10/10/2018
Alta Genevieve (Genny) Rankin Scheldorf
Louisville – Genny Scheldorf, 97, died on October 10, 2018.
Born on July 21, 1921, Genny grew up on a farm in rural Iowa, in a family-centered Methodist church, its activities, and work in the community. She participated throughout high school in leadership training for youth, sponsored by her church at the state level. She was also very active in 4-H.
Genny attended a one-room school for eight years, and taught in one for two years, after completing high school and Iowa State Teachers’ College, Cedar Falls. Later she studied at Iowa State in Ames where she met her husband Owen, and after the war, they started their family in Erie, Pennsylvania, and moved to Louisville in 1954 with G.E.’s Appliance Park. They had four children and also welcomed many UofL International Students into their homes every year. Genny and Owen were very active at St. Paul United Methodist Church, and through it, the Louisville community and beyond.
During the 1960s and early ’70s, Genny and Owen worked with five Newburg families living in homes condemned by Urban Renewal. As per the families’ requests, they built sanitary toilet facilities, obtained clean water, groceries, and clothing, installed window screens, mowed yards, and helped secure jobs. For this work, in 1983, Genny and Owen were recipients of the Bell Award for Outstanding Community Service.
For over 20 years, Genny planned for and shared with the children of St. Paul as Children’s Coordinator. For over 30 years, she directed the Conference 4th and 5th Grade “Home in the Woods” Camp at Loucon and the Louisville District Day Camp at Kavanaugh. She worked with the St. Paul Youth Department for over 6 years and directed the St. Paul Puppeteers for 25 years. For 9 years, she and her family led the Children’s Class at the Conference School of Christian Mission at Lindsey Wilson College.
Genny was actively involved in United Methodist Women. She served as Mission Coordinator of Christian Social Involvement of the Louisville Conference UMW for 4 years. She was president of the St. Paul UMW for over 20 years.
Genny served as Chairperson of the Board of Church and Society of the Louisville Conference of the United Methodist Church for 8 years and Kentucky Conference for 2 years. During five of those years, she led ten study tours – for 20 adults in the fall and 45 youth in the spring – to New York City and Washington, DC for the United Methodist Seminars on National and International Affairs, focusing on numerous social justice issues.
She was a United Methodist Volunteer on Mission to Jamaica, Haiti, and Nicaragua. She visited Methodist missions in Peru and Chile as well as in Kenya, Singapore, and Brazil while attending World Methodist Conferences. In 1987, she attended the World Congress of Women in Moscow, USSR. She traveled with the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries on study tours to China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, Zimbabwe, Angola, South Africa, India, and Pakistan. She participated in an accompaniment delegation to Guatemala with Witness for Peace.
Through Kentucky Refugee Ministries and Catholic Charities, Genny helped sponsor, befriend, and tutor refugees from Haiti, Somalia, Bosnia, Vietnam, Sudan, Afghanistan, Liberia, and Ukraine. As an advocate for refugees, she helped them secure basic needs as well as immigration and asylum documents.
Genny was a member of the Louisville Chapter of the United Nations Association, during which she served as treasurer for 18 years. She was always a great supporter of UNICEF, World Fest, and Earth Day at the Zoo.
Genny was a member of Church Women United. In 1994, she received the CWU Valiant Woman Award for her social justice work. Later she served as Ecumenical Celebrations Chairperson, and for 12 years following, she mentored others to lead worship services for World Day of Prayer, May Friendship Day, World Community Day, and Human Rights Day. She also enacted the annual “Outstanding Young Church Woman” Recognition and Award.
She was a member of the Fellowship of Reconciliation; the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice; and a supporter of the Fairness Campaign.
Genny was preceded in death by her husband Owen and daughter Nancy. She is survived by her son Tim and his children Gretchen Vice (Kyle), David Scheldorf (Michele), and Amanda Steenhuis (Quinten); her daughter Cindy; her son Gary (Cindy P.) and their children Ethan, Cameron, and Emma; 6 great-grandchildren; her sister Jobyna Herman (Jack), her sister-in-law Twila Rankin, and many nieces and nephews.
The memorial service celebrating Genny’s life will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday, November 10 at St. Paul United Methodist Church, 2000 Douglass Boulevard.
Published in The Courier-Journal on Oct. 14, 2018