1917
Marjorie
2011
Marjorie Lortscher
March 10, 1917 — March 25, 2011
Marjorie Elizabeth (Welsh) Lortscher, of Bern, Kansas, was born on March 10, 1917 in Padonia Township, Brown County, Kansas and died on March 25, 2011 at the age of 94 years and 15 days.
Marjorie’s parents were Urban Welsh and Katie (Nott) Welsh, Padonia, Kansas.
Marjorie was preceded by the death of her husband, John David Lortscher on December 8, 2001; brothers Orion (Bud) Welsh, Richard Welsh, and Urban Conrad Welsh; and sisters Mary A. (Welsh) Mauslein, Velma (Welsh) Ernst, Verda (Welsh) Gordon, and Jessie (Welsh) White.
Before marriage and during high school, Marjorie lived with her older sister, Verda, in Hiawatha, Kansas and helped Verda with her housework and care of one of Verda’s daughters, Donna. Before enjoying working at the ‘Ready-to-Wear’ department of the Golden Rule Store in Hiawatha for five years, Marjorie worked for a short time in Topeka, Kansas. Marjorie and John David Lortscher were united in marriage on May 5, 1940 at Mount Zion Church. After marriage, Marjorie reared their two children, worked for a short time at the Bern School and managed a laying hen operation just north of Bern, Kansas for sixteen years.
Marjorie is survived by a son, Robert Gary and his wife, Betty Jean (Smith) Lortscher of Bern, Kansas; and a daughter, Alice Kay and her husband, Robert Ramsey of Wills Point, Texas.
Marjorie will be missed by her four grandchildren, Brent Lortscher and his wife, Linda (Deters) of Bern, Kansas; Jeff Chauza and his wife, Tory (Redington) of Dallas, Texas; Angela (Chauza) and her husband, Jeff Lindsey of Dallas, Texas; and Yvonne (Lortscher) and her husband, Tim Krehbiel of Bern, Kansas: and her eleven great grandchildren, Helen, Rachel, and Amanda Krehbiel and Kirsten, Madison, and Dylan Lortscher of Bern, KS; Katherine, Caroline and Vivian Chauza and Lauren and Elisa (Ellie) Lindsey of Dallas, Texas.
Marjorie’s favorite Bible scripture is John 3:16 and she sang from memory, while in the hospital, her favorite hymn, “In the Garden.” Marjorie enjoyed her family, teaching VBS, helping in the church, participating in the construction design of Bern UM Church, and, she enjoyed her hens (when egg prices were good), and Marjorie and David enjoyed the card parties and many card playing and square dancing friends of their married years.
In the course of her life time, Marjorie saw such tremendous changes, from transportation to communication, and beyond. As a girl she played with an old, faithful, gentle mule. After youth fellowship at Zion Church, north of Hiawatha, the young people would drive an old Model T to chase jackrabbits around the wheat shocks in the fields. Marjorie marveled in more recent years about the lack of dust because there were now blacktop roads. She remembered the terribly muddy roads of rainy springtime. The advancement from party line telephones to cellular phones amazed her.
Visitation is in the Fellowship Hall of the Bern United Methodist Church at 4:00 PM, Saturday, April 9, 2011, with a 6:00 PM inurnment ceremony at the Bern Cemetery. Memorials may be given to the Bern Community Support Foundation; Attn David Lortscher Scholarship Fund; 402 Main St; Bern, Kansas 66408.
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