Eitzen, Marie (1896-1964)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1964 Jan 30 p. 8

Birth date: 1896 Oct 16

text of obituary:

MARIE EITZEN

Marie, daughter of Peter and Elizabeth Flaming Eitzen, was born Oct. 16, 1896, on a farm in Watonwan County, southwest of Butterfield, Minn.

At the age of six she enrolled in a country school near the farm homestead. When she was 12 years old, the Eitzen family moved to Mt. Lake and she enrolled in the public school from which she graduated in the spring of 1917. The following year she attended Mankato Teachers College and received a permit to teach in ungraded country schools.

She taught country school for several years and then interrupted her teaching career for one year to complete a two year course at Teachers College. This qualified her to teach in graded schools. After teaching several years in Balaton and Jeffers, Minn., she accepted a position in the Sioux City, Iowa Public schools in 1928. For 33 years she faithfully discarged her duties as sixth grade tacher at Whittier Elementary School, retiring in 1962. She attended evening classes and summer school at Morningside College in Sioux City to complete the requirements for the Bachelor of Arts degree.

During the summer of 1917, upon confession of her faith, she was baptized by Elder H. H. Regier and became a faithful member of the Bethel Mennonite Church in Mt. Lake.

Marie never married, and being the youngest of a large family, she was always closely attached to her brothers and sisters. She also took a parental interest in her many nieces and nephews whom she loved as her own family. She was a devout Christian which was manifested by her living testimony and by her many charitble deeds.

During the Christmas holidays, while on a trip to California to visit relatives and friends, she became ill. Immediately upon her arrival home on Jan. 8 she was admitted in Bethel Hospital where she passed away on Jan. 11. The cause of her death was double pneumonia with heart complications. She rached the age of 67 years, two months, and 25 days.

She leaves to mourn her departure two brothers, Jacob F. of Mt. Lake and Henry P. of Bakersfield, Calif.; three sisters, Elizabeth, Mrs. D. H. Fast, Margaret, Mrs. H. D. Esau, and Anna, Mrs. D. D. Schultz, all of Mt. Lake; also four sisters-in-law, two brothers-in-law, many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, eight brothers and two sisters.

Funeral services were conducted Jan. 14 at the Bethel Mennonite Church by Rev. Albert Gaeddert and Rev. Cornelius Tieszen.

The Mennonite obituary: 1964 Feb 25 p. 122