|
| |
|
Elvera Schmidt Ratzlaff © Fairview Funeral Home, Inc. 09-2006 Submitted by: Jo Aguirre
© Fairview Funeral Home, Inc.
Funeral Services for Elvera (Schmidt) Ratzlaff will be held Monday, September 25, 2006 at 3:00 pm at the Mennonite Brethren Church, Fairview, OK. The Reverend Gary Janzen will officiate. Burial will follow in the Saron Mennonite Cemetery. Arrangements are by Fairview Funeral Home, Inc.
Viewing will be at Fairview Funeral Home Inc., 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday; and from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday and Friday; and 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday.
Elvera (Schmidt) Ratzlaff was born February 27, 1923 near Goltry, Oklahoma to John P. and Lena Base Schmidt and passed away Sept. 19, 2006 at the Fairview Fellowship Home in Fairview, Oklahoma.
Elvera was the youngest of six children. Elvera started the first grade at age 5. She attended Golden Valley Grade School, a small country grade school near her home close to Goltry. While there, she competed in voice contests throughout Alfalfa County.
Elvera trusted Jesus as her Savior at a young age and rededicated her life to Him as a teenager. She attended high school at Oklahoma Bible Academy for 3 years. Her father passed away when she was 15 and she transferred back to Goltry. She graduated from Goltry High School in 1940. She returned to OBA for the extended Bible study courses offered there. While at OBA, she met her life's partner, Alvin Ratzlaff. Soon he was drafted and she went to Lincoln, Nebraska to work with Back to the Bible Broadcast. While with Back to the Bible Broadcast, she sang solos, sang in the trio, and in small groups on live radio. When not singing, she worked in the office and helped with the children's programs.
On June 3, 1945, Alvin and Elvera married in the Zoar Mennonite Church in Goltry, Oklahoma. They were blessed with three children, Stan, John, & Ruth. Besides the daily chores of being a farmer's wife and a mother, Elvera worked several seasons at the Longhofer Turkey Farm. She also milked cows, canned bushels of vegetables and fruit, and provided lots of meals to visiting missionaries and preachers. She enjoyed other activities including Ladies Missionary Aid at the Saron Mennonite Church at Orienta. She taught Sunday school at the Saron Mennonite Church, the Fairview Church of the Nazarene, and the Fairview Mennonite Brethren Church, retiring because of declining health. She also taught Good News Clubs in Fairview, Okeene, Aline, and Cleo Springs. She joined the Bible Memory Association and memorized approximately 100 verses a year. During her 5 years with Bible Memory Association, she memorized whole books of the Bible, including James, I John, I Peter, Ephesians, & Philippians. Often, during morning family devotions, she quoted the selected text.
Elvera and Alvin remained on the farm, ½ mile east of Orienta until May 2000 when the Oklahoma Department of Transportation decided that the farmstead, which had been home for 43 years, would be better used as an improved Highway 412. They moved to the Fairview Fellowship Village for 5 years then into the Fairview Fellowship Home in September 2005.
She is survived by her husband, Alvin, three children, Stan and Debby Ratzlaff of Fairview, Oklahoma, John and Dee Ratzlaff of Salem, Oregon, and Ruth and Ron Buller of Sheridan Lake, Colorado. Seven grandchildren: Mitch & Kelleigh Ratzlaff of Dallas, Oregon, Travis and Brandee Ratzlaff of Salem, Oregon, Darlene and Dwane Griffiths of Herington, Kansas, Amanda and Aaron Gillespie of Washington DC, Cara and Phillip Sharp of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Denise and Jeremy Biggs of Okeene, Oklahoma, and Erin and Scott Walker of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, five great grandsons, Connor Ratzlaff, Grant Ratzlaff, Logan Ratzlaff, Rhett Griffiths, and Cole Ratzlaff, two great granddaughters, Hailey Ann Ratzlaff & Aubrey Elizabeth Sharp.
Also surviving are two sisters, Celesta Thomas of Ringwood, Oklahoma and Elfreida Jones of Lincoln, Nebraska, 1 brother, Ervin and Mildred Schmidt of Goltry, and many nieces, nephews, and a host of friends.
Elvera was preceded in death by her parents, Alvin's parents, two sisters, four brothers-in-law, Alvin's sister, Delores Kroeker, and son-in-law, Bruce Harms.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Child Evangelism Fellowship through Fairview Funeral Home, Inc.
Alvin E. Ratzlaff © Fairview Funeral Home, Inc. 05-2007 Submitted by: Jo Aguirre
© Fairview Funeral Home, Inc.
Funeral services for Alvin E. Ratzlaff, 86, of Fairview, will be 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, May 29, 2007 at the Saron Mennonite Church, Orienta, Oklahoma. The Reverend Leonard Vogt will officiate. Burial will follow in the Saron Mennonite Cemetery at Orienta. Arrangements are by Fairview Funeral Home, Inc.
Viewing will be at Fairview Funeral Home Inc, Sunday, May 27 from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Monday, May 28 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Alvin E. Ratzlaff was born, November 23, 1920 to Dan B. and Amanda (Gerl) Ratzlaff at Orienta, Oklahoma. He went to be with his Lord on May 25, 2007 at the Fairview Fellowship Home.
Alvin completed the 8th grade at Orienta, and then attended Fairview High School. After graduating from high school in 1939, he enrolled in the extended-study Bible courses offered at Oklahoma Bible Academy. He graduated in the spring of 1942 and was soon drafted to serve in the Civilian Public Service in Downey, Idaho. He was then transferred to the University of Nebraska, Agriculture College. As he worked there, he learned much from agronomists in the Ag Engineering department and was encouraged to follow his passion to farm. He received his release from CPS in April of 1946. Alvin continued his education, graduating from Grace Bible Institute in Omaha, Nebraska, with a Bachelor of Theology degree.
There were three passions in Alvin’s life: his God, his family and his career. On June 5, 1938, Alvin trusted Jesus Christ as his Savior and the next day was baptized in the Saron Mennonite Church at Orienta. Alvin desired to serve the God he loved. He did fill-in ministries at the Moser Church of God for 4 years, as well as at the Indian Missions at Canton, Longdale, and the Concho School. He worked with Our Land for Christ at Canton Lake for 16 summers, walking miles to invite people to the worship time in a shelter there. He participated in the Lay Witness Mission program of the Southern Baptist Churches, and he served many years as a Gideon. They later joined the Fairview Mennonite Brethren Church in Fairview.
By God’s design, on February 16, 1941, he met Elvera Schmidt at OBA. Alvin and Elvera were married on June 3, 1945 in Goltry, Oklahoma. They were blessed with three children, Stan, John and Ruth. Alvin and Elvera had been married for 61 years when she went to be with her Lord on September 19, 2006.
Alvin always enjoyed the farm and inventing better ways to farm, because he loved watching things grow. To further improve upon his farming, he developed a self-leveling equipment concept using his dad’s field cultivator. His Uncle Otto Ratzlaff saw possibilities in this invention and gladly sacrificed a plow to the experiment.
This first invention gave birth to Alvin’s manufacturing business, and he manufactured farm equipment for more than 50 years. The mulch plows, drag scrappers, and harrows he developed and manufactured can be found across the U.S. He delivered some as far as the west coast. In his desire to be a good steward of the land, he became a certified organic farmer. In 1995, he was awarded the Soil Conservation Award.
In June 2000, Alvin and Elvera retired and moved from the farm to the Fairview Fellowship Village when the Oklahoma Department of Transportation improved Highway 412. They moved into the Fairview Fellowship Home in September 2005.
He is survived by 2 sons and 1 daughter: Stan and Debby Ratzlaff of Fairview, Oklahoma; John and Dee Ratzlaff of Salem, Oregon; Ruth and Ron Buller of Sheridan Lake, Colorado. Seven grandchildren: Mitch and Kelleigh Ratzlaff of Dallas, Oregon; Travis and Brandee Ratzlaff of Salem, Oregon; Darlene and Dwane Griffiths of Herington, Kansas; Amanda and Aaron Gillespie of Greentown, Pennsylvania; Cara and Phillip Sharp of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Denise and Jeremy Biggs of Okeene, Oklahoma; Erin and Scott Walker of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; 5 great grandsons and 2 great granddaughters: Connor Ratzlaff, Grant Ratzlaff, Rhett Griffiths, Logan Ratzlaff, and Cole Ratzlaff, Hailey Ratzlaff and Aubrey Sharp.
Alvin is preceded in death by his wife, Elvera, his parents, Dan and Amanda Ratzlaff, his sister, Delores Kroeker, and one son-in-law, Bruce Harms
Memorials may be made to Gideon’s with Fairview Funeral Home Inc., acting as custodians.
|Saron Cemetery Page| |Major County Cemetery Page| |Home|
This site may be freely linked, but not duplicated in any way without consent.
All rights reserved! Commercial use of material within this site is prohibited!
© 2000-2024 Oklahoma CemeteriesThe information on this site is provided free for the purpose of researching your genealogy. This material may be freely used by non-commercial entities, for your own research, as long as this message remains on all copied material. The information contained in this site may not be copied to any other site without written "snail-mail" permission. If you wish to have a copy of a donor's material, you must have their permission. All information found on these pages is under copyright of Oklahoma Cemeteries. This is to protect any and all information donated. The original submitter or source of the information will retain their copyright. Unless otherwise stated, any donated material is given to Oklahoma Cemeteries to make it available online. This material will always be available at no cost, it will always remain free to the researcher.