Thelma M. Schell, 91, of Mechanicsburg, formerly of Mifflintown and Lancaster County, passed peacefully at 12:49 PM on Monday, April 15, 2019 at Geisinger-Holy Spirit Hospital in Camp Hill.
Born on March 19, 1928 in Lewistown, Mifflin Co., she is a daughter of the late Joseph and Bertha (Clinger) Baumgardner .
On January 22, 1954, she was married to her husband, Clarence E. Schell with who she was blessed to share more than 60 years of marriage before his passing on June 4, 2014.
Surviving are: three children, Gregory Schell and his wife Kay of Elm, Cathy Hoffmier and her husband Tim of Dillsburg, and Brian Schell and his wife Sharon of Lebanon; grandchildren, Laura Weaver, Jon and Andy Schell, Michelle and Camilla Fox, Jennifer Hoffmier, Ashley Britt, Kristel Bell, and James Schware; thirteen great-grandchildren and three great-great grandchildren.
In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by two brothers, William and Charles Baumgardner.
As a sophomore in high school, Thelma took piano lessons and enjoyed playing throughout the years. She took an interest in photography and sketching scenery and faces which she also enjoyed over the decades. After graduating from Yeagertown High School in 1946, she was employed at the Russell Bank in Lewistown. After marrying in 1954, Thelma and her husband moved to Lancaster County and gradually settled in Elm, where she raised her family. Thelma was one of the founding members of the Manheim Grace Brethren Church. In the early years, she played the piano for church services. When her children were older, she returned to work at Farmers First Bank in Lititz. Thelma enjoyed many road trips to New Mexico and two memorable trips to Germany and London, England. In later life, Thelma and her husband moved back home to the Schell homestead at Jericho Mills, Mifflintown. Her husband remodeled the barn into living quarters while Thelma enjoyed decorating her new country home. Many holidays and summer vacations were spent entertaining family, especially grandkids, at the Schell barn. Thelma had a green thumb, so the barn was filled with plants, inside and out. She enjoyed watching Penn State football games, an interest that she acquired during her grandchildren’s college years.
Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 AM on Friday, April 19, 2019 at the Brown Funeral Homes, Inc., 111 Westfall St., McAlisterville with Pastor John Walters officiating. Interment will follow at the Lost Creek Mennonite Cemetery, Oakland Mills.
Family will receive friends from 10:00 AM until the time of the funeral services at 11:00 AM on Friday at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Mrs. Schell’s memory can be made to Messiah Lifeways at www.messiahlifeways.org/giving/donate/