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Fast, Marie K. (1901-1945)
Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 17 May 1945 p. 1
Birth date: 1901
text of obituary:
Dr. H. A. Fast and family of North Newton, as well as their many friends here, were saddened last week when word was received that his sister, Miss Marie K. Fast, a member of the Mennonite relief workers' staff in Egypt, is missing somewhere in the Middle East.
According to the cabled message received through UNRRA, Miss Fast and Dr. Richard Yoder of the El Shatt relief station were on a steamer bound for Greece with a group of Yugoslav refugees who were being repatriated to their homeland. As far as is known an explosion occurred somewhere en route, about which, however, complete details are at this time still unknown.
According to subsequent word, Dr. Yoder is safe and it is hoped that further messages will also report the safety of Miss Fast. She has been in overseas relief work under the Mennonite Central Committee for more than a year.
Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 24 May 1945 p. 1, 5
text of obituary:
First Hand Report of Tragedy at Sea
(EDITOR'S NOTE: Mennonite circles were saddened last week at the report that Miss Marie Fast, MCC worker in the Middle East, was listed as missing as result of a tragedy at sea. The following details of the incident were recently prapared [sic] by Dr. G. Richard Yoder for the Mennonite Central Committee. The date of the letter containing this report was May 5 and the place of mailing, Italy. The Central Committee suggests that it might be well to remember that all reports to date have indicated that Miss Fast has been missing and have held out a slight hope that she may have been rescued or found. — M. S.)
Having been the only other Mennonite representative on board the ill-fated ship which was sunk on the night of May 1 and 2 it becomes my very solemn and sad duty to report to you in some detail concerning the circumstances which relate to that incident and resulted in the tragic loss of one of our numbers — Marie Fast.
You will, no doubt, have long since received the sad news via cable by the time this reaches you, and I am hoping that this letter may come through in much shorter time than any I could send from Egypt. It is now mare that 84 hours since our ship was hit by a high explosive and there is still no news or information from Marie and one other passenger with whom Marie was last seen after both had been thrown into the water during the lowering of their life boat. There is, therefore, only the very faintest hope that they may still be alive. Not only will she be a real loss to her family and hosts of friends but also to us her co-workers and to the cause which we represent. She will be mourned by all far and near. The remaining passengers and the ship's crew and staff fell deeply in this great tragedy and sorrow.
Marie and I, together with four other U. N. R. R. A. personnel, had just completed a special assignment to Yugoslavia. It had been a unique and thoroughly pleasant experience in many ways. Marie had specially volunteered for this assignment and had given herself wholeheartedly in carrying out her duties. She had told me how much she valued the experience and of her earnest desire to have another similar opportunity in the future. It had been my first time to work with Marie and I found her a quiet, unassuming and pleasant person always congenial, hard working never complaining and thoroughly conscientious. The loss of Marie has come as a great shock and especially since others of us here might have shared a like tragedy. I praise God for his deliverance and watchful care over all those of us who have survived.
The accident occurred shortly before 2:00 A. M. during a cloudy and somewhat stormy night. The seas were running fairly high with occasional small breakers and very great waves. The difficulties of launching lifeboats successfully was considerable. Most of those on board were suddenly awakened by the great noise of the explosion and by the violent trembling of the ship. For a few seconds I lay quietly in my bunk not being able to realize what had happened. But when the alarm bell rang I was up. I remember grabbing my bathrobe and life-jacket and running out of my cabin. But I am not certain whether I went on deck immediately and returned to my cabin for a heavy coat, trousers, cap, shoes, flashlight and fountain pen, or whether I only went part way and then returned. After having grabbed these things I ran up to the promenade deck where there seemed to be considerable confusion. Already the ship had listed by about 20 degrees and then quickly straightened herself.
When I got on deck I thought of Marie and the other American Nurse, the only two ladies on board. They were on the opposite side of the ship from my cabin and I asked others if the ladies had been seen on deck. No one, had so the second steward and I rushed to see if they had been aroused from their cabins. We found the cabins deserted, and knowing the ladies were already on deck and were no doubt being looked after, we hurried back to our side of the ship. Some of the boats were already being lowered and several of the scrambled over the rail and climbed into the one which was next to be let down. There was some difficulty in letting her down and all on board were ordered back on deck while she was chopped free. We scrambled on a second time and were gradually lowered to the running seas. Again there was difficulty in getting her free free from the ship but fortunately the hook holding her automatically broke and with great effort the crew on board managed to push her farther out and prevent the tossing sea from smashing us to pieces or onto a second lifeboat or from capsizing and throwing us into the water.
The night was dark. It was impossible to make out any details of outline beyond a few yards. There was a swift current from front to aft of the main ship. This carried all boats past the stern and beyond. It was impossible to prevent drifting with the current. The only thing possible was to keep the life-boat heading into the great waves to prevent her from capsizing. To do this someone had to man the oars constantly. After an unpleasant seven hours our lifeboat reached the shore and we landed in the water rather dramatically as our boat was being dashed upon the rocks. Very fortunately no one was seriously injured and the thirty-three of us in this life boat were able to reach a village unaided after approximately a mile's walk.
The details relating to Marie I can only give you second-had from the U. N. R. R. A. officer who is our leader and who was present and assisted the two ladies during the ship's evacuation. As I have heard it told the two nurses climbed down the rope ladder to enter a life boat which was already in the water. Before Marie had a chance to enter someone had cut her boat free from the main ship and it drifted quickly away. Marie reclimbed the ladder and was seen on the deck again in a matter of seconds or half a minute. So the officer assisted her into a life boat (together with a British officer) which was immediately opposite the deck rail.
Someone on the upper boat deck immediately began lowering this lifeboat but before it was half way to the water one end suddenly fell free thus hurling both bodies into the sea. Both had their life-jackets on and both were seen again on the surface of the water. No one heard Marie speak. No one knows if she may have been seriously injured during the fall but the British officer returned an answer back to the officer on the deck saying that he was all right. He was the type very calm and self-possessed and he seemed assured when he spoke from the water. He was seen floating by the side of Marie practically hand in hand as the swift current carried them sternward and on into the darkness.
Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 21 Jun 1945 p. 1
Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 9 Aug 1945 p. 1, 5