Alvin Ray Graber

Dr. Alvin Ray Graber, age 95, of Nappanee, Indiana, passed away peacefully Thursday, February 5, 2026, at home with his family at his side. He was born on January 18, 1931, in Rolette, North Dakota, son of Amos and Magdalena (Gingerich) Graber.  

At age 13, his family relocated to Etna Green, IN. As the oldest of 8 children of an Amish bishop, Al assumed many responsibilities at a young age. He joined the Amish church as a teen and received a transfer of membership to the Mennonite church at age 22, never having broken the Ordnung.

After 1-W alternative service as an orderly and oxygen therapist during the Korean War, he realized his capabilities and desired to pursue higher education in the medical field. He graduated from Goshen College in 1958. A year later, he married the love of his life, Dolores Nadine Kauffman on July 4, 1959, in Mattawana, Pennsylvania. He held the highest regard for her intelligence, beauty and abilities. He took every opportunity to tell her he loved her and to let others know her virtues as well. They began their journey together in Indianapolis as he studied at Indiana University School of Medicine, class of 1963, while Dolores worked as a registered nurse. At graduation, a clerk in the Medical School Deans’s office noticed the absence of the required high school diploma in his file. The Etna Green HS principal remembered Al well, even though he left school at age 16 according to the Amish tradition. His subsequent academic achievements were recognized as more than adequate and a High School diploma was given on the spot. 

During a 1-year internship at Memorial Hospital, South Bend, they welcomed daughter, Starla and felt called to serve at the Mennonite Hospital in Aibonito, Puerto Rico. During their 2-year term there, Al delivered son Kevin, his only child that circumstances demanded he personally deliver.

In 1966, Al joined Dr. Lisle Roose at Nappanee Family Medical Clinic and became a well-loved community physician. They soon welcomed daughter Susan, moved to the farm on CR 50, and completed their family with the addition of daughter Melodie. 

Alvin was a fiercely protective and loving father. His children quickly learned he knew most everyone and everything that happened in Nappanee. He and Dolores opened their home to exchange and boarding students. 

He was the classical family doctor who responded after hours to the phone and knocks on the home door. He made house calls with his well-stocked black bag. Al opened the office after hours to take x-rays, set bones, place sutures, and he sometimes even provided a ride for the patient. He delivered over 3,000 babies at Elkhart Hospital, occasionally emergently in the office, once after a  snowmobile rescue and once in his own car. He always considered his patients’ physical and spiritual wellbeing first, prioritizing quality health care over payment or proper paperwork. 

Loving Jesus and living a Christian life was paramount to Alvin. He was an active member of College Mennonite Church in Goshen and often had long theological discussions with friends and family, especially dear friends Gil and Edna Reed. Al and Dolores enjoyed traveling and did several international short-term missions. Alvin was a passionate student of inductive bible study, often awakening with new insights he wished to explore before Dolores was fully awake. 

Al loved working on his farm, eating ice cream, popcorn and blueberries, planting trees, and spending time with family and friends. He obtained his pilot’s license and instrument rating and delighted in flying his own airplanes. He earned his way through school working as a carpenter; he designed and built a home for his parents and was a foreman on a construction crew that built other homes in the area. He was able to fix just about anything, remodeled his home over many years and built things for his children and grandchildren.

He was a lifelong learner with special interests in theology, psychology, nutrition and preventative medicine. He loved violin music and started lessons with Lon Sherer at age 75. He was an avid runner and walker, tracking both miles and calories and was a familiar sight for many years on the country roads northeast of Nappanee. (Thank you all for not running over him long ago.) He rode his exercise bike slowly as recently as a month prior to his death.

Alvin is survived by his wife, Dolores and their children: Dr. Starla (Dr. Harley Yoder) Graber of Elkhart, IN; Dr. Kevin (Dr. Jennifer) Graber of Los Gatos, CA; Susan (Gavin Schubert) Graber of Nappanee; Melodie (Jimmy Orjala Ph.D.) Graber of Downers Grove, IL. His grandchildren are Maggie, Joel and Ana; Aaron and Abby; Sebastian; Jonathan and Becca. His surviving siblings are Betty Nissley, John (Charlotte) Graber, Eunice (Floyd) Martin, Lucy Kaufman and Anna (Gene) Hochstetler. Alvin is also survived by many beloved nieces, nephews and dear friends.

In addition to his parents, Alvin was preceded in death by sister, Dorothy Maust; brother Toby Graber, brothers-in-law Homer Nissley, Vernon Kaufman and Clifford Maust, sister-in-law Carolyn Graber, and nephews Jay Nissley and Grant Maust. 

The family wishes to thank the wonderful caregivers from Karing Hearts home care and Heart to Heart Hospice for their devotion and amazing services during Al’s journey through dementia. 

Visitation will be held from 4:00 P.M. until 8:00 P.M. on Friday, March 20, 2026, at the Thompson Lengacher Yoder Funeral Home, Nappanee.

Celebration of Life will be at 11:00 A.M. Saturday, March 21, 2026, at College Mennonite Church. Preceding the Saturday service, visitation will start at 9:00 A.M. Livestream of the service will be available through the College Mennonite Church (collegemennonite.org/watch). 

Memorials may be directed to Mennonite Central Committee (mcc.org/get-involved/giving).