11/13/2013
Ida E. Risser, 93, of Leola, died peacefully on Wednesday, November 13, 2013, at Brethren Village. Born in Oregon, PA, she was a daughter of Henry and Mazie Landis Shreiner. She and her late husband, Allen K. Risser, were married for 64 years prior to his death in 2012.
Ida graduated from Manheim Township High School in 1938 and then the Lancaster Business College before becoming the office manager of Lancaster Farm Bureau for eight years. She was a farmwife for over 40 years, served as a 4-H leader for 20 years, and was on the boards of several local organizations including Lancaster Extension Service and the Farm and Home Foundation. In addition, she was a columnist for several publications, including Lancaster Farming, for which she wrote her weekly Ida's Notebook article for 38 years. Ida enjoyed gardening, travelling, fishing, and braiding rugs.
Surviving are three daughters and three sons: Nancy, wife of Terry Montgomery, Seattle, WA; Kenneth, husband of Vickie, New Kent, VA; Jeffrey, husband of Madeleine, Lawrenceville, GA; Judy, wife of Paul Debban, Snellville, GA; Philip, husband of Lisa, Leola, PA; and Lucinda, wife of Gary Biesecker, Dallas, PA.
She is also survived by two sisters, Anna Rentschler, Lancaster, PA, and Helen, wife of Jim Benner, Lansing, MI; and 15 grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by four sisters, Alma Bradley, Mary Sahm, Mazie Shreiner, and Florence Ober.
Funeral services will take place at Highland Presbyterian Church, 500 E. Roseville Rd., Lancaster, PA, where Ida was a deacon, on Monday, November 18, 2013 at 11 am. The viewing will be from 10 to 11 am with burial at Landis Valley Mennonite Church Cemetery following the service. Donations may be made in Ida's memory to the Mennonite Disaster Service or Heifer International.