Marvin U. Schlegel

Marvin Udell Schlegel, first son and oldest child of Dell and Elma (Noel Gooch) Schlegel, was born at 2 a.m. on September 9, 1932 at a farm rented by his parents located several miles south of Shickley, Nebraska.

“My growing up years were spent on the Detweiler farm from the time of my birth until we were forced to move to the Fisher farm in the summer of 1943,” says Marvin. “I attended a one room country school through grade 8.

“I can still remember how my mother taught me and my brother, Gordon, from the Bible. I still cherish the Bible Story Book from which she read to us and still carry these early impressions with me. When I hear a sermon on David slaying Goliath, or Daniel in the lions’ den, I see in my mind the pictures in the storybook of these events.

“As so many of the rest of you, I too was brought up in a Christian home by Christian parents. We went to Sunday School and church every Sunday at the Salem Mennonite Church east of Shickley. My father was a Sunday School superintendent, a Sunday School teacher, and could fill in if someone asked him to on the spur of the moment. My grandfather was an ordained Deacon and a minister in the church and through the Christian examples of my parents and grandparents, I have always had a knowledge of Christianity. But more a knowledge than a working knowledge. I was always a ‘good boy’-no smoking, no drinking, but also no witnessing.

“In 1945 we moved to a two bedroom bungalow in Shickley, then later spent the summer of ’48 at the Nick Lichti, Sr. farmhouse. In 1949 we moved into my grandma Noel’s house until our family moved to Milford in 1950 where my father got work as a meat cutter in his Uncle Pete Schlegel’s grocery store. I attended Shickley High School where I graduated in 1950. After this, I worked at the Shickley State Bank from June through August of that same year. In the fall I moved to Lincoln for a short time and rented a 3rd floor maid’s room at 1313 Piedmont, until moving back to Milford with my family in November. In September of 1950, I began a nine-month course at the Lincoln School of Commerce in junior accounting. In May 1951, I began work at the National Bank of Commerce while finishing my course and after its completion, went full time in the bookkeeping department on the 2nd floor.

“Then, in 1953, the Lord called me into 1W service which I vehemently objected to as I wanted to stay at home! This took place in Denver, at the General Rose Memorial Hospital where I worked as a cashier and bookkeeper in the accounting office until February or March of 1955. Though I was unwilling to go, I have thanked the Lord many times since then for those two years in Denver. It was there, 475 miles away from my family, that I was really drawn closer to the Lord. ‘Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.’ I Peter 1:8-9. He called upon me to witness many times for Him but I’m sorry to say I did a poor job of it. I was still just a ‘good boy’.

“Suddenly, my two years in Denver were over and I came back home. But after two years many things change. Something was wrong with me somewhere! I was still attending churches, one church and then another church, for over four years but no place specific. Then, in August 1959, there was an evangelist holding tent meetings in Milford. On August 30, 1959, the Lord helped me to go forward where I rededicated my life to Him. It was after this that I finally decided the Lincoln Mennonite Brethren church was the church where the Lord would lead me to serve Him.

“What a thrill it’s been to see this church grow over the years. This is our mission field just as much as any other place. There are many here who need our prayers and our Lord and we need to be sensitive to their need for Him! I was privileged to have served the church as bookkeeper from 1959-1970, mow lawn, lead a Bible study for a number of years, and usher for 47 years where I had the opportunity to meet many people and form life long friendships.

“As I am a strong believer in prayer, I truly believe that through my prayers the Lord led me to meet, with the help of friends, a young lady who lived 700 miles away. Next to accepting Christ as my Savior, the most important decision in my life was receiving Anne as my wife on June 3, 1962.

“From March 21, 1955 through January 31, 1997 I worked my way up the ranks from accounts payable, to bookkeeper, to office manage at General Tobacco and Candy Company. Throughout 38 years Anne, my sons Tim and Tom, and I made our home at 630 South 51st. During this time Anne and I were involved with Amway and enjoyed attending meetings as well as interacting with co-members and customers. In 2005 Anne and I moved to the Northgate retirement apartments where we lived for 3 ½ years before moving to the Waterford assisted living center in November of 2008. When Anne’s health deteriorated, it was necessary to move to the Sumner Place Care Facility in November of 2010. It was here we celebrated our 50th anniversary in June of 2012 and also where Anne went on ahead to glory September 24th of that same year.”

After battling pneumonia, Marvin passed away at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital on Sunday, June 1, 2014. Today he is definitely rejoicing as his new life has just begun and he has been reunited with many of those who have gone on before him including his wife Anne and his parents Dell and Elma Schlegel, along with many other cousins, relatives and friends.

Left to mourn his passing are his son Tim, of Lincoln, son Tom and wife Mari and their children Micah, Josiah and Myah of Lincoln, brother Gordon Schlegel and wife Sandy of Wickenburg, Arizona, brother-in-law Harry Neufeld of Winnipeg, Manitoba, nephews Joe Schlegel of Michigan and Eric Molaski and family of Wickenburg, Arizona, aunts Dorothy Schlegel and Edna Schlegel of Shickley, Nebraska along with many other cousins and friends.

In closing, here is a verse Marvin used to close his testimony taken from I Timothy 1:12: “For I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.”

Funeral services were held on Friday, June 6, 2014, at Lincoln Memorial Park and Funeral Home.