Saul Murcia, who helped thousands of people and organizations during his career as an administrator with two Mennonite agencies, died on Thursday at his home in Akron. He was 50 and the cause was chondrosarcoma, a rare type of bone cancer.
Murcia was the co-director of the Mennonite Central Committee's Latin America department, supervising staff and programs in his native Colombia, Bolivia, Paraguay, Jamaica, Haiti and other countries. He was loved and admired for his work ethic, his dedication and the way he could always find time to "have a cup of coffee" with volunteers, associates and partners.
Saul Murcia Manzanares Pulido Rodriguez was born on April 28, 1955, to Florinda and Saul Murcia in Facatativa, a city near Bogota, Colombia. When he was very young his parents bought a small farm near Cachipay. He went to school for the first time when he was eight - as a boarding student at the Colegio Menonita de Cachipay - a school that admitted him and his siblings but whose main purpose was to serve the children of a leper colony in the area.
Murcia studied cooking and hotel management at a technical college in Bogota and then worked on cruise ships for seven years. He graduated from Goshen College with a degree in business management in 1988 and joined Mennonite Volunteer Service as a home repair volunteer in Brownsville, Texas. Soon he was asked to be a local program coordinator for the program, and in 1997, national co-director for Mennonite Volunteer Service. As co-director for MVS, he tirelessly criss-crossed the United States helping volunteers serve in non-profit centers, schools, hospitals and other places.
Saul loved to cook and he loved to play and watch soccer. He was a proud and enthusiastic "soccer dad." He enjoyed listening to his large music collection, especially Colombian vallenato. He belonged to Pilgrims Mennonite Church in Akron, PA, and previously, the Austin (Texas) Mennonite Church, La Iglesia Menonita del Cordero of Brownsville, Texas and La Iglesia Menonita de Teusaquillo in Bogota, Colombia.
Besides his parents, he leaves his wife, Rebecca Thatcher Murcia of Akron; two sons, Gabriel, 9, of Akron and Mario, 8, of Akron; one brother, Edilberto Murcia of Bogota; five sisters, Yury Bernal of Facatativa, Zoraida Moore of Richmond, Canada, Flor Trujillo of Bogota and Eligia Murcia of Washington, DC and many cherished relatives and friends.
A memorial service will be at 4 PM Monday, June 13 at the Akron Mennonite Church. Akron, PA. Burial was Friday afternoon at the Akron Mennonite Church Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to: Colombian Peace Fund, Mennonite Central Committee, Box 500, Akron, PA 17501 or to the charity of the giver's choice.
Lancaster Intelligencer Journal
Murcia was the co-director of the Mennonite Central Committee's Latin America department, supervising staff and programs in his native Colombia, Bolivia, Paraguay, Jamaica, Haiti and other countries. He was loved and admired for his work ethic, his dedication and the way he could always find time to "have a cup of coffee" with volunteers, associates and partners.
Saul Murcia Manzanares Pulido Rodriguez was born on April 28, 1955, to Florinda and Saul Murcia in Facatativa, a city near Bogota, Colombia. When he was very young his parents bought a small farm near Cachipay. He went to school for the first time when he was eight - as a boarding student at the Colegio Menonita de Cachipay - a school that admitted him and his siblings but whose main purpose was to serve the children of a leper colony in the area.
Murcia studied cooking and hotel management at a technical college in Bogota and then worked on cruise ships for seven years. He graduated from Goshen College with a degree in business management in 1988 and joined Mennonite Volunteer Service as a home repair volunteer in Brownsville, Texas. Soon he was asked to be a local program coordinator for the program, and in 1997, national co-director for Mennonite Volunteer Service. As co-director for MVS, he tirelessly criss-crossed the United States helping volunteers serve in non-profit centers, schools, hospitals and other places.
Saul loved to cook and he loved to play and watch soccer. He was a proud and enthusiastic "soccer dad." He enjoyed listening to his large music collection, especially Colombian vallenato. He belonged to Pilgrims Mennonite Church in Akron, PA, and previously, the Austin (Texas) Mennonite Church, La Iglesia Menonita del Cordero of Brownsville, Texas and La Iglesia Menonita de Teusaquillo in Bogota, Colombia.
Besides his parents, he leaves his wife, Rebecca Thatcher Murcia of Akron; two sons, Gabriel, 9, of Akron and Mario, 8, of Akron; one brother, Edilberto Murcia of Bogota; five sisters, Yury Bernal of Facatativa, Zoraida Moore of Richmond, Canada, Flor Trujillo of Bogota and Eligia Murcia of Washington, DC and many cherished relatives and friends.
A memorial service will be at 4 PM Monday, June 13 at the Akron Mennonite Church. Akron, PA. Burial was Friday afternoon at the Akron Mennonite Church Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to: Colombian Peace Fund, Mennonite Central Committee, Box 500, Akron, PA 17501 or to the charity of the giver's choice.
Lancaster Intelligencer Journal
Saul Murcia, who helped thousands of people and organizations during his career as an administrator with two Mennonite agencies, died on Thursday at his home in Akron. He was 50 and the cause was chondrosarcoma, a rare type of bone cancer.
Murcia was the co-director of the Mennonite Central Committee's Latin America department, supervising staff and programs in his native Colombia, Bolivia, Paraguay, Jamaica, Haiti and other countries. He was loved and admired for his work ethic, his dedication and the way he could always find time to "have a cup of coffee" with volunteers, associates and partners.
Saul Murcia Manzanares Pulido Rodriguez was born on April 28, 1955, to Florinda and Saul Murcia in Facatativa, a city near Bogota, Colombia. When he was very young his parents bought a small farm near Cachipay. He went to school for the first time when he was eight - as a boarding student at the Colegio Menonita de Cachipay - a school that admitted him and his siblings but whose main purpose was to serve the children of a leper colony in the area.
Murcia studied cooking and hotel management at a technical college in Bogota and then worked on cruise ships for seven years. He graduated from Goshen College with a degree in business management in 1988 and joined Mennonite Volunteer Service as a home repair volunteer in Brownsville, Texas. Soon he was asked to be a local program coordinator for the program, and in 1997, national co-director for Mennonite Volunteer Service. As co-director for MVS, he tirelessly criss-crossed the United States helping volunteers serve in non-profit centers, schools, hospitals and other places.
Saul loved to cook and he loved to play and watch soccer. He was a proud and enthusiastic "soccer dad." He enjoyed listening to his large music collection, especially Colombian vallenato. He belonged to Pilgrims Mennonite Church in Akron, PA, and previously, the Austin (Texas) Mennonite Church, La Iglesia Menonita del Cordero of Brownsville, Texas and La Iglesia Menonita de Teusaquillo in Bogota, Colombia.
Besides his parents, he leaves his wife, Rebecca Thatcher Murcia of Akron; two sons, Gabriel, 9, of Akron and Mario, 8, of Akron; one brother, Edilberto Murcia of Bogota; five sisters, Yury Bernal of Facatativa, Zoraida Moore of Richmond, Canada, Flor Trujillo of Bogota and Eligia Murcia of Washington, DC and many cherished relatives and friends.
A memorial service will be at 4 PM Monday, June 13 at the Akron Mennonite Church. Akron, PA. Burial was Friday afternoon at the Akron Mennonite Church Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to: Colombian Peace Fund, Mennonite Central Committee, Box 500, Akron, PA 17501 or to the charity of the giver's choice.
Lancaster Intelligencer Journal
Murcia was the co-director of the Mennonite Central Committee's Latin America department, supervising staff and programs in his native Colombia, Bolivia, Paraguay, Jamaica, Haiti and other countries. He was loved and admired for his work ethic, his dedication and the way he could always find time to "have a cup of coffee" with volunteers, associates and partners.
Saul Murcia Manzanares Pulido Rodriguez was born on April 28, 1955, to Florinda and Saul Murcia in Facatativa, a city near Bogota, Colombia. When he was very young his parents bought a small farm near Cachipay. He went to school for the first time when he was eight - as a boarding student at the Colegio Menonita de Cachipay - a school that admitted him and his siblings but whose main purpose was to serve the children of a leper colony in the area.
Murcia studied cooking and hotel management at a technical college in Bogota and then worked on cruise ships for seven years. He graduated from Goshen College with a degree in business management in 1988 and joined Mennonite Volunteer Service as a home repair volunteer in Brownsville, Texas. Soon he was asked to be a local program coordinator for the program, and in 1997, national co-director for Mennonite Volunteer Service. As co-director for MVS, he tirelessly criss-crossed the United States helping volunteers serve in non-profit centers, schools, hospitals and other places.
Saul loved to cook and he loved to play and watch soccer. He was a proud and enthusiastic "soccer dad." He enjoyed listening to his large music collection, especially Colombian vallenato. He belonged to Pilgrims Mennonite Church in Akron, PA, and previously, the Austin (Texas) Mennonite Church, La Iglesia Menonita del Cordero of Brownsville, Texas and La Iglesia Menonita de Teusaquillo in Bogota, Colombia.
Besides his parents, he leaves his wife, Rebecca Thatcher Murcia of Akron; two sons, Gabriel, 9, of Akron and Mario, 8, of Akron; one brother, Edilberto Murcia of Bogota; five sisters, Yury Bernal of Facatativa, Zoraida Moore of Richmond, Canada, Flor Trujillo of Bogota and Eligia Murcia of Washington, DC and many cherished relatives and friends.
A memorial service will be at 4 PM Monday, June 13 at the Akron Mennonite Church. Akron, PA. Burial was Friday afternoon at the Akron Mennonite Church Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to: Colombian Peace Fund, Mennonite Central Committee, Box 500, Akron, PA 17501 or to the charity of the giver's choice.
Lancaster Intelligencer Journal
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