Mary Zwanziger

Mary Marie Zwanziger age 98 of Waverly, formerly of Plainfield, died Thursday, December 23, 2010, at the Bartels Lutheran Home in Waverly. Funeral services will be held 10:30 a.m. Monday, December 27, 2010, at the United Methodist Church in Plainfield with Pastor Dennis Burns officiating. Interment will be in the Horton Cemtery with David Balvanz, Dennis Balvanz, Clyde Balvanz, Kevin Zwanziger, Bruce Zwanziger and Larry Schilling serving as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers are Francis Buckel, Charles Buckel and Dwight Buckel. Friends may greet the family 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. Sunday, December 26, 2010, at the Hugeback & Chenoweth Funeral Home in Nashua. Visitation continues an hour pior to the service at the church on Monday. Mary Marie Zwanziger was born October 14, 1912, in rural Bremer County, IA, on the family farm, the daughter of Francis and Grace (Marks) Buckel. She received her education at the Six-Mile Grove School. On June 1, 1932, she married ‘the neighbor boy’ Leo Zwanziger at the Methodist Parsonage in Galena, IL. Marie lived her entire life in Bremer County farming side-by-side with her husband until his death in 1965. She remained on the farm until 1971 when she moved to Waverly. Marie was an active gardener in her younger days and a member of the Plainfield United Methodist Church Women as well as an officer of the Horton Cemetery Society. Marie also baby-sat for many children in Waverly and was also a Pink Lady at the Waverly Hospital. Nothing meant more to Marie than her family. In her free time she enjoyed embroidery and doing word puzzles. Survivors include two daughters, Jean Balvanz of Shell Rock, IA, Linda (Don) Luck of Clarksville, TN; two sons, William (Peggy) Zwanziger of Ionia, Leland (Patricia) Zwanziger of Nashua; thirteen grandchildren, thirty-nine great-grandchildren and eight great-great-grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Leo in 1965; son, Duane Zwanziger and daughter-in-laws, Delores Zwanziger and Carol Zwanziger; son-in-law, Ernest Balvanz; six brothers, William, Clifford, Francis, August “Pete”, Robert and John Buckel; two sisters, Buelah Buckel and Gertrude Olson.