Raymond Nisly, 94, died March 8, 2021, at Reflection Living, Hutchinson. He was born Sept. 26, 1926, in rural Reno County, to Levi and Mary (Bontrager) Nisly.
Raymond was a farmer, but faith, family, and service to others were paramount in his life. With a servant heart, he would share his God-given talents volunteering to help those in need. He and his wife, Mary, always had an interest in missions and sharing the word of Jesus. They volunteered for over 35 years with Rosedale Mennonite Missions. Most notable was in 1980, when they served an African-American community for three years in Boykin, Alabama. While there, Raymond and Mary would spend their entire days serving those in need and learning about their new-found friends through worship, fellowship, and meals. They also helped start and were charter members of Plainview Mennonite Church and Maranatha Mennonite Church. In addition, he volunteered over 30 years for the prison fellowship group, leading Bible studies. Raymond was a member of Maranatha Mennonite Church for 40 years.
On Nov. 7, 1948, he married Mary Yoder, at Plainview Mennonite Church, Hutchinson. Their marriage was the second marriage at the church. They shared almost 69 years of marriage, prior to her death on October 17, 2017.
Raymond is survived by: children, Janice Lee of Hutchinson, Nevin Nisly (Joann) of Partridge, Geneva Nisly (Mark Buckley) of Hutchinson, and Jason Nisly of Loveland, Colorado; 10 grandchildren; and 24 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by: his parents; siblings, Emma Stutzman, John Nisly, Henry Nisly, Barbara Yoder, Elizabeth Bender, Fred Nisly, and Rufus Nisly; son-in-law, Nelson Lee; and daughters-in-law, Alta Nisly and Linda Nisly.
Funeral service will be 11:00 a.m. Friday, March 12, 2021, at Maranatha Mennonite Church, 3115 Blanchard SW, Hutchinson, with Pastors Paul Nisly and Chad Eigsti officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. His viewing will be from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Thursday at Elliott Mortuary. The family will greet friends from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Thursday at the church.
To view the service, go to the church’s website and click on the button at the top that says “watch”. On the next screen, click “Watch Live” and this will take you to their Facebook and YouTube links. The service will also be available Monday on the Elliott Mortuary website. At the bottom of Raymond’s obituary, there will be a link to the service.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the American Bible Society, in care of Elliott Mortuary, 1219 N. Main, Hutchinson, KS 67501.