BOURBON – Vonna Mae Summers Rettinger, 86, Warsaw, and formerly of Plymouth, died from cancer early Sunday morning, March 2, 2014. She was born Sept. 4, 1927, at home in North Liberty, to Roy and Viola Walter Summers. On Dec. 31, 1946, she married Donald Keith Rettinger, who preceded her in death. A Bourbon area resident for most of her life, she had resided in Miller’s Senior Living facility in Plymouth for the last several years before recently moving to Garden’s at Lake City in Warsaw. After graduating as salutatorian from North Liberty High School, she attended Indiana University in Bloomington for a year to study vocal music before returning home to marry Donald, whom she had met while attending Church of the Brethren youth group meetings. She helped him on the farm until a back injury limited her participation, but she continued to tend flower gardens and was especially fond of roses. She continued her passion for music by playing the piano and organ at Mt. Pleasant Church of the Brethren as well as singing in the local and district church choirs, and once even played the role of Bloody Mary in Nappanee Civic Theater’s musical, “South Pacific.” She expanded her artistic skills through oil painting, concentrating mostly on landscapes and collected various multi-colored glass vases and novelties. She served on the music committee and ladies aid at Mt. Pleasant, where she was a deaconess and regularly assisted with summer Bible school programming. Nurtured in the Pine Creek Church of the Brethren during her youth, she became an avid reader of the Bible as a member of Mt. Pleasant while participating in numerous Bible study groups. She also volunteered as a summer counselor at Camp Mack. Upon the closure of Mt. Pleasant, she transferred her membership to the Plymouth Church of the Brethren and most recently had been attending North Winona Church of the Brethren after moving to Warsaw. Surviving are a sister, Joyce (and spouse Ed) Dolph; a daughter, Mary Eloise (and spouse Byron) Smith; a son, Hugh (and spouse Karin) Rettinger; six grandchildren: Leon, Mark and Anna Smith; Summer (and spouse Scott) Steenburg; Wes (and spouse Gretchen) Rettinger; and Wil Rettinger; two great-granddaughters, Sophia Steenburg and Isabelle Rettinger. She was also preceded in death by her parents and a son, D. Neil Rettinger, O.D. Services will be at 3 p.m. Saturday at Deaton-Clemens Funeral Home, Bourbon, with Paul Nye, assistant pastor at Plymouth Church of the Brethren and former interim pastor at Mt. Pleasant, officiating. Burial is in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery. Calling is prior to the service from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home. ***** Memorials to Camp Alexander Mack, P.O. Box 158 Milford, IN 46542. Condolences may be sent via deatonclemensfh.com
