814-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 18, 1999 At 100 years of age, Mary Forney and her daughter Alleg ra Sanner talk about the birthday party on the farm. —.Centenarian— LOU ANN GOOD Lancaster Farming Staff NEFFSVILLE (Lancaster Co.) Mary Forney celebrated her 100th birthday on her childhood farm recently. It was a day to reminisce about growing up on Willow Spring Farm in Clay Township. One hundred years is a lot of memories to recall, but Mary remembers them as if they hap pened yesterday. ”My father was an award winning orchard man,” Mary said. In fact, Christian B. Snyder received the Master Farmer Award in 1928 for “his seed selection work that has done more than any one else to (lx the type and discase resistant qualities of Lancaster County Surc-Crop com, his pro duction of disease-free berry plants, and control of the oriental peach moth He was also the first in (lie area to test both dairy and beef cattle for tuberculosis.” Snyder was also treasurer of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Asso ciation and an officer for the exten sion association. Some of Mary's fondest memo ries are of childhood days filled with swinging on a long rope from a branch of the willow tree, finding pretty stones in the brook running through the front yard, rolling down the hills in lire yard, seeing watermelons and jugs of milk chill ing in the ice cold trough in the springhouse, and riding to Sunday school in the horse and buggy. There was no bathroom in the house, but Mary recalled that the outhouse had two holes, one regu lar size and one smaller, with a step for tiie children. A Sears Roebuck catalogue provided both entertain ment and cleansing. "We spent a lot of time there when it was dishwashing lime in the kitchen,” Mary said. After graduation from Eli zabethtown College, Mary taught school until she was 30 years old and married a widower in 1931. Her husband-to-be drove a car named "Moon,” said Mary. “So I told people I was marrying the man on die moon.” Roy Forney had somewhat of an unusual life. Married at 19, his first wife was lire only child of a wealth y family. Her father gave a farm to them as a gift, but when she died a year later from childbirth, her father took the farm back. Fomey had a newborn baby to raise. He remarried only to lose his second wife when she died from complica lions when giving birth to their sec ond child. Forney relumed to Elizabeth town College to cam a degree to leach math. It was at college dial Forney and Mary became acquainted. Forney served as a lay pastor (without pay) and Maty often served as chorister in the meetings where he preached. When Mary married Forney, he had three children from two diffe rent mothers. “Bull was never a stepmother,” Mary said. “My husband wouldn’t allow that. They were our children.” The children were ages 10, 5, and l‘h . Later, Mary and her hus band had two additional children. The oldest is deceased but die odier four include Arlene Stauffer, Con estoga; Allegra Sanncr, Dowing lown; Leßoy Fomey, Philadelphi an, and Miriam Hassan, South Bend, Ind. “My mother was always formal and proper and taught us to be well behaved,” said Allegra, the third child. "She was always kind and gentle. I never saw her lose her temper.” After their marriage, Fomey became a full-time pastor for the Church of the Brethren in Somerset County. Mary assisted him by serving as choir director, teaching adult Sunday school classes, and typing church bulletins and other secretarial duties. She used her ardsdc talents to paint pictures that illustrated some of her husband’s sermons. The walls of her apartment at the Brethren Village, Lidtz, serve as the background for many of her oil paindngs. Her husband died in 1973 from complicadons suffered from fall ing down the steps. At that time, die couple was semi-redrcd with Fomey serving as pastor of visitation for the Eli zabethtown Church of the Brethren. About 23 years ago, Mary moved to Bretiiren Village, For the first 17 years she shared a cottage with a friend. “We bought a place in Florida where we visited every winter. We went on a cruise and did other interesting tilings,” Mary said. Mary also served as president ol the Society of Farm Women in botli Lancaster and Somerset coun ties and as treasurer of the state society. On barn-building day, a meal was served to all the men before the women sat down to eat. Mary is fourth from the right. Butchering day was an exciting time as Mary remembers it. From left are C.B. Snyd er, Aunt Amanda Landis, Mary (Forney), Uncle Amos Landis, two butchers, and Aunt Sarah Wiest. Although she no longer paints, Mary used her artistic abilities to make 125 bookmarks for each of the guests who attended her party on Aug 7. She used the dots from a hole punch and a few defined strokes of a pen to bring a cheety existence to bugs, birds, flowers, caterpillars, and butterflies. When family members wanted to play her lOOtli birthday party, Mary at first protested. But then she said, “I don’t want a fuss, but I would like a family reunion.” Thus the surviving children planned the Snyder-Fomey Reun ion with relatives coming from as far away as California and China. At the reunion, Mary requested that “The Lord’s Prayer” be sung before the noon meal. "We have loads of musicians in our family,” Allcgra said, “and the singing was beautiful.” Pictures and posters depicting 100 years of Allegra’s life were on display. A distant relative who lives on the family farm opened it up for tours. The house has been beautifully restored and is furn ished with many cherished family heirlooms. “A reunion is more than people related to each oilier. It’s people joined by shared memories and hopes, drawn together by mutual caring and concerns. A family is special.” Mary’s sister Ida Snyder is alive at 102 years of age, but was unable to attend because she lives in California. Although 100 years old, Mary still likes to have fun, but said that all.her old friends have died. Four years ago, Mary carried the Olympic torch when it came to the Lititz area. A former tennis player. Maty has turned in her racquet to play Scrabble and Rummy Cube. “She never complains,” her daughter said. “She gets up at 6:30 every morning.” Mary interspersed, “That’s because I want to hear the in-house T.V. fa program that includes Skunks In Your Yard? YORK (York Co.) This time of the year, skunks frequent yards searching for white grubs (the lar vae of Japanese beetles and June bugs). Many people want to know how to keep skunks away. Penn State master gardeners respond devotions and news).” “She always dresses as soon as she gets up,” Allegra said. “Don’t you?” Maty asked. “I always did." At 9 a.m., Maty participates in an exercise class. “I keep busy. I stop by the store and bank,” Maty said. “I just stopped driving a car last year.” She also had kept a garden on the retirement home’s property. “I kept my gardening tools in my car trunk. When I gave up driving, I had no place to keep my (garden) tools, so I gave up gardening too,” Mary said. “But I miss those won derful strawberries and rhubarb that I grew in my garden.” Of her 100 years of living. Maty said, “I can’t think of any years that were better than others. I enjoyed them all.” that the digging skunks do in the top inch of soil causes little dam age. They will work at night and move on to winter hibernation when grubs are gone, so consider letting them help you with pest control.
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