- Arts
-
- JC Chasez from N’SYNC. Declared Mennonite
faith on Larry King Live. Link Link
- Rembrandt, artist. Had connections to Mennonite
church, perhaps was a member. Link
- Brian Doerksen, worship leader. Graduated from
Mennonite Educational Institute. Link
- Homer Simpson is Mennonite. Matt Groening,( the
creator of the Simpsons)'s father was raised Mennonite, and based
Homer on him. Link
- Lois Smith, who acted in Grapes of Wrath, Minority
report, and more has Mennonite roots. Link
- Brendan Fehr of TV show Roswell, and Final Destination.
Strict Mennonite youth and is practicing. Link
Link
- Miriam Toews, author.
Link
- Graham Kerr, started “The Galloping Gourmet.”
Link
- Evangeline Lilly, actor. Played Kate in TV series
"Lost". Grew up Mennonite and Baptist in Western Canada.
Link
- Steven Sweet, drummer for Warrant. Grew up in in
First Mennonite Church of Wadsworth, Ohio. Email
from church pastor
- Paul Janz, hit song of "Leaving LA",
with his band Deliverance in the 1980's, and currently a very popular
Canadian singer with songs that frequent the Canadian Charts. Link
- John Denver, singer. His grandparents were from
a Mennonite colony in Ekaterinoslav, Russia. Link
- Matt Thiessen, lead singer of Reliant K. Link
- Edith Weins, Soprano opera singer. Link
- Philip Ens, opera singer. Cousin confirmed. Link
- Ben Hoeppner- opera singer. Confirmed by former classmate
- Nathan Wiley - drummer for Canadian band Stabilo. Confirmed by former classmate
- Dan Gardner, winner of the Today Show Superstar competition. Link
- Daniel Charles, former NPR reporter and author, is a Mennonite from Washington, DC. Link
- Sports
-
- Dan Snyder was a NHL player for Atlanta Thrashers.
One of his teammates was driving a car too fast and killed him last
year. He was a Mennonite from Ontario. Link
- Dan Kreider, played for Pittsburgh Steelers. Grew
up Mennonite.
- Larry Sheets, played for Orioles, Tigers, and
Mariners. Attended Eastern Mennonite. Link
- Floyd Landis, bicyclist. Grew up Mennonite in
Lancaster County, PA. Rode with Lance Armstrong’s team in Tour
de France. Link
- Robin Regehr plays hockey for the Calgary Flames.
He grew up in Brazil and Indonesia as the Child of Mennonite Missionaries.
Link
- Jeff Hostetler, NFL quarterback, is Mennonite.
Link
- Cindy Klassen, Olympic athlete, Torino 2006 "Woman
of the Games." Link
- Eric Fehr, Hockey player for Hershey Bears. His
former coach emailed me.
- Dustin Penner, hockey player for Anaheim Ducks.
Family friend emailed me.
- Brent Krahn, hockey player, Calgary Flames draft
pick. Family friend emailed me.
- John Pankratz, former BC Lions Foofball Player. Family friend says, "John grew up in Vancouver, attended and was baptized at the First United Mennonite Church, Vancouver BC." Also confirmed by email from cousin.
- Jeff Friesen- hockey player. Confirmed by former classmate
- Tommy Herr, former Major League baseball player, had Mennonite grandparents, if not parents. He's from Lancaster County.Link
- Rebecca Martin, opera singer. Attended Goshen College. Link
- Politics
-
- Dwight Eisenhower, former President of USA. His
mother was a strong pacifist, actually River Brethren (very similar
to Mennonite). Link
Link
- First Lady of Paraguay, Maria Gloria Penayo de Duarte Frutos.
Grew up Roman Catholic, joined Mennonite Brethren Church. Children
all attend Mennonite Church. Link
(also of interest, the President of Paraguay appointed four Mennonites
to this cabinet).
- Other
-
- Milton Hershey, founder of Hershey Chocolates.
His father was Mennonite. I’m not sure, but I think I read in
Reader’s Digest that his mother was also Mennonite. Link
Link
- Major Dick Winters from Band of Brothers grew
up Mennonite. Link
- J.L. Kraft- founder of Kraft cheese. Had Mennonite
parents. Link
- Orie J. Eigsti, developed seedless watermelon.
Attended Goshen College, member of College Mennonite church in Goshen.
Link
- William Rittenhouse. First Mennonite minister in America and the first
papermaker in America.Link Link
Link
- Erie Sauder, founder of Sauder Woodworking, one
of US’s largest furniture maker was Mennonite. Link
- Owen Gingerich is a senior astronomer emeritus
at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. He graduated from Goshen
College. Link
- Greg Brennamen, current CEO of Burger King, former
CEO of Continental, was raised Mennonite in Hesston, Kansas. Link
- Joseph B. Martin, Dean of Harvard Medical School.
Grew up Mennonite, graduated from EMU, attends Mennonite
Congregation of Boston. Link
Link
Link.
- JM Smucker, founder of the JM Smucker Company,
maker of Jams, Jellies, Jif, Crisco and Pillsbury dry-mixes, grew
up Amish Mennonite at Oak Grove Mennonite Church, and was key in founding
Orrville Mennonite Church. His daughter, Wilma Good, donated some
of the family's money toward building Goshen College's library. Also
helped start Mennonite Mutual Insurance Company. (Note: some of this
entry is anecdotal) Link
- Gordon D. Kaufman, Mallinckrodt Professor of Divinity Emeritus at Harvard University, is a Mennonite from Kansas.Link
I'm looking for proof on the following people. If you have proof these
people were Mennonite, email
me.
- Dyan
Cannon-actor. Mention in Mennonite Herald.
- Gary Unger-hockey
- Dave Shultz- hockey
- Ted Warkentin- Canadian football
- Rick Klassen- Canadian football
- Rick Goltz- Canadian football
- Phyllis Diller- comedian, graduated from Bluffton College
- Todd Yoder- football
- Laurie Koehn- WNBA player, from Hesston, Kansas.
- Jeff Shantz- NFL
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