Branham, John C. (1925-1984)
John C. Branham was born 12 February 1925 to John Earl and Pearl Branham at Cleveland, Ohio. He was educated in the Cleveland public schools and served in the Navy during World War II, returning to Cleveland after the war. On 4 November 1950 he married Margaret Underwood of Marion, Alabama. They had one daughter, Deanna. John worked for Warner and Swasey County for 20 years and was member of the Elim Gospel Chapel until 1960 when he joined the Lee Heights Community Church (MC). He was senior presiding elder of this congregation (1962-65) and a member of its board of directors (1962-84). He helped form the Inter-Church Youth Fellowship of Greater Cleveland in the 1950s and was active on its board. He began chaplaincy work at the House of Correction and at the county jail in 1969; he was ordained a chaplain by Ohio and Eastern Mennonite Conference in 1971. He opened a halfway house with help of the Ohio Mennonite Evangelism Commission (1973) and continued to lead group sessions for prisoners and ex-offenders weekly. He disappeared on 20 August 1984, after a counseling session. Five days later his body, with a single gunshot wound, was found along Interstate 71 in Medina County, Ohio. The murder remains unsolved.
Bibliography
Obituary from funeral program, Lee Heights Community Church, Cleveland, Ohio, 30 August 1984.
Neff, James. "The Samaritan." Cleveland Plain Dealer (12 September 1984): 19-A.
Siemon, Katherine L. Plain Dealer (29 August 1984).
| Author(s) | Vern L. Miller |
|---|---|
| Reynold Sawatzky | |
| Date Published | 1986 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Miller, Vern L. and Reynold Sawatzky. "Branham, John C. (1925-1984)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1986. Web. 19 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Branham,_John_C._(1925-1984)&oldid=178416.
APA style
Miller, Vern L. and Reynold Sawatzky. (1986). Branham, John C. (1925-1984). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 19 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Branham,_John_C._(1925-1984)&oldid=178416.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 5, p. 93. All rights reserved.
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