Fern Elizabeth Frey Schrock

1921 - 2022

Fern Elizabeth Frey Schrock

March 1, 1921 - March 20, 2022

Fern Elizabeth Frey Schrock - March 1, 1921 - March 20, 2022. Faithful Disciple, Wife and Mother, Community Organizer, World Citizen, Lover of Peace and Justice.

Mary Oliver's words echoed that of our mother's:

When my life is over, I don't want to wonder if I have made of my life something particular, and real ... I don't want to end up simply having visited this world.

Our mother expressed her love through a lifetime of nurturing and care. Her daily rituals, like baking cookies, sewing clothes, and cooking delicious meals were performed with great care and attentiveness. She gardened in our "truck patch," preserved food for winter, and shared the harvest not only with family, but with those in need. She had a passion for babies and children and spent many hours rocking, reading, and singing to her children, grandchildren, and eventually great- grandchildren. She also cared for her mother-in-law with love and devotion for 35 years. Her dedication to every task, big or small, is a value she passed on to the generations that followed.

The Church was an integral part of her life from her birth to her death. She served faithfully in many capacities as a founding member of Zion Mennonite Church. Her love for music and her beautiful soprano voice were used to express the faith she embraced.

She was community-minded, as she, along with our father, organized the first recycling project in Archbold. She founded and gave leadership to the volunteer program at the local hospital. She was named Citizen of the Year in Archbold and Volunteer of the Year in Northwest Ohio due to the many ways she involved herself and others in the community she loved.

Her love knew no borders as she sought to respond to the needs she saw in the larger world. She welcomed young people and students from many cultures into our home, and cared for them as she did her own children. She involved herself in the resettlement of refugee families, walking alongside them while they built a new life in the community. She also freely offered her assistance to people in far away places through MCC, MEDA, and Assets.

Mother was born on March 1, 1921 to Philemon and Mattie (Wyse) Frey. She became the big sister to Beatrice (JB) Shenk, Zelma (Clayton) Martin, Maxine (Paul) Diller, and Cara (Frank) Ulrich. On March 1, 1941 she married Ceaphus C. Schrock and together they had six daughters, Cara (Joseph) Steiner, JoAnne (James) Alderfer, Phyllis Hostetler, Rebecca (Rudolph) Schrock-Herdeck, Mary Elizabeth Schrock, and Julia (David) Schrock Rosenfeld.

She is survived by her six daughters; three sons-in-law; 11 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; and three sisters. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; one son-in-law, James; and one sister, Zelma.

Visitation will be held April 15 from 5-8:00 p.m. at Short Funeral Home. Service will be held at Zion Mennonite Church, Archbold, Saturday, April 16 at 11:00 a.m. The family requests that masks be worn at the service. Memorial contributions can be made to: Project Hope c/o Zion Mennonite Church or Mennonite Central Committee.