Janzen, Zola Lants (1895-1979)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 19 Apr 1979 p. 7; 3

Birth date: 1895

text of obituary:

Prominent Hillsboro Woman Dies at 83

Hillsboro, Kan. -- Zola Janzen, a former staff member at Tabor College and wife of former Tabor president A. E. Janzen, died Apr. 13 at the age of 83. Services were held at the Hillsboro MB Church with David Clark, Vernon Wiebe and Roy Just officiating

During her husband's term as Tabor president, Mrs. Janzen served as an adviser and counselor in students' activities. She also contributed material to Mennonite Brethren Sunday school quarterlies.

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 3 May 1979 p. 11

text of obituary:

ZOLA LANTS JANZEN

Zola (Mrs. A. E.) Janzen, Hillsboro, Kan., was born May 25, 1895 at Dodge City, Kan., the oldest child of Virgil and Hazel (Weagley) Lants. Her mother later was married to ElHanan Brunk.

She died Apr. 10, 1979, having reached the age of 83.

She grew up in the Dodge City, Kan. and Exeter, Mo. communities. At the age of 20 she came to know Christ as Savior and was baptized and received into the Baptist church at Liberal, Kan. in 1915

She received the last years of her grade school education in Exeter, after which she moved to the home of her aunt in western Kansas to attend the Teacher's Institute and to take the examination to qualify for a teaching position. She then taught school in Ford County, Kansas for two years.

In the fall of 1915 she enrolled in Salt City Business College, Hutchinson, and after six months of training did secretarial work in Liberal and Hutchinson.

During her attendance at the business college she met A. E. Janzen. A year later, on Dec. 24, 1917, they were married. Together they established their home in Hillsboro, Kan., where Mr. Janzen was an instructor in the economics department of Tabor college while he pursued his college studies.

Upon moving to Hillsboro, Mrs. Janzen became a member of the Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church by church letter, and remained a faithful member until her death.

Always interested in intellectual matters, she enrolled at Tabor College part-time and completed the academy course of study in 1922. She then continued her college education at Tabor and later at Friends University in Wichita.

Having become a part of the Tabor student body, she found a great challenge n working on student committees and activities. later, during her husband's administration as president of Tabor, she served as an adviser and counselor in the women students' activities.

She also enjoyed teaching the women's Sunday school classes at the Hillsboro church and writing illustrations for the MB Sunday school quarterly for many years. After her husband entered MB mission administration in 1945, she delighted din carrying on a fellowship correspondence with missionaries all over the world until 1969, when a light stroke disrupted this ministry.

She always enjoyed good health until rheumatoid arthritis attacked here knees. After 1969 she was confined to a wheel chair, which removed her from the stream of activity in which she had been living.

Her greatest sorrow came when she and her husband lost their son Philip, who died at the age of 35 in 1968, just one year after he and his wife Ilda Fay had done much to help their parents celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary.

Also preceding her in death were two brothers and her parents. She is survived by her husband; one daughter-in-law, Ilda Fay Janzen of Sacramento, Calif.; and two half-brothers and their wives, Mr. and Mrs. John D. Brunk of La Canada, Calif., and Mr. and Mrs. Alan Brunk of Milwaukie, Ore.; and one half-sister and her husband, Mary and John Erny of Sterling, Kan.