Bertha Elsie (Jantzen) Penner
Bertha Elsie (Jantzen)
Penner, 90, died Thursday afternoon, (Feb. 15, 2007) at Kidron Bethel
Retirement Village in North Newton, where she had resided for the past two
years.
She was born July 19, 1916,
on a farm near Plymouth, Neb., was baptized into the Christian faith and was a
graduate of Plymouth High School.
She married Alfred T. Penner
on Feb. 17, 1939, in the former Kilpatrick Mennonite Church on the
Gage/Jefferson County line. Together, they operated the Lin-Pen dairy farm west
of Beatrice for many years.
In 1975, they took early
retirement to volunteer as host and hostess at the Mennonite Central Committee
in Akron, Pa., for three and one-half years.
Following a further year of
voluntary service at the Mennonite Board of Missions headquarters in Elkhart,
Ind., they retired to Beatrice. Bertha was a member of the First Mennonite
Church of rural Beatrice where she was involved in Sunday school, Bible study
and Ladies Aid activities. She enjoyed visiting, cooking, sewing, reading and
writing, as well as traveling to visit family and friends.
Bertha's husband, Alfred,
died on May 2, 1994. She was also preceded in death by her parents, Alex and
Helen Ensz Jantzen, as well as all of her seven siblings and their spouses.
She is survived by four sons,
Marvin and his wife, Ruth, of Newton; Harold and his wife, Barbara, of Akron,
Pa.; Milbert and his wife, Ruth, of Indianapolis; and Tim and his wife, Faith,
of Harper. She also is survived by one brother-in-law, Frank Penner, and two
sisters-in-law, Elizabeth Reimer and Margaret Boyce, all of Beatrice. At the
time of her death, Bertha had nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
The funeral service will be
at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday at the First Mennonite Church at 6714 W. State Highway
4 west of Beatrice with Pastor Weldon Schloneger officiating.
Following the service,
internment will be in the Mennonite cemetery at the church. Visitation will be
from 2 through 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Griffiths Hovendick Chapel in Beatrice.
Family will be present at the visitation from 5 to 7:30 p.m.
A memorial has been
established for Mennonite Central Committee. Memorial money can be sent to
Griffiths-Hovendick. Messages of condolence may be sent to
rich@griffithshovendick.com. They will be forwarded to the family.
