Jantzi, Robert W. (1927-2004)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 2004 Dec 13 p. 12

Birth date: 1927 May 1

text of obituary:

ROBERT W. JANTZI

Robert W. Jantzi, 77, of Albany, Ore., died Nov. 12, 2004. He was born May 1, 1927, to Royden B. and Anna (Gascho) Jantzi in Wood River, Neb.

His mother died when he was 7. When his father married again two years later, the family moved to the Albany area. After attending school in Tangent, he began working at age 16 in the John Glaser Seed Farms warehouse.

He was a charter member of Plainview Mennonite Church. He enjoyed the outdoors and loved fishing, hunting, camping and spending time with his grandchildren.

He married Doris Elaine Oswald on Aug. 21, 1949, at Fairview Mennonite Church. They moved to the Plainview area outside of Shedd, where they owned and operated a seed farm and warehouse. She preceded him in death in December 1987.

He married Anne (Scheffel) Smucker on Feb. 10, 1990, in Vancouver, Wash. They moved to Lebanon in August 1991, where they became active in Lebanon Mennonite Church, and he enjoyed gardening. They moved to Albany's Mennonite Village in March 2003.

Survivors include his wife, Anne; four children, Randall and his wife, Arlene, of Lebanon, Roberta Egli and her husband, Lynn, of Corvallis, Scott and his wife, Rhoda, of Salem, and Tami Jantzi of Wiesbaden, Germany; a daughter-in-law, Theresa Jantzi of Davenport, Iowa; stepchildren June and Tony Handrich of Salem, and Ray and Val Smucker of Oregon City; three sisters, Shirley Boshart of Shedd, Ruth Schlabach of Abbotsford, B.C., and Caroline Wolfer of Tangent; four brothers, Roland of Lebanon, John of Silentz, Leo of Edmonton, Alta., and Bill of Albany; 16 grandchildren and a great-grandson.

He was preceded in death by his first wife, Doris; a son, Curtis, in February 2003; and by stillborn daughters Sharon and Debra.

Funeral services were held at Lebanon Mennonite Church. Burial was in Fairview Mennonite Cemetery.