Bertha Christina Eskam Mintle's Obituary
Longtime resident, seventeen years, at The Estates at Carpenters, 1001 Carpenters Way, Lakeland, Florida, passed into the presence of her Lord on Monday, January 15, 2018, at the age of 92 lacking 26 days.
She was born at the farm home of her parents, John and Christina Eskam, with Dr. Mitchell in attendance, in Minatare, Nebraska, on Monday, February 8, 1926. She was the third of five children born into the Eskam family, before her father passed away prematurely at the age of 39.
At the age of seven, she was struck by an automobile in front of the country school she attended. Despite the clean tibia break of her left leg, she fully recovered without scars or limp. It was noted as a miracle of survival since she was thrown an estimated 100 feet ahead of the car which then ran over her prone body, without the wheels touching her.
Bertha, better known as Bea, was preceded in death by her father, John Eskam, Jr., who was born in Constantinovka, Russia. His passing left his widow with four young children plus baby, Reiny. Preceding Bea in death were her son Nathan Mintle, her mother, Christina Eskam Eckhart Meier, born in Holstein, Russia; by her older brother Theodore, older sister Emma Bolzer, younger brother John Eskam.
She is survived by her husband Harold Mintle and three remaining offspring and their spouses and their offspring. Dr. Norman Mintle, and wife, Dr. Linda, along with their son Matt, his wife Stephanie and their daughter Kaitlyn. Daughter Marlyce, her husband Michael Johnson and sons Christopher (wife Paula) and children Davin, Alvin, Alysha, and Danyl. Their daughter Christina and husband Nathan Crowell and their daughter Isabel, sons Ethan, Collin and Liam. Their son Corey and wife Sabrina and children Elijah, Moriah and Kylah; Son Marcus (Marc) Mintle along with his son, Marcus and daughter, Alexandra; also by her youngest brother, Reinholdt (Reiny) Eskam, his wife Patti, and sons of Scottsbluff, Nebraska plus her Sister-in-law Irene Eskam of Gering, Nebraska.
Bea’s new birth came when she encountered her Savior as a senior in High School at the age of 18. Her life took a decided change for the greater glory. Later she met her lifetime companion in an Assemblies of God Church in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. She was proud to say that God had arranged the marriage which resulted in her union with Harold Mintle on Monday, January 23, 1950.
The children of this happy couple were four. Norman Mintle, now in Lynchburg, Virginia, Marlyce Johnson of Charles City, Virginia, Nathan, deceased in March 2010, and Marcus (Marc) of Dallas, Texas. Bea and husband lived to have ten grandchildren, and eight great grandchildren come into the family.
Bea attended a missionary Bible college for three semesters, before she and her husband Harold, were called into fulltime ministry in 1950. She assisted her husband to attend Bible College in Minnesota before they began their pastoral services in two Nebraska churches. From there, they both served at their denominational headquarters, before being given the privilege of serving the Lord they loved, as fulltime foreign missionaries, beginning in 1960 and for the following 42 years.
Their areas of world service included, Costa Rica, for language preparations, Honduras, for two terms of residence ministry, five years in Argentina and two years in Ecuador. Their mission transferred them in 1980, to Life Publishers in South Florida for mission literature operations, where Bea evaluated scripts for translation into Spanish and other languages.
In 1986, at the time of the explosion of the spacecraft, Challenger, Bea and her husband transferred to Central Florida for Spanish Television and Radio mission ministry (STAR). They located in Plant City, Florida where she and her husband served in the STAR ministries work of producing and shipping video productions for children in Spanish to all Latin American countries and Spain.
When STAR Ministries was moved to mission headquarters in Missouri, the Mintles transferred to HealthCare Ministries, (HCM), located in Lakeland, Florida. There, Bea accompanied her husband on seven OF 18 medical mission trips he led to Latin American and other countries. She worked with pharmacy, handing out and explaining in Spanish the use of the free medications that had been prescribed for each patient. Their varied ministries with HCM continued for nine years before that ministry was also transferred to the Assemblies of God Headquarters.
The final mission assignment for Bea and husband was to return to the reopened STAR Ministries at Durant, Florida, for the final two years of the forty-two active foreign missions years of service they shared together of their nearly 68 years of ministry.
In the year 2000, the couple moved into the continuing care community of The Estates at Carpenters in Lakeland, Florida. There they participated in various ministry activities for all of their and her remaining years. She was known as the “hat lady” both at Victory Assembly of God and at The Estates at Carpenters chapel services. She was also known as a friend with a beautiful smile and a fervent prayer warrior for anyone in need.
Her passing leaves a huge hole in the hearts of many, especially her loving husband, who wrote and posted on their kitchen cabinets poems of love written to her at many occasions. She saved them all. Now she is happily in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ as Scripture declares, ‘to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.’
Visitation will be Friday, January 19, 2018 from 1-2 pm at Victory Church's Chapel, followed by funeral services at 2 pm at the church. Interment will be at Serenity Gardens.
What’s your fondest memory of Bertha?
What’s a lesson you learned from Bertha?
Share a story where Bertha's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Bertha you’ll never forget.
How did Bertha make you smile?
