Gerber, Lena (1882-1970)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1970 Apr 23 p. 6

Birth date: 1882

text of obituary:

Long-Time Missionary To Northern China Dies in Indiana

Pandora, Ohio. — Miss Lena Gerber, 88, a missionary to China for more than 30 years and former resident of this community, died April 11 at the Crow Nursing Home in Fort Wayne, Ind.

A native of Switzerland, Miss Gerber came to this community with her parents and seven brothers and sisters in 1891. As a young woman she worked in an orphanage near Cleveland and took training in a hospital there. After receiving further training at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, she left in 1911 for Honan [sic Henan] Province in North China. There she served on the staff of the China Mennonite Mission as a representative of the Missionary Church Association. Her work included teaching in an orphanage and translating and compiling of Chinese textbooks. She continued on the field until 1947.

A brother Adolph of Detroit, Mich., nieces and nephews are the only survivors.