SPREE, Swantje 1875-1967

SPREE, BLOCK

Posted By: Tammy (email)
Date: 3/27/2019 at 19:06:40

Obituary Of Swantje Spree

Swantje Spree (nee Block) was born November 27, 1875 in Wyner Ostfriesland, Germany and passed away at 11:00 o'clock Wednesday evening, February 8, 1967, at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Conrad Weber, Sr. at Parkersburg. She died of old age and heart failure. She was 91 years, 2 months, and 12 days. She was married to Popke Spree on May 29, 1898 in Bohmerwold, Germany. They lived most of their married life in Germany and came to America in 1923, and lived in the vicinity of Aplington and Dumont. After the death of her husband she made her home with the children, mostly Gerhard Spree. To this union were born six children, two sons and four daughters. She was preceded in death by her husband, one daughter and a foster son. Her parents, seven brothers, one sister, one half-brother and one half-sister, two grandchildren, one step-grandchild and one great-grandchild.

She is survived by two sons, Wilhem Spree of Parkersburg, Iowa, Gerhard Spree of Dumont, three daughters, Mrs. Alfred Wiemken of Staten Island, New York, Mrs. Conrad Weber Sr. and Mrs. Pete Wildeboer of Parkersburg, 20 grandchildren, 3 step-grandchildren, 37 great-grandchildren. Also one sister, Mrs. John Busker of Waterloo, one half-sister, Mrs. Margaret McKinney of California, 2 half-brothers, Herman Block of DeSmit, South Dakota, and John Block of Storm Lake, Iowa and a host of relatives and friends.

Mrs. Spree attended the Stout Reformed church and later the Aplington church of which she was a member. She was baptized as an infant in Germany and there also received her catechatical instructions and was confirmed as a young girl. According to her own confession it was through a sermon preached by Rev. George Schnucker at a funeral service. The text was Amos 4:12 "Prepare to meet Thy God" that spoke to her heart and that Jesus was her Saviour. She accepted the invitation of the Lord to receive Him as her personal Saviour, and she herself wrote from that day forward, I was His and He Was Mine. Therefore it is with confidence and joy that we say farewell to our mother and grandmother.

Funeral services were held Saturday afternoon, February 11, 1967 at 1:30 p.m. in the Engelkes Funeral Home in Parkersburg. Rev. John Ailts, pastor of the Dumont Reformed church bringing the message assisted by the Rev. William Kroon, pastor of the Aplington Reformed church. The burial was made in the family plot at Stout with the Engelkes Funeral home of Parkersburg in charge of the arrangements.

--Parkersburg Eclipse (Parkersburg, Iowa), 15 February 1967, pg 4