Mary Gerber
Apr 13, 2018The hope and peace her family has is knowing she is safely home with her Lord and Savior.Mary was born Oct. 28, 1929, in Czechoslovakia, the daughter of John and Anna Bakalar. At the age of 3 her family left Czechoslovakia on a ship headed to America. One of her first memories was turning 4 on the boat and having a little party attended by even the Captain. She always appreciated all that this great land stood for and appreciated the freedoms that they enjoyed by coming to America.She graduated in 1947 from Warren Harding High School in Bridgeport, Conn. At the age of 18, she accepted the Lord as her personal Savior. This life-changing decision led her from Bridgeport, Conn., to Chicago to attend the Moody Bible Institute. She earned her Christian education degree from Moody in 1954. While at Moody, she was the first girls’ counselor for HI-C Clubs in the Chicago area. It was a position she held during her years at Moody. After graduation, she worked as a counselor at Word of Life Camp. She then was employed at Northern Trust Company in Chicago until she met and married the Rev. Lauren W. Gerber on April 19, 1958.Her husband and she were appointed by the Conservative Baptist Home Missions Society as church planters. They started churches in Iowa and Nebraska, before accepting a pastorate at the First Baptist Church in Bradford in January 1967. They served the Lord there together for almost 25 years.Mary was a homemaker, making delicious home-cooked meals for her family. They shared many hours talking around the table and just enjoying each other’s company. She loved to read, and often finished books faster than you could get them to her. She always had a listening ear, and was often on the phone most of the evening talking and listening to her children tell about their days, their troubles, or their triumphs.She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother (nanny), sister and aunt. She loved her family with a deep love. Through her whole life she wanted to serve her Lord... (Bureau County Republican)
