| Notes |
- MARTHA REIMER GOOSSEN
Our beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother Martha was born April 5, 1911 to Katharina Buller and Abraham U. Reimer near Goessel, Kansas. She shared the same birthday as her mother.
She grew up in the Goessel, Kansas community and attended country schools for her elementary education. She attended high school at Goessel for two years. When her father became ill she dropped out of school to help on the farm. After her father's death she worked at the Bethesda Nursing Home in Goessel for 1 1/2 years.
Mom received Christ in her youth and was baptized on May 24, 1931 by Rev. P. H. Unruh and received
into the membership of the Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church at Goessel.
While working at the nursing home mom began courting Heinrich Goossen. They were married on April 14, 1935. Soon after their marriage, they moved to Thomas County in Western Kansas. They began farming northwest of Mingo during the dust bowl years and set up housekeeping in a boxcar where they raised their family of five children.
Working the farm in the 30's and 40's was difficult. Mom didn't have electricity or running water to do the
daily tasks. If there wasn't wind, water had to be pumped by hand.
Mom was one of the charter members of the Meadow Mennonite Church at Mingo, Kansas. She was actively involved in the work of the church. Her home was always open to visiting ministers, missionaries and relatives and friends.
After our dad's death on January 1, 1958 mom continued to manage the farm for several years and worked at the Good Samaritan Nursing Home in Colby. She later moved to town having sold the farm.
In September 1975 mom was stricken with encephalitis that left her paralyzed for sometime. After she recovered, her family decided that she should not live alone. So on Labor Day 1979 she moved to Enid to make her home with Luella and Dwight.
Mom joined the New Hopedale Mennonite Church and quickly became active in the work of the church here. She enjoyed working in the Ladies Aid and taught Sunday School class for a time.
She was never idle and was always looking for some special project to work on. She has created many quilts for her family and others who heard of her quilting. She enjoyed being able to help others.
Gardening was also a favorite past-time until her health caused her to give it up.
She spent many hours reading and studying the scriptures. When she tired of her sewing she would find a book - she had a love for reading and enjoyed many books. Often we would hear her singing or listening to music when she was working at her sewing.
She found great pleasure in friends and acquaintances stopping by her room to visit and see what she was
working on.
Martha leaves her five children: Luella and her husband Dwight Unruh of Enid, Margaret and her husband Charles Kehrt of Dallas, TX, Bernice and her husband Tom Casperson of Lacross, WI, Ezra and his wife Crystal of Dublin, TX, Emery and his wife Carol of Albuquerque, NM.
She also leaves one sister; Margaret Laughlin of Garden City, KS, three brothers: Art Reimer of Phoenix, AZ, Walter Reimer of Moses Lake, WA and Irvin Reimer of Hesston, KS.
She also leaves eleven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren and many other relatives and friends.
(Info via www.fmgoossenfamily.com)
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1911 - 1994 (83 years)
