visited many other countries, and he repeatedly said a highlight of his life was a trip around the world with his wife during a six-month sabbatical in 1972. He was preceded in death by his wife of 65 years, Marguerite Geiger Fretz (2002), his son, Burton David Fretz (1940 - 2001), and a granddaughter, Amy Kristine Fretz (1989). He leaves behind one sister, Gladys Diehl, (Lansdale, Pa.), three children, Stephen A. Fretz (Fresno, Calif.), Thomas H. Fretz (Olathe), Sara Fretz-Goering (Silver Spring, Md.), seven grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. A memorial service was Feb. 12 at the Bethel College Mennonite Church in North Newton. Memorial contributions may be made to one of the following: Mennonite Central Committee, 21 S. 12th St Box 500, Akron, PA, 17501 or to the Burton D. Fretz Memorial Fund, National Senior Citizens Law Center, Suite 400, 1101 14th St. NW, Washington DC 20005 (this fund was established in 2002 to honor Dr. Fretz's eldest son and to support Burton's life work of promoting the rights of older Americans throughout the country. Burton, an attorney, headed the Center for 20 years prior to his death in 2001, and the organization successfully carries on his work). (see also Who's Who among the Mennonites, 1943)

Family links:

Spouse:

 Marguerite Geiger Fretz (1913 - 2002)

Burial: Greenwood Cemetery Newton Harvey County Kansas, USA

Created by: Tom Crago Record added: Aug 18, 2007 Find A Grave Memorial# 21014033

Fretz.- Joseph Winfield Fretz, 94, died Monday (Jan. 24, 2005) after a brief illness at Kidron-Bethel Retirement Center in North Newton. Spouse: Marguerite Geiger Fretz (deceased). Parents: J. Clarence and Ella Landis Fretz, Children: Stephen, Thomas, Sara Fretz-Goering; seven grandchildren; one great-grandchild. He was the founding president of Conrad Grebel College, Waterloo, Ontario (1963-73). He was also a professor of sociology at Bethel College in North Newton for 21 years (1942-1963) and at the University of Waterloo for 16 years (1963-1979). He was appointed acting president of Bethel College prior to being called to Conrad Grebel College. After retiring, he served as acting president of the Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminaries in Elkhart, Ind., from 1983 to 1984. He was a noted author of numerous publications and several books on Mennonites. He was born on Sept. 29, 1910, in the village of Bedminster, Pa., into a family of 11 children. He attended a one-room schoolhouse through eighth grade and graduated from Lansdale High School, 1930. He was a graduate of Bluffton College in Bluffton, Ohio, 1934, and received a bachelors of divinity at Chicago Theological Seminary, and M.A., 1938, and Ph.D. degrees in sociology at The University of Chicago, 1941. He received two honorary doctorates from both the University of Waterloo (1989) and Bluffion College (1987). Fretz taught sociology at Bethel College from 1942 to 1963, serving as Bethel's interim president from 1959-1960. He left Bethel in 1963 to become the founding President of Conrad Grebel College, Waterloo, Ontario. After serving in that position for 10 years, Fretz stepped down to teach sociology at the college, which he continued until he retired in 1979. Upon retiring, he moved to North Newton. Dr. Fretz had a lifelong interest in people and had a knack for connecting with people through his genuine friendliness, unfailing cheerfulness and humorous anecdotes. Early in his professor days he was called "Simple Life Fretz" for his desire to live frugally. In the 1950s, while teaching at Bethel College, he established a restaurant in Newton called The Guest House, which tested many of his economic, sociological and religious beliefs. The restaurant was one of the first in Newton to break down racial barriers, and it established itself with a reputation for fine food at reasonable prices. Traveling the world was a rewarding part of Fretz's life. In the 1950s, he received a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Fulbright grant to study immigrant groups in Paraguay, South America. Two books were published as a result of these trips.

Immigrant Group Settlements in Paraguay: a Study in the Sociology of Colonization, Bethel College 1962.

Pilgrims in Paraguay - The Story of Mennonite Colonization in South America, Herald Press 1953.

He visited many other countries, and he repeatedly said a highlight of his life was a trip around the world with his wife during a six-month sabbatical in 1972.