Margie Swartzendruber
Obituary
Margie Lu Hostetler Swartzendruber, 85,
died Saturday (Feb. 20) at Newton Medical Center in Newton, of
pneumonia.
Margie was born Jan. 8, 1931, at the
home of her parents, Clara Burkey Hostetler and Elbert Nathaniel
Hostetler, near Beaver Crossing, Nebraska.
She grew up on a farm, the middle of
five sisters, with one older brother. She attended a one room school,
District 80 in Seward County, through the eighth grade, then Hesston
Preparatory School in 1946 and 1947, where she met Wayne
Swartzendruber, of St. John, Michigan.
After graduation, and a summer class in
Seward, Nebraska, she was the teacher for one year at a rural school,
not far from her parents' home.
She and Wayne married on May 27, 1950,
at the West Fairview Mennonite Church. Soon after their marriage, the
couple moved to Aibonito, Puerto Rico, to join the VS unit there, and
Margie taught kindergarten children in La Plata for two years.
In 1952, they moved to Hesston where
the first of their three children, Elbert Wayne, was born. Jan Eileen
followed in 1953 and Karl Dale in 1958.
As a homemaker, Margie encouraged her
children's imaginative play with the Baby Boom kids on North Weaver
Street in group enterprises. Margie enjoyed picnics and creek
splashing at "Spangler's Grove" and Harvey County Park
West, drives in the country, sometimes to the Flint Hills and
swimming at Pete's Puddle.
Throughout their lives, Margie and
Wayne were friends and sponsors to Spanish¬-speaking persons. Margie
taught English to several of them and she was a persuasive advocate
for people in need. They became foster parents to Nai Nyan, a young
Laotian boy, for several years.
Margie started a pre¬school in her
home in 1967 that became one of the roots of the Hesston Community
Child Care. She graduated from Hesston College in 1973, then
completed a bachelor of science degree in elementary education at
Bethel College in 1976.
From 1975 to 1977 she was co-¬director
and teacher at Community Play School in North Newton. She remained
focused on small children throughout her life. Even in her last
months she was alert to small children and they responded to her.
In 1983, Wayne and Margie moved from
North Weaver in Hesston to the "Truck and Duck Farm" east
of town on 96th, where they enjoyed gardening and hosting family and
friends for 16 years.
In 1997, they moved from their country
home to South Weaver Street and became part of that neighborhood.
In 2013, Margie moved to Schowalter
Villa where she continued to be a part of the community until her
final illness.
Margie was baptized at the rural West
Fairview Mennonite Church as a teenager. In Kansas, she attended the
Pennsylvania Mennonite Church, at the present site of Eastlawn
Cemetery, later Whitestone, and she remained a faithful member until
her death. She participated in the Autumn Heirs Sunday school class
and served as Sunday School superintendent. She was a devoted teacher
to small children in Sunday School for years. She also helped
organize and support a Hispanic congregation that met at Whitestone
in the 1980s and 1990s.
Margie dedicated much of her life to
caring for children. She was a founder of the Hesston Community Child
Care and served as a teacher and director.
After retirement, she took
responsibility for laundry and dining duties part-time, and when she
could no longer do that (due to Alzheimer's), she faithfully walked
from home to the child care to feed the bunnies.
Margie was preceded in death by her
husband, Wayne, in 2008; her brother Eldon Hostetler; and sisters
Edith Reed and Leila DeVoe; brothers¬-in¬-law Bob Swartzendruber,
Levi Troyer and Robert Phelps; son-in-¬law, David Leo Ledgere;
nephews, Randy Craig, George Swartzendruber and Benton Reed.
She is survived by her sons, Elbert, of
Halstead and Karl, of Sterling Heights, Michigan; and her daughter
Jan Swartzendruber and husband, Floyd Saunders of Newton; sisters
Wilma Phelps, Hesston, and Vada Clemens, Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania;
granddaughter, Sibyl Beaudry, Centreville, Virginia; grandson
Mauricio Swartzendruber, Kalamazoo, Michigan.; in-laws Gene and Velma
Swartzendruber, Hesston, Richard and Naomi Swartzendruber, Valley
Center, Larry and Rozella Swartzendruber, Henderson, Nebraska, Evie
Troyer and Virginia Swartzendruber, Hesston. She also had 27 nieces
and nephews, or niblings, seven grandchildren by marriage; and one
great-grandson, Ethan Beaudry. There are two more great ones on the
way!
Following a graveside service for the
family at Eastlawn Cemetery on March 19, a memorial service will be
held at Whitestone Mennonite Church at 11 a.m., with luncheon
provided after the service.
There is a memorial "Margie Fund"
for the Hesston Child Care. Contributions may be mailed to 441
Neufeld Drive, Hesston, KS 67062 or received at the memorial service.
The family expresses deep gratitude to
everyone at Schowalter Villa for caring for Margie in her last three
years, to the staff at Newton Medical Center for their care in her
last three days, to the people of Whitestone for caring about her for
many years and making her memorial possible, and to all of you who
remember her with your words, cards and in your thoughts and prayers.
