7/14/2020
Paul Groff Lefever, 98, passed away peacefully on July 14th at Mennonite Home Communities. He was born in 1922 in Lancaster to the late Harry S. and Mary M. (Groff) Lefever. He is preceded in death by: his wife of 71 years, Mary (Weaver) (2015); two brothers, Elvin (1987) and Harry (2017); a son-in-law, Galen Weaver (1994); and a grandson, Stefan Gascho (2019). He is survived by: 2 sisters, Ana Hershey of Lancaster and Alma Weaver of New Holland; 5 children, Lois Gascho (Alfred) of Tucson, AZ, Ernest Lefever (Vicky) of Lapeer, MI, Martha Kauffman (Glenford) of Leola, Vera Jones (Lonny) of Willow Street, and Philip Lefever (Melanie) of Prescott Valley, AZ; 15 grandchildren; 31 great-grandchildren; and 4 great-great-grandchildren.
As a youth, Paul worked in his family’s greenhouses, sparking the love of gardening that would continue throughout his life. In 1942, he was drafted into Selective Service and worked both for the National Park Service and as an orderly at Greystone Hospital until a serious automobile accident resulted in his discharge in 1945. He resumed work in the greenhouses, taking over the business for a time. He then worked for 11 years for Lancaster Mennonite School as a groundskeeper and caretaker. Over that same time period, he also drove a school bus twice a day for several years. Later, he was head of the shipping department at Provident Bookstores, retiring after more than 20 years there. After retiring, he made deliveries for Wiley’s Pharmacy.
Paul was a member of Mellinger Mennonite Church throughout his life and a faithful attendant until age prevented him. He will be remembered for many things, including his enormous, beautifully-kept vegetable garden, his gentle strength, humility, eagerness to be helpful, strong work ethic, and unwavering faith. He was kind, caring, and loving to all those he met, and a wonderful role model for all who were blessed to know him.
A graveside service will be held at Mellinger Mennonite Cemetery, 1916 Lincoln Hwy. East, Lancaster on Wednesday, July 22, 2020 at 11 AM. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Benevolent Fund of The Mennonite Home, 1520 Harrisburg Pike, Lancaster, PA 17601 or Mellinger Mennonite Church. 1916 Lincoln Highway East, Lancaster PA 17602.
