Martyne Ruth Wetzel

Martyne Ruth Wetzel, 81, died on March 16, 2017, at Delmar Gardens in Lenexa, Kansas. Martyne was born to Henry L. and Susan (Landis) Ruth on August 13, 1935, on a farm along “The Branch” creek in Lower Salford Township in Pennsylvania. She and her family attended the Finland Mennonite Church.

On January 14, 1961, she married Conrad L. Wetzel of Colchester, Illinois. Conrad’s thirteen siblings and plentiful nieces and nephews ensured many years of lively family reunions in Illinois. Equally treasured were less frequent opportunities to visit her own siblings and extended family in Pennsylvania, Minnesota and California, on which occasions she enjoyed storytelling and music-making with brother John, sisters Lois, Eunice and Carolyn, and foster brother Siegfried.

Martyne’s church homes in Illinois included the Reba Place Fellowship, Plow Creek Mennonite Church, First Mennonite Church of Champaign, Illinois, and the Roanoke Mennonite Church. After her sons Bruce, Carson and Allen finished high school in Tiskilwa, Illinois, she cut back on the pie and bread-making and enjoyed working for many years at the University of Illinois in Champaign.

Martyne enjoyed talking about, listening to and making music. She played the guitar and recorder, but especially loved to sing. For many years she attended as often as possible the folk music sing-alongs organized by her sister Eunice and brother-in-law Don Mast in Woodstock, Illinois. She played the guitar for worship services at Plow Creek, performed the great choral masterworks with the Oratorio Society at the University of Illinois, and stretched her boundaries to frequenting the occasional nightclub so that she could see her son Allen play the guitar as often as possible. She and Conrad were members for several years of the Chicago Symphony Chorus, and a favorite memory was performing Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1961.

She was preceded in death by sister Eunice Mast of Woodstock, Illinois, and brother-in-law Dr. Arthur J. Kennel of Rochester, Minnesota. Surviving are son Bruce, daughter-in-law Sandy (Neufeld), and granddaughters Holly and Jill, of Lenexa, Kansas; son Carson, in Chicago; son Allen and daughter-in-law Rickie Lee (Spiess), in Delavan, Wisconsin; brother John L. Ruth and wife Roma of Lower Salford Township, Pennsylvania; sister Lois Kennel of Rochester, Minnesota; brother-in-law Donald Mast and wife Erma of New Holland, Pennsylvania; sister Carolyn Ruth of Rancho Cucamonga, California; and foster brother Siegfried Rebnegger and wife Elsie of Souderton, Pennsylvania.

A memorial service will be held at 7:00 PM, Monday, March 27, 2017, in the fellowship hall of the Rainbow Mennonite Church, 1444 Southwest Blvd, Kansas City, KS 66103.

In lieu of flowers, gifts in memory of Martyne R. Wetzel may be directed to Heifer International, 1 World Ave, Little Rock, AR 72202.