Obit for ARENS, Mary Martha (b.1908 d.2004), Murray Co., MN ========================================================================= USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, material may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material, AND permission is obtained from the contributor of the file. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain the written consent of the contributor, OR the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. If you have found this file through a source other than the MNArchives Table Of Contents you can find other Minnesota related Archives at: http://www.usgwarchives.net/mn/mnfiles.htm Please note the county and type of file at the top of this page to find the submitter information or other files for this county. FileFormat by Terri--MNArchives Made available to The USGenWeb Archives by: Judy Clarke Submitted: December 2004 ========================================================================= 1908 - Mary Martha Arens - 2004 Mary Martha Arens was born the second child of 13 children to Henry and Elizabeth (Bult) Slinger on September 20, 1908, on a farm near Granville, Iowa. In March 1913, the family moved to a farm in Chanarambie Township in Murray County, Minnesota. Mary grew up on this farm and attended country school, receiving her diploma after the eighth grade. She helped at home, but also helped in homes around the neighborhood, especially at threshing time. She learned to cook, bake, and sew at an early age. Mary started working at Bievers General Store in Woodstock, Minnesota in 1942. She continued working there through several ownership changes, until 1963. She was united in marriage to John Charles Arens on May 1, 1948, at St. Martins Catholic Church in Woodstock. They lived on an acreage by Woodstock for the 56 years they were blessed to have together. After John's death in August 2003, Mary spent just over a year in Slayton, Minnesota with her sister Margaret Slinger. After a stroke on October 5, 2004, Mary entered the Pipestone County Medical Center and subsequently the Ashton Care Center, where she resided until her death on Saturday, December 11, 2004, at the age of 96. Mary enjoyed gardening, flowers, cooking and music. Angela came to live with Mary and John in September of 1968, and was adopted in August of 1987. Mary was active in St. Martins Ladies Aid and was a member of St. Martins Catholic Church for 91 years. Left to cherish her memory is her daughter Angela and her husband John Putnam, Dodge Center, MN; three grandchildren: Andrew, Briana and Rachel Putnam all from Dodge Center, MN; her sisters: Helen and her husband Ed Burkard, Green Bay, WI; Agnes Chapman, Lake Wilson, MN; Margaret Slinger, Slayton, MN and Betty and her husband Wayne Staab, Pipestone, MN; her brothers: Joe and his wife Rosie Slinger, Hardwick, MN; Henry and his wife Mary Slinger, Jackson, MN; Bill and his wife Lois Slinger, Northfield, MN and Bernard and his wife Judy Slinger, Casa Grande, AZ; one sister-in-law Josephine Arens, Jasper, MN; five godchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband John; her parents; one sister Martha Pfeiffer; and three brothers and their spouses: Edward Slinger Walter and his wife Evelyn Slinger and Louis and his wife Rita Slinger. Mass of Christian Burial was held on Tuesday, December 14, 2004, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Martin Catholic Church in Woodstock. Burial is in St. Martin Catholic Cemetery, Woodstock. Hartquist Funeral Home Pipestone Chapel in charge of arrangements.