Cleve Schweitzer Obituary (1925

Funeral Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, February 22, 2021, at East Fairview Mennonite Church, Milford, with Pastors Anthony and Justin Troyer officiating. Interment is in East Fairview Cemetery. Visitation will be Sunday from 2-7:00 p.m. at Lauber Funeral Home, Milford with family receiving friends from 5-7:00 p.m. at the funeral home. Viewing also 1 hour prior to services at the church on Monday. Memorials have been established to the HoriSun Hospice or to the Gideons. Cleve Schweitzer was born November 2, 1925, on a farm near Friend, Nebraska to Lee and Elma (Stutzman) Schweitzer, the 4th of 5 children, and went home to be with the Lord on Thursday, February 18, 2021, at Kinship Pointe Assisted Living in Seward at the age of 95. He attended Stauffer Country School near Milford and later accepted Christ as his personal Savior and was baptized at Milford Mennonite Church. On June 8, 1947, he was united in marriage to Betty Jean Schweitzer, and to this union five children were born: Harvey, Shelia, Leslie, Mirvin and Nora. Cleve was a farmer and dairyman most of his life until he sold his cows and farm equipment and moved into Milford. He and Betty purchased the local Christian Bookstore, Center Reference, and later added Schweitzer's Plant and Garden Center. Cleve worked for a short time at Rediger Chevrolet and then worked in maintenance at Southeast Community College, Milford Campus, until he retired and sold the bookstore and garden center. His wife, Betty, passed away in July 1996 and in September 1997, he was blessed with a second marriage to Luella Nitzsche. They resided in Milford until moving to Kinship Pointe in Seward. While there, Cleve enjoyed polishing crosses for the Cross Makers. In January of 2016, Luella passed away and Cleve continued to reside at Kinship until his death. Cleve was active with the Gideons, loved spending time in his garage doing woodworking, making yard ornaments and other crafts. He was a member of the Salem Country Church and loved working in his garden and tending to his landscape and flowers. He never met a stranger and loved to visit with everyone he met. Cleve is survived by his children and spouses, Harvey and Bonnie Schweitzer, Dorchester, Shelia and Eric Rist, Orofino, ID, Les and Wilma Schweitzer, Mirvin Schweitzer and Nora and Anthony Troyer, all of Milford, stepchildren, Linda and Cloy Stutzman, Floyd and Susan Nitzsche, Kathy and Scott Stutzman, all of Milford, grandchildren and spouses, Cedric and Renee Schweitzer, Roxanne and Brad Roth, Tiffany and Craig Bergmeyer, Suzanne and Richard Wisdom, Lucas and Cassidy Rist, Ashley and Aaron Edinger, Alisha and Reuben Ralston, Jennifer and Brandon Baker, Justin and Abby Troyer, Jeremy and Rachel Troyer, Juliana and Arick Burkey and Janessa Troyer, 33 great-grandchildren, sister-in-law, Lois Schweitzer, Crete, a special friend, Margaret McCracken, Seward, many nieces, nephews and a host of other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers, Leonard, Merlin and Wilton Schweitzer, sister, Alvera Stutzman and a stillborn daughter and grandson.