Swartzendruber, Nancy Jane Marner (1867-1945)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1945 Dec 6 p. 3

Birth date: 1867 May 23

text of obituary:

MRS. NANCY SWARTZENDRUBER

Nancy Jane (Marner) Swartzendruber was born near Kalona, Iowa, May 23, 1867. She accepted Christ as her Saviour in her youth and united with the Amish Mennonite church.

On Oct. 30, 1887, she was married to Shem Swartzendruber. They set up house keeping on a farm near Kalona and lived there till 1893, when they moved to a fam near Clarion, Wright county, Iowa.

In 1901 they sold their farm there and moved to Centralia, Missouri, where they resided until the spring of 1915 when they came into the Wayland community.

Mrs. Swartzendruber’s family consisted of nine children, all of whom survive. She was an affectionate mother, of a kindly disposition and naturally industrious. These traits of character won her many friends in the communities where she lived. When they came into the Wayland community to live, she with her husband transferred their membership to the Sugar Creek church of which she was a faithful member at the time of her death.

During the last few years of her life she suffered from a heart malady. A few weeks before her death she was taken to the S. U. I. hospital at Iowa City for observation and treatment in hope of getting relief. In the course of her treatment a limb was amputated. While lying there on her bed of affliction she selected a text and several hymns to be used at her funeral in case she would not survive. In spite of all the medical skill could do for her she passed away at about 12:30 Monday morning, Nov. 26, 1945, at the age of 78 years, 6 months, and 3 days.

Her husband preceded her in death on April 26, 1942. She leaves to mourn their two daughters, Esther (Mrs. S. G. Gnagey) Pigeon, Michigan, and Salina at home; seven sons, Lee and Earl of the Wayland community; Fred, Herbert and Thomas of Hopedale, Ill.; Omar, New Carlisle, Ohio; and George of St. John, Michigan; three brothers, Lee Marner, Pueblo, Colo., Ed and Sam Marner, of El Paso, Texas; 38 grandchildren, 7 great-great-grandchildren and many other relatives and friends.