Zelma R. Mercer

Zelma R. Mercer, 89, formerly of 619 E. LaPorte St., where she made her home with her devoted son, Michael, died of natural causes at 4:35 p.m. on Wednesday, July 11. 2001. Zelma died in the Walnut Creek Nursing Home where she had lived for the past two and a half years. Born January 26, 1912, in Huntington, West Virginia. After her high school graduation in 1928, she attended the South Bend College of Commerce and worked for the Westinghouse Corp. When Westinghouse left South Bend, Zelma became the secretary of the First Christian Church of which she was a member. She worked with its’ beloved pastor, Dr. Elmer Ward Cole. Throughout her life, she remained a faithful and active member of First Christian, serving in many capacities. The church was the central focus of her life and the life of her family. On Nov. 19, 1933, in the First Christian Church, Zelma became the bride of Harold A.. Mercer. She devoted the next 17 years to being a full-time wife and mother. For 27 years, from 1950 until her retirement in 1977, and part-time until 1982, Zelma was a teller, then head teller for the St. Joseph Bank and Trust in South Bend. It was work she dearly loved. Zelma was known for her sense of humor, her quick intelligence and her strength of character. She is survived by a son and daughter: Michael K. Mercer, Plymouth and Marilee A. Mercer-Wead, and son-in-law, Gordon R. Wead of Wilmette, Ill. A sister-in-law, Helen Mercer, Plymouth, also survives as well as a niece, Betty Howard, of Lakeland, Florida . She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Harold who died on Nov. 2, 1988, a sister, Edith Gunter and twin brothers, Harold and Gerald Runyon. Visitation with Zelma’s family will be on Saturday, July 14, 2001, from 12 to 2 p.m. in the First Christian Church, 1101 E. Jefferson Blvd., at Eddy Street, South Bend. Funeral services will follow at 2 p.m. in the sanctuary. Bert Handwork, an Elder of the church, will officiate. Burial will follow in Riverview Cemetery, South Bend. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Zelma’s memory may be sent to First Christian Church, 1101 E. Jefferson Blvd., South Bend, IN., 46617.