Annie Nancy "Nancy" Gingerich

Other Events:

• FindAGrave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/37660358
• Name: Annie Nancy "Nancy" Jantzi
• Name: Nancy Gingerich
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-295478
• Residence: 1911, Wellesley Village, Wellesley Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Residence: 1976, 4 William St., N., Wellesley, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada

Notes:

JANTZI, Mrs. Jonathan

Of 4 William Street North. Wellesley, passed away Sunday, Nov. 7 at St. Mary's Hospital, Kitchener.

She was the former Annie Nancy Gingerich, born in Wellesley, 78 years ago, a daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Christian Gingerich, a member of the Maple View Mennonite Church.

Dear mother of Walter of Wellesley; survived by four grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband, Jonathan, July 29, 1972; also by three brothers and two sisters.

Friends called at the Futher Bros. Funeral Home, Wellesley. At noon Wednesday, November 10, the remains were removed to the Maple View Mennonite Church for the service at 2:30. Rev. Alvin Leis and Rev. Jacob Roese officiated. Interment in the church cemetery.

Elmira Signet 10 Nov 1976 pg 21

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In Loving Memory [verse] In Memory Of Annie Nancy Gingerich beloved wife of the late Jonathan Z. Jantzi Born January 22, 1898 Died November 7, 1976 Aged 78 years, 9 months and 15 days The Service The late Mrs. Jantzi is resting at the Futher Brothers Funeral Home in Wellesley until noon, Wednesday, November 10th, 1976, when removal will be made to the Maple View Mennonite Church for the service at 2:30 p.m. Officiating Clergymen Rev. Alvin Leis Rev. Jacob Roes Place of Interment Maple View Mennonite Cemetery, Wellesley Township

Funeral Card

Annie — Jonathan Z. Jantzi. Jonathan (son of Christian L. Jantzi and Elizabeth B. "Lizzie" Zehr) was born 30 Nov 1892, , Ontario, Canada; died 29 Jul 1972, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , Maple View Mennonite Cemetery, Wellesley Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-293756

Walter — Mary Margaret Roth. Mary (daughter of John S. Roth and Hattie Gingerich) was born May 1926; died 8 May 2014, New Hamburg, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; 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]