Hattie Gingerich

Other Events:

• Name: Hattie Roth
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-168217

Hattie married John S. Roth 10 May 1925. John (son of John L. Roth and Mary Schneider) was born 7 Jul 1888, North Easthope Twp., Perth Co., Ontario, Canada; died 20 Jun 1957, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , New Hamburg Reformed Menn. Cem., New Hamburg, Waterloo, ON. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Mary Margaret Jantzi
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-295476

Notes:

JANTZI, Mary M. (nee Roth) Peacefully at Nithview Home in New Hamburg on Thursday, May 8, 2014, Mary, formerly of Wellesley, in her 88th year. Daughter of the late John S. Roth and Hettie Gingrich. Beloved wife of the late Walter N. Jantzi (1995) whom together owned and operated the Wellesley Feed Mill. She was a talented seamstress who sewed for many as well as making beautiful quilts. Loving mother of Robert Jantzi (Joyce) of Hamilton, Bruce Jantzi of New Hamburg, the late Paul Jantzi and Joyce Bauman (Lloyd) of Bognor. Dear grandmother of Rebecca Bauman (Nicholas), Christina Arjune (Kevon), Robin Jantzi, Shawn Jantzi and great-grandmother of Silas, Selema, Freda, Kalvin, Mary, Adam and Lewis. She will be sadly missed by her sisters; Shirley Young (Robert), Pearl Young (Joseph), sisters-in-law; Fern Roth, Mildred Roth and brother-in-law Paul Fehrman (Linda). Predeceased by her brothers; Francis, Earl and sister Marjorie Fehrman. Friends may call at 1st St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 3620 Nafziger Road, Wellesley on Friday from 7-9 p.m. and on Saturday, May 10, 2014 from 1 p.m. till time of funeral service at 2 p.m. Interment to follow in the church cemetery. Pastor Andy Schroth officiating. Donations, in lieu of flowers, may be made to 1st St. Paul's Church or the Canadian Diabetes Association would be appreciated. Arrangements entrusted to Futher-Franklin Funeral Home, Wellesley. www.futher-franklinfuneralhome.com


Jantzi, Mary. 1926. "Mary Margaret Jantzi - View Obituary & Service Information". Mary Margaret Jantzi Obituary. https://www.futher-franklinfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Mary-Jantzi/#!/Obituary.

Mary — Walter Nelson Jantzi. Walter (son of Jonathan Z. Jantzi and Annie Nancy "Nancy" Gingerich) was born 19 Sep 1921; died 1995; was buried , First Saint Pauls Lutheran Church, Wellesley Village, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-293755

Notes:

Lifetimes: Robert Jantzi overcame adversity to pursue passions

By Valerie HillSpecial to the Record

If there was a recurring theme in Robert Jantzi's life it was trees: that bit of nature that inspired a career and led to a catastrophic injury.

An arborist, Robert worked for the City of Hamilton in 1986 when he was trimming a tree and fell six metres, breaking both femurs and suffering several lacerations. Robert's career with the city ended that day, and he would spend the rest of his life suffering debilitating pain, mostly confined to a wheelchair though he kept right on planting trees on borrowed land in Wellesley.

"He would sit on the ground and slide around doing things (planting)," said his sister Joyce Bauman. "He didn't let it stop him."

Robert was born April 6, 1948, one of four children of Walter and Mary Jantzi. Walter and his father ran the feed mill in Wellesley and eventually sold the business. After operating for 150 years as a feed mill, the building today houses a furniture restoration company run by Lucy Pearlle. Robert would be pleased, given his interest in protecting and celebrating the past and his interest in old mills. Following his accident, along with his wife Joyce Jantzi, he would visit many locations as a member of the Timber Framers Guild of North America and the Friends of Ohio Barns.

Niece, Chrissy Arjune, runs CrowsFoot Garden, a chemical-free market garden in Elmira. Her uncle had been an inspiration given his "strong knowledge of history." He understood how things were done during his Mennonite ancestor's farming days.

"He was interested in old farming techniques," she said. "He had lots of passions and a lot that he pursued."

Among those passions was architecture. According to his sister, Robert was always coming up with innovative building ideas. He also loved photography, particularly nature. From the time he was a boy, Robert would be wandering in the bush, likely looking up at the trees.

Robert's wife, Joyce, was related to the Jantzi family through an uncle's marriage and had run into him a few times. She remembers when her parents were selling their Dunnville farm, and Robert showed up for the auction.

"He liked a sale," she said.

At the time, Robert, a graduate of Niagara College's horticultural program, worked as a draftsman for a Toronto landscaping company. They married on Jan, 1. 1977, and set up their home in Hamilton. Robert was laid off a year later but managed to find contract work with the City of Hamilton, work that eventually led to a full-time job.

Eager to increase his knowledge of horticulture, Robert completed two 10-week winter courses in horticulture at Rutgers University in New Jersey. His wife remembers driving her husband around a subdivision near the university in the winter of 1983, Robert randomly knocking on doors asking if there were any rooms for rent. Surprisingly, he found one with the Pawson family and ended up not only staying with the family for both semesters but becoming lifelong friends.

In Hamilton, much of Robert's work involved caring for the trees in the city's golf courses, which is where he was when he tumbled from the tree on that bitterly cold January day.

Robert would spend the next year and a half in hospital, struggling to let his legs heal and developing the bone infection, osteomyelitis. He never complained.

"He was in casts for so long, the knees didn't bend anymore," said his wife. "The right leg was really bad."

His wife said Robert did slip into depression at the beginning and was afraid to leave the hospital at first but learned to change his bandages with Joyce helping when she returned from her office job.

Eventually, he clawed his way back to happiness, and the two established a life together, one where they would travel by car or on bus tours, visiting old barns and mills, mainly in the U.S. and Ontario. The couple, who didn't have children, would also attend conventions where disability products were showcased. He was particularly interested in the latest developments in wheelchairs. He did have some mobility when he walked with crutches.

"He handled it all pretty good," said his wife.

Robert's health started to deteriorate recently, and a checkup revealed a problem: Robert had adrenal cancer and breathing issues. He was hospitalized for more than a month and eventually developed COVID-19. After being moved to a COVID hospital ward, Joyce never saw him again. Robert died on May 5, 2021.

A man of great faith, Joyce said, "he didn't want to live anymore; he was ready to go."

Freelance writer Valerie Hill is a former Record reporter. She can be reached by email at vmhill296@gmail.com

"Lifetimes: Robert Jantzi Overcame Adversity To Pursue Passions". 2021. Therecord.Com. https://www.therecord.com/life/2021/07/19/lifetimes-robert-jantzi-overcame-adversity-to-pursue-passions.html.

Robert married Joyce Eileen Stengel [Group Sheet]