Robert Ramseyer, with his wife, Alice Ruth, came to Japan in 1954 as missionaries
sent by the U.S. Mennonite Church. They served in Miyazaki Prefecture and
Hiroshima for three decades. Robert Ramseyer was a professor emeritus of
Missions and Anthropology at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminar, Indiana,
where he taught between 1972 and 1996.
Robert and Alice Ruth Ramseyer learned about the World Friendship Center from
a Mennonite, Eva Harshbarger, who had been director of WFC. The Ramseyers
stayed at the WFC while looking for an apartment in 1978. In 1980, they founded
a Mennonite Church in Hiroshima. From 1982 to 1987 they were in the U.S. In
1987 they returned to Hiroshima and stayed there until retirement in
1995. During their time in Hiroshima, they served as board members of the WFC.
Robert Ramseyer had a good command of the Japanese language and translated
Japanese books into English, such as “Hiroshima Peace Reader,” published by
Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation, and “Moments of Peace” and “Hiroshima
Surgeon,” both written by Dr. Tomin Harada, then Chair of the World Friendship
Center.
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Robert and Alice Ruth Ramseyer also served on the American Committee and
advised Evie and David Bertsche to come to Hiroshima as directors of the WFC.
They retired to Bluffton in 1997, where they joined the First Mennonite Church.
They welcomed PAX members and friends from Japan and took them to The Lion
and Lamb Peace Arts Center in Bluffton University.
7-2. Memories of Robert Ramseyer
Kaori Kurumaji (WFC Riji Vice Chair)
Robert (Bob) Ramseyer passed away on April 30 this year. It has been over 37
years since I first met Mr. and Mrs. Ramseyer. I heard that they used to live in the
Takachiho region of Miyazaki Prefecture for many years before they came to
Hiroshima in 1978 as missionaries of the Mennonite Church. In the beginning,
they stayed at the WFC for several weeks until they found an apartment house in
Hiroshima. The WFC was located in Midori-machi near the Prefectural Hospital
at that time and I used to work for the WFC as a live-in staff for 2 years from
1978 to 1980. I got the impression that they were very close to each other. After
a while, both of them became board members of the WFC and worked hard for us.
Especially, it deserves recognition that they translated Dr. Harada’s books into
English. Both Bob and Alice were adored by many people since they were persons
of character. Bob had a calm manner and an intelligent air, but he showed us a
mischievous look sometimes. Alice was very modest and a woman with grace. I
remember I once invited them to our home in Saka-cho and we had a great time
together. They invited us to their home for dinner in Funairi-cho when my son
was very small, around 4 or 5 years old. I also visited them at their home in Ohio
as a PAX member in 1982. Alice cooked very delicious Japanese food for us. We
PAX members were so moved by their warm hospitality. As far as Bob and Alice
are concerned, I only have nostalgic and happy memories. Please let me pray for
the soul of the deceased. I also hope for a lot of blessings on Alice.
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