JEANNE MUMMA ZIGLER's 100th Birthday Party
Harlan, Indiana
19 May 2001




Jeanne Lucille Mumma Zigler

On May 19th, 2001, over 125 family and friends gathered at the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Harlan, Indian to pay tribute to Jeanne Luccile Mumma Zigler and help celebrate her 100th birthday.  In 1999, She was named Harlan, Indiana "Honorary Citizen of the Year".

[The following story was created in 1991 for Jeanne's 90th birthday by Carol Lorraine Ankenman, her granddaughter]

Jeanne Lucille Mumma Zigler was born on May 17, 1901 in Cicero, Indiana, the youngest daughter of Rev. Aaron Klepinger Mumma and Martha Elizabeth Sanders.  Her father was a minister and Jeanne lived in several towns in the Midwest during her childhood, eventually settling in Harlan, Indiana.

From 1921 to 1938, Reverend Mumma preached at the two country churches and the village church in the parish. The family traveled to the churches by horse and buggy or by car, but the fastest way to go in winter was by horse.

"I was brought up going to church six different times on Sunday" Jeanne said.

Jeanne attends Holy Trinity Evangelical Church in Harlan, a church that was formed when three small churches merged. The Holy Trinity church was built in 1966 and includes the Mumma Memorial Chapel, which is named after Jeanne's father.

Jeanne Mumma attended Wittenburg College in Springfield, Ohio, where she met her husband, Virgil Elvin Zigler.  A bulletin board at college, however, prompted Jeanne to make another major life decision. An organization called "Student Volunteers" displayed ads for needy foreign countries and Jeanne decided she wanted to serve overseas as a missionary. In 1923, she received her Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Latin and French.

Jeanne said Virgil (whom she refers to as "Zig") wanted to become a doctor because of his mother died of Cancer. So Virgil went off to medical school in Cincinnati, and Jeanne taught high school. That year Jeanne sent half her salary to Virgil at school.

"But then he got too proud to take [the money] anymore, so we got married," she said.

Their wedding took place June 3, 1924 in St. Mark's parsonage.  One of Jeanne's college roommates was an attendant.

"It was a small, private affair. My brother David played the wedding march while we walked downstairs," Jeanne said.

While Virgil continued his medical training, Jeanne taught two more years of high school and then started nurses training at Deaconess Hospital. She did not get her state board results before she had embarked on her first mission trip. When asked how she and Virgil discussed becoming missionaries and deciding where to serve, she told the following story:

"Well, when we got married, I was still going to go overseas, so he said he'd go along . . . we knew we'd go through the Lutheran Board. He decided he wanted to go to South America, and he put the application into the United Lutheran Missions. Oh my, but he wanted to go to South America so bad . . . so they sent us to India!"

The Ziglers spent their first two years in India learning the language.

"We had a Brahmin teacher to teach us Telugu, but because he was very high caste and we were outcasts, he would take a bath before going home," Jeanne said.

After passing the language examination that all missionaries were required to take, the Ziglers were sent to a 40-bed hospital in Rentichintala, which is in "famine country."

"We were very busy, then they instituted a portable hospital. They would travel to various villages with a driver, doctor, pharmacist, nurse and a bible woman, " Jeanne said.

Evangelism was pursued while patients waited for medical services. A "bible woman" was native trained to preach and teach the native women, who sat separately from the men. While in Rentichintala, the Ziglers had three daughters. In 1933, Elizabeth Lucille was born; in 1937, Beverly Ann was born; and in 1938, Carol Corinne was born.

In 1940, a big hospital in a much bigger city (Rajahmundry) needed a medical superintendent, and Virgil was named for the position. Jeanne taught nursing and their youngest daughter, Sylvia, was born in 1944.

"In Rajahmundry, there were other missionaries . . . We'd have joint meals (pot lucks) and we did a lot of things together . . . Every bungalow had its own tennis court. We all played tennis. . . At Christmas, there would be several dinners . . . now there aren't any Lutheran missionaries in Rajahmundry," Jeanne said.

In 1945, the Ziglers took their first furlough back to the United States. During that time, Jeanne's father died.

On returning to India, they found that they had been assigned to a tuberculosis sanatorium in the countryside outside Rajahmundry. It was here that the Zigler family had a personal encounter with India's wildlife.

Their bungalow include a bedroom, bathroom and dressing room. Baths were taken by pouring water over yourself and the water drained out through a hole in the floor. They began noticing that items in the bathroom and dressing room were moving around during the night. One day, they discovered a seven foot cobra curled up in the corner and Virgil finally shot it.

"It was a long time before we knew what was coming in," Jeanne said.

During a furlough in 1957, Jeanne's mother passed away. The couple returned to India in 1958 and worked until 1968, when Virgil died suddenly.

Jeanne returned to the United States in 1970 to live in the home in Harlan that she and Virgil had bought in 1936 for her parents.

"After you have been in a place for 40 years, it is home to you," Jeanne said. "I still don't feel like I belong her even after I have been back [form India] for 21 years. . .  It hurts me to see so much stuff wasted - thrown away here in the States . . . but we did have servants, thank the Lord."

Jeanne Mumma Zigler with her descendants

Back Row: Kurt, Benjamin, Brittany & Kathryn Kusserow, Terry & Joan Inge, Rupley & Sylvia Maday.
2nd Row: Barbie, Pam, Karen & Ralph Kusserow, Bryan Crider, Ted Hofer, Terry, Ralph & Barbara Ankenman, Carol & David Hommel.
Seated: Tim + Hannah, Hans, & Carol Kusserow, Jeanne Crider, Beverly Hofer, Jeanne Zigler, Lucy, Bruce, Mistie + Eli & David + Joslyn Ankenman
Floor: David, Beth & Abigail Kusserow, Tricia & Kevin Fout, Paul, Marie & James Ankenman
Not Present: Beverly & Stephen Ankenman, Virgil Maday

Jeanne Mumma Zigler and her extended family

Back Row: Barbara Bray, Becky Ohm, Susan Bray.
Standing: Ramsey Thiel, Mildred Mumma, Elton Huff, Irene Bray, Davis Willis, Tom, Sarah & Andrea Bray.
Seated: Jean Thiel, Miriam Huff, Jeanne Mumma Zigler, Martha Willis, Janet Bray.

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