Lachenmaier, Bertha Hoff (1896-1969)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1969 Nov 27 p. 11

Birth date: 1896 Jun 26

text of obituary:

BERTHA HOFF LACHENMAIER

Bertha Hoff Lachenmaier, daughter of Ludwig and Magdalene Pheiffer Hoff, was born on June 26, 1896, at Eureka, S. D. Here she spent her childhood days. In her early childhood she accepted Christ as her Savior and showed great interest in serving Him with a dedicated life.

On March 9, 1916, she was married to John Lachenmaier at Eureka. This union which lasted 53 years and seven months, was blessed with two sons, Ralph and William, both of Shafter.

After their marriage they settled in Victor, Calif. where her husband began work in the field of merchandising. In 1925 they came to Shafter Calif. and he continued his work as a salesman. They did much traveling together as he sold mostly grapes on the eastern market.

In Shafter our mother felt the need of following the Lord through the grave of water baptism. She united with the Mennonite Brethren Church for fellowship. In this church she labored, worked, and witnessed to the very end.

Mother was fond of Gospel radio work and contributed much to various broadcasts. Her words of wisdom, her gentle admonitions, and her well-worn Bible are landmarks that remind us of her devotion to God and her fellowmen. One of her favorite works was handing out Gospel tracts. This she did to the very last day of her life.

She enjoyed comparatively good health most of her days. During the last weeks of her life she and her husband spent some time in Klamath Falls, Oregon, and came back to Weiser, Idaho, where they were staying in a motel. Wednesday morning she stated that she was not feeling too well, and chose to stay in bed. At about 4:30 Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 15, with her hands folded in prayer, she went to be with the Lord. She reached the age of 73 years, three months, and 19 days.

She leaves to mourn her sudden departure he husband of Shafter; two sons, William and Ralph of Shafter; two daughters-in-law; three grandchildren and one great-grandchild; two sisters, Mrs. Hulda Dorsey, Lodi, Calif. and Mrs. Rosa Deutcher, Streeter.

After our mother had dedicated her life fully to the Lord some years ago, she had two burning desires. the first was the privilege of walking where Jesus had walked when He was on earth. This became her privilege in 1956 when we had the joy of visiting the Holy Land. She was so moved that she fell on her knees beneath the scrubby little trees in the Garden of Gethsemane and thanked God for the privilege of being His child. Her second desire was to see her Savior face to face. This too has been granted. We deeply mourn the loss of our wife and mother. However, we are consoled with the anticipation of seeing her again in glory. — The Family.