Alva J. and Doris M. Schlabach Scholarship

Alva J. Schlabach was born in 1921 in Thomas, Oklahoma and as a boy during the Great Depression years, moved to Delaware with his family.  During World War II he spent time in Civilian Public Service and then moved to Wauseon Ohio as a young man.  It was there that he met and married his wife of 67 years, Doris M. Crossgrove, in 1948. She was born in 1923 and lived in the Wauseon Ohio area. Neither Alva nor Doris completed a formal high school education.  Nonetheless, Alva was a self-taught and astute business man and established a successful agribusiness in Northwest Ohio.

Alva was a member of Rotary International and traveled with Rotary delegations to developing countries to work with local entrepreneurs.  Doris worked for many years in the local school system as a school cook.  She enjoyed taking sewing and cooking classes and exchanging recipes with her friends.  They both loved traveling and camping in the West and their children have wonderful memories of these camping trips they took as a family.  Both Alva and Doris died in 2015.

They led a simple life, had a strong Christian faith and always gave generously to the church. Out of the endowment that they established, they have designated a yearly amount to be distributed to Goshen College to help support Goshen College students pursuing service careers in the medical and social services fields.