Klingler taught English at Manchester for 35 years and served as chair of the department for 15 years.
He graduated from Manchester with teaching credentials in English and mathematics in 1948. There, he met Susie Stoner ’50 Klingler, whom he married a year after graduating.
Klingler served his profession of English by filling, consecutively, the roles of secretary, vice president and president of the Indiana College English Association. In 1969, he became interested in the work of the Indiana Civil Liberties Union, serving for a time as secretary of the Fort Wayne chapter and then of the state board of directors.
A lifelong member of the Church of the Brethren, the church’s teaching against war influenced Klingler’s decision to resign his appointment to West Point during World War II. He enjoyed singing in the church choir and writing religious poems.
Klingler’s children and grandchildren admired his wisdom, kindness and generosity. Throughout his life, he was concerned with the well-being of others and made sure his family was cared for and encouraged. As a prolific writer from childhood, he also wrote poetry; tributes to friends, family and local institutions; words and music of prayers, hymns and songs sung frequently by his family; and a journal of remarkable detail for nearly 40 years.
He is survived by his wife; children David, Robert, Rebecca, Thomas, John and Mark; and nine grandchildren.
She graduated from Manchester with a degree in elementary education, then taught in Maine.
After that career, Schrock earned a master’s in education at American University in Washington, D.C., founded the Night School for Learning Disabled Adults, and spent a year teaching English in Beijing, China.
Returning to the U.S., she moved to Elgin, Ill., to become director of Brethren Volunteer Services. In the early 1990s she worked for the National Council of Churches and earned her Master of Divinity at New York Theological Seminary.
Schrock then turned her focus to Heifer International. As a senior advisor, she led study tours to South America and Asia. For the last 20 years of her life, she lived in Maine and remained dedicated to promoting Heifer’s work. Co-author of Give a Goat, she was a recipient of the Manchester Alumni Honor Award.
She served from 1991-2000 on the Manchester University Board of Trustees. President Dave McFadden described her as a “thoughtful, gentle person whose often quiet questions cut to the heart of whatever was being discussed.”
She received a business degree from Manchester, where she met, fell in love with and then married fellow student John Andrew Young.