Roger Youderian
| Roger Youderian | |
|---|---|
Roger Youderian
|
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| Born |
January 21, 1924 Sumatra, Montana |
| Died | January 8, 1956 (aged 31) Curaray River, Ecuador |
| Nationality | American |
| Education |
Montana State College (1941–43) Northwestern Schools (1946–50) |
| Occupation |
U.S. Army soldier (1943–46) Missionary (1953–56) |
| Spouse(s) | Barbara Youderian |
| Children | 2 |
Roger Youderian (January 21, 1924 – January 8, 1956) was an American evangelical Christian missionary to Ecuador who, along with four others, was killed while attempting to evangelize the Huaorani people through efforts known as Operation Auca.
Youderian was born in Sumatra, Montana, of Armenian descent. He contracted polio at the age of nine, crippling him slightly. He overcame the effects of the disease during high school, making it possible for him to play basketball. After graduating from Fergus High School in Lewistown, Montana in 1941, he attended Montana State College (now Montana State University) until he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1943.
As a paratrooper stationed in England, he assisted an Army chaplain and eventually became an evangelical Christian. In 1944, he participated in the Rhine jump and the Battle of the Bulge, and then returned to Montana in 1946.
Youderian was a member of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Lewistown, Montana and played the piano for the church.
Youderian entered Northwestern College near Minneapolis, Minnesota, by this time having been called to the mission field. There he studied Christian education and met Barbara Orton. Youderian graduated from Northwestern College in 1950. He and Orton married in 1951, and they applied to be missionaries with the nondenominational mission board Gospel Missionary Union. Upon being accepted, they underwent training for six months in Kansas City in preparation for their work in Ecuador.
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