Harms, Ferena Wutrich (1876-1953)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1953 May 21 p. 6

Birth date: 1876 Aug 19

text of obituary:

—Funeral services for Mrs. Ferena Harms, 76, pioneer resident of Butler and Harvey counties, were to be held Thursday afternoon at the Gnadenberg church, in charge of Rev. J. A. Dirks and Rev. Herbert Miller. Mrs. Harms passed away Monday afternoon at Bethel Deaconess hospital after being a patient there for over two years. She came to this country from her native Switzerland in 1876 with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Wuthrich. They settled on a farm near Whitewater. She was married to Peter J. Harms in 1901, and the family home had been in Harvey county since that time. Surviving are eight children and five stepchildren. A daughter, Mrs. Willard Claassen, resides in Newton.

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Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1953 Jun 18 p. 9

text of obituary:

FERENA (WUTRICH) HARMS

Ferena (Wutrich) Harms, wife of the late Peter J. Harms, was born August 19, 1876 in Canton Berne, Switzeralnd[sic]. She came to America at the age of five years with her parents John and Witmer Wutrich alond [sic] with one brother and four sisters. Another brother was born in America soon after they came here. They settled near Whitewater, Kansas where Mrs. Harms, after receiving baptism in the year 1889, became an active member in the Swiss Mennonite church.

She was united in marriage on September 16, 1901 to the late Peter J. Harms who departed this life about four years ago. Together with her late husband, Mrs. Harms was an active member of the Gnadenberg (Grace Hill) Mennonite church, and very definitely consecrated to the Christian way of life.

She had the difficult task of being the mother of 14 children, six of whom she adopted as her very own when she accepted the joys and responsibilities of matrimony. Her life was characterized by a quiet, patient spirit and a deep sense of devotion to God. She was especially interested in missions and gave herself freely to the ministry of prayer.

As the result of a general arthritic condition she became partially paralyzed in December of 1950 and since that time has been bedfast and hospitalized with much pain and suffering until her departure at 1:45 pm. on Monday, May 18, 1953. At the time of her departure she had attained the age of 76 years, eight months, and 19 days.

Surviving are four sons, Leonard of Salem, Oregon, Nathan of Wichita, ans., John of Augusta, Kans., and Alvin, Whitewater, Kans.; four daughters, Martha (Mrs. J. W. Bergen) of Goltry, Okla, Esther (Mrs. Erwin K. Penner), Durham, Kans., Dorothy (Mrs. Herman Penner), Hillsboro, Kans., and Justina (Mrs. Willard Claassen), Newton, Kans.; five step-children, Adolph of Newton, Kans., Sam, Fredonia, Kans., Emma (Mrs. William Zarneke) of La Mesa, Calif., Agnes (Mrs. Chris Stephens) of El Cajon, Calif., Agatha (Mrs. Pete Reimer) of Beatrice, Nebraska; also 28 grandchildren and eight great grandchildren; one brother, Fred Wutrich of Whitewater; and one sister, Anna Wutrich of Marysville, Missouri.

Servant of God, well done! Thy glorious warfare’s past; The battle’s fought, the race is won. And thou art crowned at last. — Chas. Wesley

The Mennonite obituary: 1953 Jul 28 p. 464

Note: The GRANDMA listing is: Verena W. Wuthrich #326564

      Find-a-Grave Ferena F. Wuthrich Harms  Memorial ID 6479729