93, devoted to ministry, volunteer
Peggy Snyder Jones, 93, went to be with her Lord Saturday, Nov. 9, 2013.
She was preceded by her beloved husband, David, having faithfully served the Lord together.
Peggy was an icon on Main Street in Lititz in her little white house by the post office. Her love for her Lord and for the Bible reflected clearly in her hospitality, in her engaging way with people, but most of all, in her passion that everyone have that same opportunity that was given to her 56 years ago — to accept Christ as her personal Lord and Savior. She figured if there was only one way to go to Heaven, she’d better take it and spend her life encouraging others to do the same. All who knew her were aware of this genuine interest, love and concern for people. She made many a conversation lively with her infectious enthusiasm, joy, and ability to share God’s goodness so easily.
Peggy was born on June 12, 1920, the daughter of Paris and Barbara Ziegler Snyder (Musser). A daughter of Lititz, Peggy looked upon the Depression years as happy ones. Her mother taught her thriftiness, and their home on Spruce Street was a joyfully busy place. Sunday mornings were a special blessing at the Moravian Sunday School with the Gospel hymns and rich German chorales. Lititz in the 30s was like a Norman Rockwell scene — idyllic.
She graduated from Lititz High School and Linden Hall Junior College and attended Antioch College in Ohio where she met and married David Jones in 1942. After WWII and a few years of teaching, David enrolled in the Moravian Seminary.
She supported the family through seminary years, developing a line of notecards featuring historical sketches. From an invitation to tea from Alice Roosevelt Longworth at Sagamore Hill to a visit with Albert Einstein in his home, the business was very successful.
After seminary graduation, demand for the notes suddenly dropped. She distinctly felt God speak to her spirit, "You asked me to get you through seminary, and I did. From now on, you work for me." This drove the remainder of her life.
Through the years, they pastored Moravian churches in Allentown; Riverside, N.J.; Ephraim, Wis.; and Winston-Salem, N.C., and served a term on the Nicaraguan mission field in the 1950s. God put them there so they could hear the Good News from the nationals (natives) who had already accepted Jesus as their personal Savior. Although Peggy and David had loved God deeply, they had not yet experienced a personal relationship with Jesus. John 3:7 – "Ye must be born again" – became real to them after hearing the testimonies of the very people they had come to help. Secure now in their own salvation, they returned stateside to America to share this Good News. That decision to truly accept Christ changed their lives, those of their descendants, and countless others through the years.
God called them to start an independent house church in Winston-Salem in the 1970s – four services a week, over 1,600 services in eight years. Many streamed through their doors to receive ministry. God gave them an incredibly fruitful and joyous seven years of family ministry in what their daughters say was the perfect family life.
The close of their years of official ministry found Peggy volunteering at CBN in Virginia Beach, Va., in the 1980s where her husband served as the first chaplain. Peggy ministered on the phones in their counseling center, praying with each caller, giving hope and encouragement.
The remaining years following David’s retirement from CBN were spent on Main Street in the heart of Lititz in their 250-year-old historic home, left to them by family friends. It delighted them to greet passersby; they were always ready to pray and encourage anyone who needed it. It was a return home for Peggy. Her life began and ended in this town she always loved.
David and Peggy agreed before their marriage that they would always tithe, giving 10 percent of their income first to the Lord. Tithing through thick and thin, all their needs were met. God was always faithful. They also committed to reading three chapters of the Bible after every meal and read it through a total of 91 times.
After David’s homegoing in 2002, the final years of Peggy’s life continued in Lititz; she was content, still opening up her home — hot cups of tea in the cozy dining room in the winter and root beer floats in the gazebo in the summer. She delighted in encouraging younger women in their faith. She loved her church, Ephrata Community Church, and was a faithful intercessor for her family and many others.
She was preceded in death by two older brothers: Richard A. Snyder and Robert P. Snyder; a stepbrother: Harry P. Musser and a stepsister: Louise Kell.
She is survived by her three daughters: Barbara Krochmal, wife of Barnaba of Jerusalem, Israel; Gwen Hanger, wife of Richard, of Hamilton, Ohio; Ann Gillman, wife of Gary of Lititz and seven grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to Voice of the Martyrs (www.persecution.com). A memorial service will be held Nov. 30, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, at 1:30 p.m. at Ephrata Community Church, 70 Clay School Road, Ephrata.