NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) — Joseph Duerksen, a doctor and mission worker in India, died in Overland Park, Kansas, January 15, 2022. He was 94 years old.
Joseph Duerksen was born December 13, 1927, to Christena and Jacob R. Duerksen, who served as missionaries in Madhya Pradesh, India.
While growing up, Joseph attended Woodstock School in Landour, Uttar Pradesh (now Uttarakhand), India, in the foothills of the Himalayas for nine months each year. Nancy Bosche’, who transcribed Joseph’s autobiography, recalled that it was at Woodstock, during the years of World War II, that Duerksen’s ideals on pacifism were formed. His interest in medicine was kindled during school vacation, when he would sit in on the surgeries that his dad performed.
After graduating from Woodstock in 1945, Joseph attended Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas, and then, medical school at the University of Kansas. In 1952, he and Mary Lou Franz were married.
In 1956, the Duerksens, along with their infant son, Philip, were appointed by the General Conference Mennonite Church’s Commission on Overseas Mission (COM) to serve at the Sewa Bhawan Hospital in Jageeshpur, India, in what is now the state of Chhattisgarh. COM was a predecessor agency of Mennonite Mission Network.
The family served in Jageeshpur for five years, with Joseph working as a staff physician and, later, as the medical superintendent at Sewa Bahwan Hospital. During this time, their daughter, Mary, and son, Mark, were born.
The family returned to Kansas, and Joseph spent a year in residency in general surgery at the University of Kansas Medical Center, before returning to India in 1963. There, Joseph served as the medical superintendent at Christian Hospital in Champa, India, for six years, with the family returning to Kansas again in 1969.
Over the next few decades, Joseph took short-term trips back to India, visiting mission-sponsored hospitals and bringing updated information and support to doctors and staff. He continued these trips well into his retirement.
Dwight Mueller, a donor relations representative for Mennonite Mission Network, recalled visiting Joseph: "I appreciated Joe’s passion and heart for service," he said. "It was evident in how he loved to talk about his and Mary Lou’s experiences in India."
Years after their time of service, Mueller said, Joseph and Mary Lou continued to connect with Mission Network in many ways, including supporting the Kansas City MVS (Mennonite Voluntary Service) unit, which was located near Rainbow Mennonite Church.
"A treat for me was meeting Joe at the India Palace restaurant for lunch when I was in the Kansas City area," Mueller recalled. "It was obvious he was a regular there, as staff would greet him by name and they’d have conversations in Hindi."
Joseph was preceded in death by his parents, Christena and Jacob; wife Mary Lou; sister Lois Deckert; and son-in-law Gil Jara. He is survived by his children, Mary Jara, Philip Duerksen (Norma) and Mark Duerksen; sister Christine Waltner; sister-in-law Betty Bodine; brother-in-law Marion Deckert; and nieces and nephews.
A memorial service was held on Jan. 22 at Rainbow Mennonite Church and is available to view online.
Memorial gifts may be made to Rainbow Mennonite Church, 1444 South West Boulevard, Kansas City, KS 66103 or Ludhiana Christian Medical College Board USA, Inc., PO Box 6275, Evanston, IL 60204-6275.
