Lucille Zuercher

April 12, 1923 - April 12, 2011

Marian Lucille (Sprunger) Zuercher, age 88, a resident of Berne, Indiana, passed away at 5:30 p.m. on April 12, 2011, at Adams Memorial Hospital in Decatur, Indiana. She was born April 12, 1923, in Woodburn, IN, the youngest child of Alvin and Sylvia (Lochner) Sprunger. At three years of age she was orphaned and was subsequently reared by Hiram and Rufina (Liechty) Sprunger of Berne, cousins of her father.


On April 8, 1944, she married Christian Walter Zuercher who preceded her in death on April 7, 2001. Since that time Lucille has resided at Swiss Village in Berne.

Lucille is survived by five children, Margaret Ann (Donald) Harsha, Paul (Marvel) Zuercher and Elaine (Jeffrey) Boze all of Berne; Leon (Candace) Zuercher of Indianapolis and Linda (Charles) Abernathy of Concord, NC; eleven grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and a brother, Dr. Meredith Sprunger of Muncie.


Preceding her in death were her parents Alvin and Sylvia Sprunger, foster parents Hiram and Rufina Sprunger, husband C. Walter Zuercher, sister Marguerite Erickson and brother Blanchard Sprunger.

Lucille was instrumental in helping to establish a kindergarten in Berne and for a time opened her home for this endeavor until the school took it over. She was a member of the First Mennonite Church in Berne and for about 42 years was a volunteer at Swiss Village.


Family and friends will be received from 2:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Friday, April 15, at the Swiss Village Chapel and one hour before the funeral service which will be at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 16, at the Swiss Village Chapel, Pastor Jerry Flueckiger officiating. She will be laid to rest at the M.R.E. Cemetery, Berne, Indiana.

Preferred memorials are to Swiss Village Samaritan Endowment Fund, or the First Mennonite Church, Berne, Indiana.