Marjorie R. Lenart, 81, of Panama Bear Lake Road, Panama, passed away Dec. 6, 2012, at her home.
She was born Nov. 17, 1931, in McKean, Pa., the daughter of the late Ray and Ruth Barton Chapman
Marge was a tower of strength for her family. She was a people person, and she liked to socialize whether it was at a family gathering or at the local restaurant in Panama after she went on a morning walk in the school with her friends. She was a member of Our Lady of the Snows Church where she attended every week and sat in the same seat for years.
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Traditions that she inherited from her large close-knit family she passed on to her children and grandchildren. Her door was open to anyone and Sunday dinners were always on the table. Other than being a devoted mother and grandmother, she worked at the Triangle Restaurant, Good Morning Farm Restaurant and Panama and Jamestown schools cafeterias throughout her life.
Quick comeback lines were her specialty. Her hobbies including baking, baking, baking, bowling, and watching sports on TV. Through all the adversity she faced, she always had a positive outlook and loved the life she lived.
Marjorie was survived by two daughters: Mary (Ronald) Zimmer, Fairview, Pa., and Emily (Larry) Gustafson, Clymer, N.Y.; daughter-in-law, Rita Lenart, Panama, N.Y.; grandchildren: Ken (Jen) Zimmer, Keith Zimmer, Nick and Brittany Lenart, and Daniel and Erica Gustafson; one great-grandson, Ben Zimmer; four sisters: Florence Kennerknecht, Myrtle Skiba, Lois Smith and Kathleen "Kazzy" Fox; three brothers: Ray Chapman Jr., Harry "Butch" Chapman and Dale Chapman; and several nieces and nephews, all great.
Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Emery J. Lenart, who died July 2, 2000, whom she married July 30, 1960; son, James E. Lenart, January 12, 2010; three sisters: Julia Carniewski, Alice Polohonki and MaryAnn Baker; and three brothers: Russell, Warren, John Chapman.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012, at the Panama United Methodist Church, Panama, N.Y., with Monsignor Joseph Dowdell of Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church will be celebrant. Burial will be in Bear Lake Cemetery, Bear Lake, Pa.
Friends will be received from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. Monday, at the Spitzer Funeral Home Clymer, N.Y., and for 1 hour prior to the service Tuesday at church.
Memorials may be to Panama United Methodist Church P.O. Box 218, Panama, N.Y.; or Our Lady of the Snows Roman Catholic Church, Main Street Panama, N.Y.
