Lot 34
Deeded to:
34A (SW ¼ Section): Cyrus & Edith ZehndeR
34C (SE ¼ Section): Amy Nugent & Mark Lewis
Burials:
34A: a. Cyrus Elmer Zehnder
34A b. Edith Gertrude (Woods) Zehnder
34C: b. Jill E. Lewis (Zehnder) (cremation)
Designated Burial:
34C: a. Amy (Lewis) Nugent
Notes:
Lot 34 is divided into four 8’ x 8’ lots.
Cemetery records indicate Scott Richard Tatum is buried on lot 33, however, his grave marker is on this lot.
Cyrus Zehnder, like his father Christian Zehnder, devoted much of his life to preserving Salem Kirche as an historical shrine and maintaining Salem Kirchhof as a cemetery of early members of Salem Kirche and their descendants. His children Bart Zehnder, Jill Lewis and Laurie Dinger continued the family tradition. For over 30 years, Jill served as the Board of Trustees president, kept the cemetery records and played the pump organ for the annual Founders Day and Epiphany Services. Their great grandfather was a founding member of the congregation back in 1857. (See notes for lot 17.)
OBITUARIES
Plot 34A a: Cyrus E. Zehnder, 1900-1989 (12/21/1900 – 9/24/1989)
Zehnder – Cyrus Elmer, age 88, of Sunfish Lake. Retired manager of Twin City Iron & Wire Co. Survived by his wife Edith (nee Woods); sons, Bart (Joanne) of Mendota Heights, David (Cherine) of London, England; daughters, Jill Lewis & Laurie (Don) Dinger of Inver Grove Heights. Also 10 grandchildren & 5 great-grandchildren. Sister, Mildred Finley of San Angelo, TX; brother, Lloyd of Sunfish Lake. Preceded in death by sister, Virginia Janecek & brother, Earl. Service of Celebration Wednesday 3 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 140 6th Ave. N., SSP. Private interment at Old Salem Historical Shrine, Inver Grove Heights. Visitation Tuesday 3 to 9 p.m. at English Meeker & Kandt Funeral Home, 140 8th Ave. N., SSP. Memorials preferred. [Saint Paul Pioneer Press Dispatch: Mon., 25 Sep. 1989]
Plot 34A b: Edith G. (Woods) Zehnder, 1917-2009 (7/23/1917 – 11/15/2009)
Zehnder – Edith Gertrude (Woods) Zehnder, age 92, of Sunfish Lake, MN, died Sunday, November 15, 2009 at Good Samaritan Society-Inver Grove Heights, after a brief bout with pneumonia and dementia. She was born on July 23, 1917, to John R. and Gertrude Woods. She attended South St. Paul High School, graduating in 1933 at the age of 15. On May 17, 1934, she married Cyrus E. Zehnder, a marriage that lasted 55 years until his death in 1989. As a piano teacher for 20+ years, she taught many students to have a love of music. As church organist at Salem & First United Methodist churches for more than 41 years, and occasionally at Old Salem Shrine she shared her talent and faith. Over the years, Edith cooked and served at many church dinners, worked on many mission projects, knit hundreds of mittens, and enjoyed the devotions and bible studies of the women’s ministry groups in the church. Family remembers her always cooking and being prepared for company. She is survived by her children Bartley, David, Jill Lewis and Laurie Dinger, a brother, Herbert Woods, and a sister-in-law Dorothy Woods. She is preceded in death by husband, Cyrus, and siblings Alice and Harold Woods.
Plot 34C b: Jill E. (Zehnder) Lewis, 1945-2020 (12/24/1945 – 6/07/2020)
Jill E. Lewis (nee Zehnder) - Born on Christmas Eve, 1945, Jill was a gift to the community of Inver Grove Heights until her death due to pancreatic cancer on Sunday, June 7, 2020. She served the community for 40 years as a school board member, Rotarian, founding and executive committee member of the Inver Grove Heights B.E.S.T. Foundation, and president of the trustee committee of Old Salem Shrine. She played a role in many positive developments in the Inver Grove Heights community, including the Inver Glen Library and the Inver Grove Heights Post Office. She was the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2019 Service to Others Humanitarian Award from the South St. Paul/Inver Grove Heights Rotary Club. Jill was the subject of an Insight 7 feature on Town Square Television in 2019.
Jill began playing the organ for church at the age of 12 and went on to serve as music director at three area United Methodist Churches: Salem UMC (now Crossroads) in Inver Grove Heights, First UMC in South St. Paul and Mt. Bethel UMC in Inver Grove Heights. It is fitting she died at 8:45 a.m. on a Sunday, the time she generally arrived at church to prepare for the morning service.
Jill was committed to ensuring area students received the best education possible. She served on the Independent School District 199 Board from 1980 to 1995, holding the position of chair for 7 years. From 1995 to 2020, she was the appointed representative to the school board of Intermediate School District 917, serving as chair from 1999 until the time of her death. She helped found the Inver Grove Heights B.E.S.T. (Better Educated Students of Today) Foundation, the educational scholarship foundation for graduates of Simley High School. She was the lifeblood of BEST since its inception until 2019, holding the office of president and treasurer for many years. Under her leadership from 1987-2018, the Foundation awarded more than $3 million in scholarships to Simley graduates.
She was a long-time member of the Inver Grove Heights/South St. Paul Rotary Club, serving as treasurer for 15 years. Through Rotary, she served as host “family” for Emma Bannister, whom Jill loved and maintained contact with until she died.
Jill carried on her family’s legacy of caring for the Old Salem Shrine, or the Little White Church, on Upper 55th Street. She was president of the trustee committee for nearly 40 years, ensuring this historical landmark which her great grandfather helped found was preserved for future generations.
Professionally, Jill was a realtor for 10 years and a mortgage broker and underwriter for 34 years.
Jill dearly loved to travel and was sure to check off bucket list trips after her cancer diagnosis in July 2018. She took an Alaskan cruise, toured New England for the fall colors, and visited her brother Dave in Nevada and friends in Arizona this past winter. She often planned trips for her “high school group,” classmates from Sibley Class of 1963.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Cyrus and Edith Zehnder. Survived by siblings Bartley (Joanne) Zehnder, David Zehnder and Laurie (Don) Dinger; children, Mark (Lisa) Lewis, Amy (John) Nugent and her adopted “British Daughter,” Emma Bannister; 6 grandkids; 3 great grandkids; and many dear classmates from Sibley High School Class of 1963.
A celebration of life will be held later.