Raymond and Fannie Nafziger Sommer

Raymond Sommer was born in 1904 on a farm near Bellflower, Illinois. His father and grandparents emigrated from the Lorraine area of France in the 1890s to the prairies of central Illinois.

Fannie Nafziger Sommer was born near Hopedale, Illinois, in 1907. Her education included a year at Goshen College in 1927-28.

Raymond and Fannie Sommer spent their married life on the family farm near Bellflower, Illinois. Theft daughters, Carolyn Sommer Zehr and Charlene Sommer flames, remember their father’s love of music and the time he spent playing the piano. Fannie had a unique ability with children and enjoyed teaching Sunday school and Daily Vacation Bible School.

They were generous supporters of the East Bend Mennonite Church, Fisher, Illinois, and other church institutions. The endowment of a scholarship at Goshen College is typical of their lifetime priorities of providing opportunities for others.