Donald B. Goertzen

Donald "Don" B. Goertzen, 92, of Hesston, Kansas, passed away peacefully on July 15, 2026, in his home at Schowalter Villa Retirement Community in Hesston.

Don was born May 12, 1934, to Ferdinand and Linda (Buller) Goertzen in Goessel, Kansas. He was baptized as a youth at Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church in Goessel, where he was an active member in his youth. He married Agnes Bergen at Spring Valley Mennonite Church in Newport, Washington, on November 1, 1956. They were married for more than 68 years before Agnes’ passing in 2025 and were blessed with three sons: Galen, Kevin, and Michael.

After graduating from Hillsboro High School (Kansas) in 1952 Don attended Bethel College (North Newton, Kansas) for two years. He then worked for the U.S. Forest Service in Eastern Washington and Idaho. After being drafted in 1956, he completed his 1-W alternative service at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He and Agnes then returned to Kansas, where he completed his degree in Industrial Arts and Secondary Education at Bethel, graduating in 1961. Don began his teaching career at Wellpinit High School on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Washington. After two years, he moved to Newport High School, where he taught Industrial Arts for 19 years.

Alongside teaching, he operated Don’s Repair Service and became known for his ability to fix nearly anything electronic or mechanical. His true creative passion, however, was photography. In 1975, Don and Agnes opened Goertzen Photo, specializing in portrait and natural-light wedding photography. The business grew steadily, and in 1981 Don left full-time teaching to devote himself to photography. Goertzen Photo remained in operation until 2015, when Don officially retired and moved with Agnes to Schowalter Villa near his childhood home in Kansas.

Music was central to his life, connecting his faith, family, and creativity. Don and Agnes developed their relationship while singing with other young adults in Spring Valley, and music remained important throughout his life. In addition to singing with many community and church groups and choirs, Don was an active member in Pages of Harmony, the Spokane men’s barbershop choir. He also lent his smooth and powerful bass voice to the Four Tune Hunters barbershop quartet, which he formed with three other musicians from the Newport area.

Don made the world a better place through many acts of service and often used his skills to help local organizations and individuals in need. He was active in Mennonite Disaster Service and was a key contributor to the development and growth of Camp CAMREC, a Mennonite-owned camp near Leavenworth, Washington, that continues to operate today. Don was also an avid gardener and skilled woodsman, and he gave generously of his time through many community and church leadership and service roles. In 1986, Don was diagnosed with Stage III colon cancer. He lived for more than 40 years as a cancer survivor, carrying the lasting effects of his illness with quiet strength and determination.

Don was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 68 years, Agnes. He is survived by his sister, Merreta of El Dorado, Kansas; three sons: Galen and his wife, Denece, of Spokane, Washington; Kevin and his wife, Denise, of Harrisonburg, Virginia; and Michael and his wife, Elizabeth, of Harrisonburg, Virginia; two grandchildren: Jessica Velasquez and her husband, David, and Stephan Goertzen and his wife, Virginia; and three great-grandchildren: Ryan, Maya, and Meshach.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. CDT on September 5, 2026, at Whitestone Mennonite Church in Hesston, Kansas, with a public livestream available at www.WhitestoneMC.com. Burial of the urn will follow this fall at Spring Valley Mennonite Church in Newport, Washington. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Mennonite Central Committee in Don’s memory. These may be left with Petersen Funeral Home, Newton, Kansas.