Marlene Joanne "Marley Jo"
West Lantz, 75, of Ghent Hill, Pa., went home to be with her Lord and Savior on
September 19, 2015.
Born November 5, 1939 in Towanda, Pa.,
she was the daughter of Elvin David and Vivian Mae West. She attended school at
Allentown Bible College and graduated from Athens Area High School in 1957. On
April 11, 1959, she married Duane Thomas Lantz at the Pilgrim Holiness Church
in Sayre, Pa. They shared 39 years and raised six children together before his
passing in 1998. In addition to being a full-time mother, she was employed at
the Triangle Shoe Store and Shores' Short Stop before pursuing a career in real
estate.
Marlene's fervent love of God propelled
her into many avenues of service within the churches she attended. For nearly
30 years, she served the Lord at the Pilgrim Holiness Church in Sayre. Later,
she and Tom helped build the Ghent Gospel Chapel. She frequently sang, played
the piano, taught Sunday School, and on occasion was the preacher. She was an
avid reader, particularly of the Bible. Her favorite verse was Isaiah 41:10:
"Fear thou not; for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I
will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the
right hand of my righteousness."
She loved a good story. Often, she
would create adventures for her children and grandchildren. She enjoyed
traveling, visiting such places as Italy, Jamaica, Florida, the Bahamas and the
Outer Banks of North Carolina.
Marlene is survived by her six
children, Vivian Lantz of Ghent Hill, Pa., Thomas (Joyce) Lantz of Gettysburg,
Pa., Vonita (Mark) Chaisson of Clearwater, Fla., Kenneth (Sue) Lantz of Barton,
N.Y., Dennis (Christy) Lantz of Warren Center, Pa., and Wendy Lantz of Ghent
Hill, Pa.; nine grandchildren, Scott Lantz, Regina Mckenzie, Janel Lantz,
Taylor Chaisson, Logan Kithcart, Breanna Lantz, Kody Lantz, Thomas Chaisson,
and Kevin Fessenden; two great-grandchildren, Gabrielle and Zyia Mckenzie.
Other survivors include brothers Kenneth (Debra) West, David (Jeannie) West,
sister Carol West, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
In addition to her parents, Marlene was
predeceased by husbands Duane Thomas Lantz and David Bailey; her mother the
Rev. Edna M. West; and her special aunt and uncle, Reva and Clinton Estes.
Friends and family may call on
Wednesday, September 23, 2015 from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Pilgrim Holiness
Church, 607 South Wilbur Avenue, Sayre, Pa., with the Rev. Gordon Kincaid
officiating.
Funeral services will follow at the church at 11 a.m.
Burial will be in Tioga Point Cemetery,
Athens, Pa.
Those wishing to sign the E-guestbook,
send flowers or condolences may do so by visiting www.LoweryFuneralHome.com
Dennis: She was very nurturing. I remember she used to place an old
fur coat over me when I was sick… and that was frequently.
I remember her praying upstairs in her room. Sometimes she
pleaded with God so fervently that she sobbed. I was downstairs but I could
hear her praying for each of us.
She wrote and sang several original songs. Most of them were
on piano or her autoharp. I wish I knew where those songs went. She sang
frequently in church… with Aunt Sharon, Charlie Arnold and many others. The
church played an integral role in her life. She occasionally gave sermons,
taught Sunday school classes, produced Easter and Christmas pageants and
specials, sang. I sang with her on a couple of occasions.
All of us children helped her with her gardening. I think
they were quite productive as we had enough to eat through the winter. She
canned, froze and preserved for days on end. I remember weeding and picking
beans. She would make cook fresh beans with potatoes and milk.
She did a lot of cooking for her family. She wasn’t always
the greatest at it, but as none of us can be accused of being too thin,
whatever she did worked. She once barbecued a squirrel I shot. It tasted like cardboard.
Of course, I also remember her chopping venison with flour and onions and the
result was heavenly. She let us chop and we always made a mess. She didn’t seem
to mind and neither did we.
I never saw her argue with my dad. She got angry at him a few
times, of course. She went for a few walks. She definitely said something to
him when he went to an auction and came home with a big grader that,
unfortunately never ran.
During my early adult years she supported me, perhaps a
little too much. She paid me for doing odd jobs around the house… looking back
I believe she should have urged me to get a job earlier than I did.
She read her Bible every day. She made us do devotional
studies and say our prayers every night before bed.
She would make a huge pot of turkey stew after Thanksgiving
for the opening day of hunting season. Early on there would fifteen or twenty
people eating and hunting. Later that dwindled, but she continued to make the
stew. Potatoes, turkey, carrots, celery, bacon, tiny onions and thickened, with
flour, I guess. It was good.
She liked candy, cookies, ice cream and desserts. Around
Christmas time she enjoyed the chewy Christmas mints and pecan logs. At other
times of the year she liked the caramels with white centers and ice cream. We always
had cookies in the cupboard.
She liked her real estate job even though she wasn’t fond of
showing customers a dozen houses and then having them not attempt to buy any of
them. Wear and tear on the car without an income. This job came later in her life
and she was already having some physical issues that limited her mobility and
her general comfort. But she liked her bosses, Jay and Janet McMoran and their
family. I believe it was a United Home that changed to United Country. Maybe I
got that wrong, but united homes or united countries both sound desirable to
me.
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