Arley Dale Loeffler

Arley Dale Loeffler was born on April 20, 1935 in Elbing, KS. He passed away peacefully and surrounded by family on October 17, 2025 at Schowalter Villa in Hesston, KS. Born to Jacob and Marie (Harder) Loeffler, Arley was the youngest of 5 children growing up with sisters Pauline, Edith, and Lillian along with brother, Ervin. Arley attended elementary through high school in Inman, KS, where he was a three-sport letterman in football, track and field, and basketball. He graduated from Inman High School in 1953 and enrolled at Bethel College in Newton, KS. While there, he continued to excel in both basketball and football, and he earned his degree in Industrial Arts with a minor in Physical Education. As the star hoops player on a team with multiple conference championships, Arley was inducted into the Bethel College Hall of Fame in 2001. The entire 1955-56 Thresher Basketball Team was also honored with induction several years later.  

During his time at Bethel, he met the love of his life, Beverly Jean Nachtigal of Buhler, KS. They were married on May 26, 1956 at Hoffnungsau Mennonite Church, Inman, and had two children, Scott and Lisa, both born in Topeka, KS. The family then moved to Reedley, CA where Arley began a highly successful career as a therapist in the mental health field. He initially began working for Kings View Hospital as an Activities Coordinator before earning his master’s degree at Fresno State University as a Metal Health Therapist. Upon his retirement after 29 years of dedicated service at Kings View, the hospital named an entire wing in his honor. Given his many years of experience in therapeutic play therapy with children, Arley was recruited to work for the State of California as a chief consultant for the Early Mental Health Initiative (EMHI). In this capacity, he traveled across the state to help train over 13,000 teachers and specialists to implement a play-therapy process that ultimately helped over 350,000 students. He considered his time at EMHI as his greatest career accomplishment given its wide-spread impact on children in need and their families. 

After retiring for the second and last time, the remaining 20 plus years of Arley’s retirement were spent doing what he greatly enjoyed — extensive reading, landscape painting, designing and making furniture, and spending hours on his lathe crafting beautiful bowls out of all kinds of different hardwoods, which he gifted to his family members and many friends. All of the Loeffler, Habegger, Nachtigal/Butz, and Ellsworth family homes have beautiful paintings and bowls to remember Arley and his love of family. Arley is survived by his two children, Scott, married to Jennifer O'Brien Loeffler (Fresno, CA), and Lisa, married to Eric Habegger (Hesston, KS). He is also survived by six grandchildren: Daniel, married to Casie Mota Loeffer, Laurie Loeffler, DJ married to Alyssa Ellsworth, Anthony married to Maddy Ellsworth, all from Fresno; and Jeffrey and Kelly Habegger from Hesston. He is survived by four great grandchildren: Luke, Diane, Levi and Theodore (Fresno, CA). Arley dearly loved his family and will be missed by us all. He is finally reunited with the love of his life, our mother, Beverly. 

The family would like to express our sincere gratitude to the wonderful staff at Kidron Bethel Village and Showalter Villa Senior Living for their amazing care of our Dad in his last years. He shared with them his wry sense of humor and quick wit until the very end! His memorial service will be held on November 8th in Reedley, CA, and any gifts to celebrate his remembrance may be given to the Bethel College Threshers Athletic Department.