MIDDLEBURY [mdash] Esther E. Bontrager, 91, of Middlebury, died at 6:40 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 11, at her residence. She was born Jan. 17, 1934, in LaGrange County, to Eli and Katie (Bontrager) Herschberger. On May 12, 1957, in Goshen, she married Elmer Leroy Bontrager. He died Feb. 21, 2020. Surviving are two sons, Richard (Ella) Bontrager of Topeka, Lamar (Joanna) Bontrager of Wolcottville; three daughters, Bertha (James) Hershberger of Summersville, Kentucky, Laura Bontrager of Middlebury, Gloria (Galen) Nissley of Millersburg; daughter-in-law, Martha (Reuben) Yoder of Crossville, Tennessee; 26 grandchildren; 47 great-grandchildren; six step-grandchildren; eight step-great-grandchildren; brother, Daniel (Orpha) Hershberger of Wakarusa; brother-in-law, Elmer (Sara Viola) Gingerich of Mountain View, Arkansas; sister-in-law, Susie Hershberger of LaGrange. She was preceded in death by her husband; son, Galen Bontrager; three siblings, Fannie (Chris) Miller, Henry Hershberger, and Lavina Gingerich. Esther was a homemaker and a member of Rosewood Fellowship Church. She enjoyed sewing, crocheting, piecing quilts together, and making bread. She also loved tending to her flowers and garden and mowing her grass, which she last did on June 30 of this year. Visitation was from 5-8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13, and 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 14, at Rosewood Fellowship Church, 5705 N. 900 West, Shipshewana. Funeral services were held at 10 a.m. Monday, Sept. 15, also at the church. Services were conducted by the Rosewood Fellowship Ministry Team. Burial site is in South Haven Cemetery, Millersburg. Miller-Stewart Funeral Home, Middlebury, is assisting the family with arrangements.