By By MaryClaire Foster
Special to the Standard
Dawn Yoder was known as a humble woman passionate about her faith in God.
Yoder was struck by lightning on the morning of July 6 while taking out the garbage.
She was found unconscious by her son and taken to the hospital. She died Wednesday morning at Springhill Medical Center.
Neighbors of Yoder reported seeing no lightning in the sky that morning. Jack Cullen, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Mobile said Yoder’s death was “fairly rare,” but the lightning strike despite the lack of obvious storm activity was not.
Yoder is the 23rd lightning strike fatality in the continental U.S. this year.
In a statement the family said of Yoder, “our amazing, mother, wife, daughter has been declared brain dead by two doctors, with her EEG showing no activity.
Carl Martin, pastor of Mennonite Christian Fellowship where Dawn attended church, said the donation of her organs is true to her character.
Martin also spoke of Yoder’s strong commitment to her faith.
Faith Gehman attended church with Yoder and said Yoder was an encourager to those she came in contact with.
Gehman said besides Yoder’s passion for her faith, she also loved flowers,
herbs and being outside. Gehman said while Yoder was a quiet person she also
knew how to have fun.
?One of my favorite memories was when she would get silly and start
laughing,Ç she said.
In closing their statement, the family wrote, ?We will miss her, but we know
she is in God?s protective care, and we want to praise Him for his
faithfulness. I this with tears in my eyes, but with joy in my heart as
Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his saints. And she
definitely received ?Well done, thou faithful servant, enter thou into the
joy of the Lord. She is free at last!?Ç
Yoder is survived by her husband, Dr. Jon E. Yoder; sons, Robert and
Stephen; daughters, Kristin and Amber; parents Ethan J. and Shirley B. Good
of Macon, Miss. and four sisters along with numerous other friends and
family members.