N. James Gehman, 83, of Brethren Village, Lancaster, PA, formerly of Ephrata and Barto, PA died Saturday afternoon, May 17, 2014, at the Bob Fryer and Family Inpatient Center of Hospice and Community Care, Mount Joy, PA. Born in Allentown, PA, he was the son of the late W. Norman and S. Viola Longacre Gehman. He was the husband of M. Dorothy Simmons Gehman for 60 years on August 1, 2013.
Jim was owner and operator or G & G Industries in Ephrata, PA, for 12 years. Previously, he was employed in sales for various employers for over 40 years.
As a man of strong faith, Jim loved serving the Lord and was a member of Butter Valley Community Church (formerly Hereford Mennonite Church) in Bally, PA where he served as deacon. He was also a member of Gideons International and served as a board member of Camp Men-o-lan for many years. While a resident at Brethren Village, he was a member and past president of the Green Thumb organization. He enjoyed fishing, playing card games, reading, and attending public auctions.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by three children, Debra A., wife of Charles M. Witman of Dayton, VA., Diane M., wife of B. Christopher Steiner of Clayton, OH, and Bruce J., husband of Jacqueline N. Fichiera Gehman of Mechanicsburg, PA; 6 grandchildren; a great grandson; three siblings, Robert, husband of Addie Gehman, of Coopersburg, PA, Henry, husband of Jane Gehman, of Sellersville, PA, and Pauline Yoder of Lancaster; and a sister-in-law, Dorothy Gehman of Tuckerton, NJ. He was preceded in death by a brother, David Gehman, and a sister, Grace Bertsch.
A funeral service will be held on Wednesday morning, May 21, 2014, at 11:00 am at Butter Valley Community Church, 2600 Old Route 100, Bally, PA 19503 with Pastor Mark D. Hager officiating. There will be no public viewing. The family will receive guests at the church on Wednesday morning from 10:00 am until the time of the service. In addition to the funeral service, there will be a memorial service on Thursday afternoon, May 22, 2014, at 1:00 pm at the Chapel at Brethren Village, 3001 Lititz Pike, Lancaster, PA with Chaplain Dana Statler officiating. The family will receive guests at a light reception immediately following the service. Please omit flowers. If desired, contributions may be made in his memory to the mission fund of Butter Valley Community Church or to Camp Men-o-lan, 1415 Doerr Rd, Quakertown, PA 18951. A webcast of the service will be available beginning the day following the service at www.spencefuneralservices.com.