Schroeder, Anna Emilie Penner (1862-1949)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1949 Jun 23 p. 3

Birth date: 1862 Nov 10

text of obituary:

MRS. ANNA SCHROEDER

Mrs. Anna Emilie Penner Schroeder, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Heinrich Penner, was born November 10, 1862, at Graudenz in West Prussia. She was the oldest of five children. At the age of 12 her mother died. As the oldest child in the family the household duties and care of the younger children became her duty.

At the age of 19, in response to her father's wish she took passage with friends, a Wiebe family, to America, serving as children’s nurse en route. It was her father’s plan to follow in a short time with the remainder of the family, however, conditions changed, and his plans never materialized.

After coming to America she lived with and worked for friends at Beatrice, Nebraska. Two years later she moved to Newton, Kansas where she worked for several years. Here she met and was married to John J. Schroeder on May 2, 1889. This union lasted five days short of 60 years.

Five children were born to this marriage; Helena (died at the age of 9 days), Anna (died at the age of 12 years), Richard, Armin and William.

The family came to Idaho in 1906 and pioneered on a homestead four and a half miles southwest of Aberdeen. She and her husband were charter members of the First Mennonite church of Aberdeen, Idaho and later of the Emanuel Mennonite church (Homestead church). She was active, from the beginning in the ladies mission sewing society.

In 1920 the family moved to the Fairview District between Aberdeen and American Falls where the deceased lived to the time of her death on April 26, 1949. She attained an age of 86 years, five months and ten days

The deceased leaves behind a husband, three sons, three daughters-in-law, 13 grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

Funeral services were conducted for her on Sunday, May 1, at 2 o'clock in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Armin Schroeder, and at 2:30 in the First Mennonite church at Aberdeen, Idaho. Rev. H. N. Harder, the pastor of the church, officiated at these services as well as at the graveside at the Homestead cemetery. Appropriate hymns were sung at all of these services: a duet, Mrs. Becker and Miss Alice Lehman, sang at the home, and a quartet, Mrs. Otto Becker, Miss Alice Lehman, Herbert Hege and Edwin Becker sang at the church and the cemetery. Miss Elda Voth played hymns on the electric organ.

The Mennonite obituary: 1949 May 31 p. 12