Funeral Services for Wolfhard & Irene Touchard

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Wolfhard Touchard, 87, of Berrien Springs, fell asleep in Jesus on Feb. 5, 2023, after a brief illness.

Wolfhard was born June 30, 1935, to Wilhelm and Elsa (Zanke) Touchard in Stuttgart, Germany. He attended Bismarck Schule in Nurnberg, Schulzentrum Marienhohe in Darmstadt, Germany, and then moved to America to attend Atlantic Union College and Syracuse University, where he graduated with a Masters in Library Science.

Wolfhard worked as a librarian at Shenandoah Valley Academy; Middle East University in Beirut, Lebanon; University of Eastern Africa Baraton in Kenya, East Africa; and Andrews University.

During his time at AUC he met and married Irene Vandulek on July 3, 1966. They had two children, Erika (Donald) Kissinger and John (Maria) Touchard; and four grandchildren: Samantha (Michael) Gusky, Phillip Kissinger, DeAnna Touchard and John-Mark Touchard.

After retirement he enjoyed spending time with family and friends, yardwork, sharing his faith and knowledge on spiritual gifts, and his music.

Wolfhard was predeceased by his wife, Irene Touchard; his parents; and his sister, Eva Euerl.

Services for Irene and Wolfhard will be held at Allred Funeral Home on Feb. 18, 2023, with visitation from 3–5 p.m. and a Memorial Service at 5 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to 3ABN, a mission organization that Wolfhard and Irene supported. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy for the Touchard family may be shared at www.allredfuneralhome.com.

Below is a tribute shared by James White Library:

Tribute for Wolfhard Touchard

Our condolences to you: Erika, John, and your families. This must be a difficult time for all of you with the loss of your mom a year ago, and now your dad. May you feel God’s loving arms around you during this time of grief. We look forward to the time when we shall all meet our loved ones at the trumpet sound and gather together at the feet of Him who came to save us.

Wolfhard worked at the James White Library at Andrews University for many years. Thank you for sharing your dad with us through his service and friendships. We have many memories of him that we would like to share. We recall how he always came to work impeccably dressed in suit and tie. He kept his office organized and neat. Although he could be tough and firm, he could also be humorous and light-hearted. His favorite expression was “How sweet it is!” which he would say any time there was something worthy of praise, thanks, etc. His larger-than-life personality could be heard in his laughter. He was easy to approach as he had a way of making people comfortable; he also took the time to listen carefully. Although he was very knowledgeable, he stayed humble and displayed no air of superiority.

As a reference librarian, he was patron centered—both doors to his office were always open and he welcomed anyone who had a question. He was in his office by the time the library opened its doors in the morning. In appreciation for a satisfying reference encounter with Wolfhard, a patron gave him a plant that now stands tall in the reference room. He designed web-based guides for school libraries and small churches that people referred to and asked for long after he retired.

As a database librarian, he kept accurate records of the databases accessed by the library; he took the time to notify and train the reference personnel of any upcoming databases. This was his way of preparing the staff to be comfortable in teaching the patrons how to use the new databases.

As a collection development librarian, he was passionate about developing the seminary collection, particularly with regards to resources that dealt with witnessing. His student employee had always been amazed at Wolfhard’s expertise in determining how much shifting needed to be done to the books on the shelves to make room for new book arrivals.

Because of his previous experience with other libraries, he continued to pursue his interest in and burden for school libraries. He chaired the School Library Section of the Association of Seventh-day Adventist Librarians and took the job seriously regardless of the number of people registered for the school librarians’ sessions during the association’s annual conferences. During retirement, he traveled outside the state of Michigan to volunteer his services to SDA school libraries for weeks and months at a time.

Wolfhard’s interests went beyond librarianship. He never lost his focus on Christ. He was interested in witnessing, and he enjoyed discussing and sharing his thoughts during morning worship and in Sabbath School. He also found joy in working with the youth of the church, especially when the activities involved music. At one time, he teamed up with some young people in the making of a music CD and invited them to his house for fun and games. Because of his love for music, he would take every opportunity to make music with his trumpet. When I came back after a long leave, he welcomed me back with a solo performance on his trumpet. Calligraphy was another interest of his and a talent which he did not hesitate to share with others. I treasure a present he gave me many years ago--a framed Bible verse which he handwrote in calligraphy. There may be other interests not listed here, but we can truly say that Wolfhard used his talents, interest, etc. for the glory of God. James White Library has been blessed by his service.

Cynthia Mae Helms, on behalf of the James White Library