Obituary of Irene B. Maurer

Bedford – Irene B. Maurer, 98, of Bedford, Indiana, passed away on Thursday, September 22, 2022, at Stonebridge Health Campus. Born August 23, 1924, in Shamokin, PA, she was the daughter of Joseph and Mary (Schreffler) Maurer and one of nine children. Irene was a stellar student graduating with honors from Shamokin High School. She became a devoted missionary and teacher receiving training from Intercession City Bible College, FL, a bachelor’s degree summa cum laude in Theology from Gods Bible School where she received the Distinguished Alumnus Award, a bachelor’s degree in History from U. of Cincinnati and a master’s degree in Education from Xavier University in Cincinnati, all done when between mission activities. Irene was a dedicated missionary with Evangelistic Faith Missions for more than 60 years. She served in Egypt for over 20 years, Eritrea/Ethiopia for 8years, and Bolivia for 14 years. Irene was fluent in Arabic, Spanish and could speak Amharic and other Eritrean dialects. She escaped Egypt during the Six-Day War in 1967, with bombs exploding in her neighborhood. In Ethiopia Irene regularly witnessed guerilla warfare during the war between the communist government forces and independent militia. She later worked in Bolivia where she drove treacherous mountain roads in the Andes mountains bringing God’s word to isolated areas, building new churches and congregations. She is survived by 5 nephews and 2 nieces: William Schmidt (Marylea), Joseph (Lianne) and Daniel Bump (Elaine), Jeffrey (Christie) and Richard Maurer, Dr. Mary Schmidt-Libby (Russell) and Gail DeGroat (Clark), plus many grand nieces and nephews, all who loved her dearly. Preceding her are her parents, four brothers: Victor, Earl, Charles, and Leonard, and 4 sisters: Gloria Maurer, Doris Schmidt, Helen Bump and Lydia Moser, and 9 nieces and nephews. A Funeral Service will be held at 2 PM, preceded by visitation at 12:30 PM, on Wednesday, September 28th at Faith Mission Church, 1813 26th St., Bedford, Indiana. Burial will be at the Evangelical Methodist Cemetery, West Perry, PA on October 5th, meeting before 11 AM at the Evangelical Methodist Church, 13247 Route 35, Richfield, PA. Family and friends may express condolences at www.daycarter.com. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Irene B. Maurer to Evangelistic Faith Missions, P.O. Box 609, Bedford, IN 47421 https://efm-missions.org and/or Faith Mission Church, 1813 26th St. Bedford, IN 47421, https://www.faithmissionchurch.net.