ELKHART, Indiana (Mennonite Mission Network) – Robert Milton Stetter, 86, died of pneumonia on Jan. 4 in Plant City, Florida.
Stetter and his wife, Lila Rae, served in Algeria from 1958-1971 with Mennonite Board of Missions, a predecessor agency of Mennonite Mission Network. Mission personnel served alongside Pax volunteers and, after 1961, with Mennonite Central Committee workers. [The Pax program, administered by MCC, permitted conscientious objectors drafted by the U.S. Office of Selective Service to fulfill their service requirements through peace-building rather than military service.]
The first Pax volunteers helped clean up after a 1957 earthquake. When Algeria gained independence in 1962, Mennonite ministry focused on reconstruction after the seven-year war against the former colonial power, France. Mennonites also assisted with food and clothing distribution, agriculture, medical work, mechanical services, and education.
Marian Hostetler, who served with Mennonite Board of Missions in Algeria from 1960-1970, said the Stetter family was “a great welcoming presence for the many people who came to Algeria. Also, they devoted much time to being a part of the small group of Algerian Christians who met weekly in El Biar, the suburb of Algiers where they lived.”
Hostetler described the Stetter family as a stable, long-term presence that allowed short-term volunteers to make a more valuable contribution to Algerian society.
Stetter, born Apr. 12, 1931, to Robert Fulton and Carrie (Brubaker) Stetter in Lancaster County, attended Eastern Mennonite College (now Eastern Mennonite University) in Virginia, Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, and Goshen (Indiana) College. He met Lila Rae Thomas at Goshen College and they were married in 1956. Stetter received a BS in elementary education, a BA in Bible, and a bachelor of theology degree. Four years ago, Stetter retired from his most recent employment as a realtor.
Stetter was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Donald. He is survived by his wife; four daughters, Polly (David) Johnson, Susan (Dr. Sam) Charles, Marie Lynn Hill, and Caroline (Dr. James) Neel; 13 grandchildren; a great-granddaughter; his sister, Eva (Paul) Rudy; and his sister-in-law, Corky Stetter.
Lila Rae and Robert Stetter divided their time between Plant City and Morgantown, West Virginia. A memorial service is being planned for May 26, 2 p.m., at the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church, 308 Elmhurst St., Morgantown, WV 26505. Visitation will begin at 1 p.m.
