Caroline Marie Reimer, 91, of Perryton, passed away peacefully on Dec. 14, 2020 at Twin Oaks Manor in Booker
Funeral service will be held on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020 at 1 p.m. at Crossroads Bible Fellowship Church with Rev. James Epp officiating. Burial followed in the Balko Mennonite Cemetery. Arrangements were under the direction of Boxwell Brothers Funerals Home of Perryton. Caroline was born April
Caroline was born April 14, 1929 in Balko, OK to David and Laura Penner. It was a Sunday, the beginning of the Great Depression and the weekend of a terrible dust storm. Pictures of that storm are still on display at the Museum of the Plains in Perryton. Her mother chose not to have more children due to a strong belief that Jesus was coming back soon because the world had become such a dreadful place not suitable for children.
She received so much love as an only child. Her parents’ faith strongly in fluenced her childhood and life. She attended Boyd School then Corn Bible Academy, graduating May 1947. A year later she married a young man from the Corn area, John Calvin “Cal” Janzen, on June 6, 1948. They moved to Canadian, for a year before returning to the Oklahoma panhandle to farm with her parents. Of course, farming was supplemented with many other jobs, such as building terraces, driving trucks, construction, and waitressing too.
They had three sons David, Merlin and Bruce. They were members and enjoyed raising their family in the Balko Mennonite Brethren Church. Carrie loved her children each individually and accepted them all as they were. Around 1962, they moved to their own farmhouse five miles East. Two of her sons followed part of her education by attending Corn Bible Academy too. Eventually Cal and Carrie moved back to the original home place after her Dad moved to Fairview, OK. It was a time filled with faith and family.
Unfortunately, Cal passed away in January 1980, in a semi-truck accident. She bravely continued a new business venture they had planned of breeding parakeets for several years. During this young widowhood, Carrie began to travel with friends. She visited many places in the US and Europe, mostly with a friend named Mary, who became like a sister she never had to her. It was a time filled with adventure and grandchildren.
Carrie’s keen love of fashion and makeup and her devotion to Christ made her a beautiful woman inside and out. Nine years later she caught the attention of a Godly man and married Harry Reimer in April 1989. Harry had three children whom she accepted into her family: Connie, Roger and Judy. He moved to her homeplace and she joined his church, the Perryton First Baptist Church. They made many happy memories at ball games, grand-children’s events, church gatherings, and visiting family. Harry passed away in February 1998.
She moved to town from the farm and soon developed a close circle of friends. They had meals together almost every day, often following the senior specials through the various restaurants in town. Carrie joined ladies Bible Studies, served at VBS to help children know about her savior Jesus, and volunteered as a Pink Lady at the Ochiltree General Hospital. It was a time filled with laughter and community.
In 2010, Carrie noticed that remembering things was becoming more difficult and was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Like much of life, she accepted it as it was and gracefully trusted God for needed strength. After a fall, caregivers came into her house to help with duties, providing more and more care as the disease progressed. Carrie and the family were grateful for their many kind actions and compassion they showed. Eventually her needs grew to the point of needing a nursing home and she moved into Twin Oaks Manor. They and some caregivers watched over her until she was welcomed into the arms of her Lord on December 14, 2020.
She is preceded in death by her parents, David (Dec 2000) and Laura (Dec 1971) Penner; her first husband, Calvin Janzen (Jan 1980); her second husband, Harry Reimer (Feb 1998); her son, Merlin Janzen (Sept 2020); her daughter-in-law, Marsha Janzen (Feb 2009); her grandson, Adam Miller (April 2015).
She is survived by her sons David and Beverly Janzen of Cheyenne, WY and Bruce and Rhonda Janzen of Buena Vista, CO; grandchildren, Steve and Marcia Swann of Dodge City, KS, David and Laurie Janzen Lansing, IA; Stacy Miller of Cheyenne, WY, Daniel and Torie Archer of Balko, OK, Rusty and Torri Janzen of Perryton, Beau Janzen of Perryton, Tyler Janzen of Balko, OK, Branden Minor of Ft. Wayne, IN, Jordan and Lee Janzen of Redmond, WA; Her stepchildren, Connie Reimer-Cobb of Spring, Roger Reimer of McKinney, and Judy Reimer of Carlsbad, CA. She is also survived by 16 great-grandchildren, and three greatgreat grandchildren, along with many other family members and friends.
The family requests memorials to be sent to Tyler Janzen Scholarship Fund, Merlin Janzen 2020 Revocable Trust, Perryton National Bank, P.O. Box 969, Perryton, TX 79070.