Published: October 05, 2008 12:22 am         

Friends say goodbye to Sen. Marvin Riegsecker

Hundreds of friends joined the family of the late Sen. Marvin Riegsecker Saturday afternoon for his funeral service at College Mennonite Church.

Sen. Riegsecker, 71, Goshen, who served 32 years in elected office and the past 20 years in the Indiana Senate, died Tuesday after a two-year battle with cancer. He announced last spring he would retire after his current term expires the end of this year because of health concerns.

The prelude at the afternoon funeral included piano music by Susan Dengler, plus two songs performed by members of the Shalom Ringers, a bell choir with members who are developmentally disabled.

Speakers at the service included former Sen. Dick Shank, current Sens. Robert Meeks and David Long, his brother, Verl Riegsecker, along with the Rev. Klaudia Smucker, pastor of the church.

Riegsecker’s brother Verl explained he is several years younger and looked up to his brother.

“I’m sure we’ve all met a person who has a big influence on our lives,” Verl began. “For me, it was my brother, Marvin.”

He told of one day when Marvin woke Verl up to take him to the barn to help with morning chores. Verl explained he went to a corner of the barn and promptly fell asleep, not helping his brother with chores.

But for a 5- or 6-year-old to be asked to help with chores was an honor, he explained.

Verl also mentioned that their older brothers played tricks on Marvin, including talking him into trying to ride on the back of a dairy cow.

“I recall debates Marvin had with Mom and Dad over subjects such as school and sports,” Verl said. Their father thought he should be home doing chores. “They were sometimes heated, but Marvin won.”

He explained that Marvin was the first in the family to finish school, setting a new standard that Verl followed. Stopping in school at age 16 was no longer “the final destination” for this Millersburg family, but instead they earned a diploma.

Verl went on to explain he was excited when Marvin returned to the farm from school in Colorado and he ran into the house and upstairs to find his brother. He burst into the bedroom to find Marvin on his knees praying.

“There was never a question of where he drew his strength from,” Verl said. “He lived that ‘dash’ that goes between birth date and date of death. He taught me, as he taught others, not to wait for life to come to us, but to go after life with the talents God gave us.”

Sen. Bob Meeks explained he knew Riegsecker the past 31 years, going back to when Marvin was Elkhart County coroner and Meeks was a state trooper.

“He was tenacious then and he was tenacious his 20 years in the Senate,” Meeks said. He said for many years both senators had rooms at the Columbia Club on Monument Circle and they would have breakfast together and walk to the Statehouse.

Meeks said Riegsecker would become emotionally tied and committed to legislation he felt was important. “He was dedicated,” Meeks said.

Meeks went on to explain that in recent months, when Riegsecker had to be transferred by ambulance from Goshen to the Indiana University Medical Center, he told the ambulance crew that he often liked to stop at Kokomo for a “bunny burger.”

Meeks said the crew set up a table in the back of the ambulance, stopped to buy Marvin a burger and a chocolate sundae, and since their patient was carrying no money, they even paid for his snack.

“That’s the impact he had. He had a lasting impact. He was a good man. I’m going to miss him,” Meeks concluded.

Sen. Long said he worked with Riegsecker the past 12 years. He said Riegsecker successfully carried a wide variety of bills for those in need, such as the elderly and developmentally disabled.

“He was tough and worked on high-profile legislation, too, such as the one on daylight saving time,” Long said. “He persevered in no small part because of his tenacious spirit. He did what he thought was best for the state.”

“Sen. Riegsecker won most of his battles,” Long said, but not this one with cancer that he fought the last 18 months.

“He never complained. He never felt sorry for himself. He was courageous and brave. He returned to the Senate last February or March, weak and in pain, to vote for the property tax reform” that he considered so important to the state.

Long called Riegsecker kind, descent, honorable, thoughtful, a good Christian, trustworthy, fun, mischievous and tenacious.

“He was adventurous, respected and loved by the people who worked alongside him. We will miss Marvin terribly. He was a great son of Indiana. He was a great man,” Long concluded.

Shank, who participated in the service by reading Scripture and a prayer, also said he knew Riegsecker for more than 40 years, considering him a good friend.

In a recent conversation with the Riegseckers, Shank said Marvin “expressed to me his love for God and he looked forward to living eternally with God.”

“He worked tirelessly in working on legislation to benefit the developmentally disabled. He was a model for those who follow,” Shank said, to work together with others without taking the credit.

Riegsecker “loved Norma (his wife) and his family, enjoyed a good cup of coffee and the Indianapolis Colts,” said the Rev. Smucker.

“He was the first politician I knew,” and he shattered some of her preconceived ideas. “He expanded my perspective and became a friend.”

She said she learned the depth of his character in the last two years. “He did not just talk about God and family values, he lived them.”

“He was a kind, intelligent, serving, witty person who worked very hard on what he believed in. We lost a good man when Marvin said good-bye to this world.”

Smucker said she spoke with Riegsecker on Sept. 10 about funeral plans. He told her that he enjoyed Psalm 139, and she explained that that psalm kept him grounded and helped him keep sight of God’s calling for his life.

“His goal was to live,” but he faced the possibility of a terminal illness, she explained. “Marvin was hoping for more time,” to spend with his family and especially his grandsons. “He loved his life and he believed in eternal life.”

She went on to explain Romans 1:1 & 2, which says fix your attention on God, respond to God. God brings out the best in you. God brings it all to you, she said.

“He didn’t have an ordinary life, going from farm to pharmacy to the senate. God opened doors for him to serve. All those years he remained a humble person.

“He was a breath of fresh air. He was a wonderful example of a person deeply rooted in faith, hope and love.”

While a funeral reminds us of our mortality, she suggested we stay in conversation with God and keep death in our minds daily, but also the beauty of heaven.

“In this corner of the state, we’ve been blessed to have him in our lives,” Smucker concluded.

The body was laid to rest in Violett Cemetery after a processional led by motorcycle police escort with Indiana State and Elkhart County Sheriff’s officers.