Mary Jean Kraybill

Mary Jean Kraybill, of Lititz and formerly of Elizabethtown, a loving and gracious giver to family, church, and community, died on December 14, 2025, at the age of 102, at Landis Homes.

Born on October 31, 1923, the oldest child of Elam F. and Anna Witmer Sherer of Mount Joy, she married her lifetime love, Simon Kraybill, on October 21, 1944. They raised seven children: Leona (Everett Myer), Elvin (Esther Graber), Eugene (Trisha Cawkwell), David (Mary Hershberger), Ronald, Nelson (Ellen Graber), and Leon (Audrey Roth). John Daniel Stahl and Barry Knipe also joined the household during their teen years. She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, and siblings Witmer Sherer and Anna Ruth Keens, and is survived by seven children, 22 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren.

In high school, Mary Jean was among the winners of a “Why I Believe in Democracy” essay contest and together with a group of other students was awarded an audience with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt at the White House. A graduate of Mount Joy High School, Mary Jean worked as a bank teller at Mount Joy Union National Bank before marriage. For decades, she served as a bookkeeper with the family business, Kraybill Advertising.

An accomplished homemaker, Mary Jean relished gardening and preserved hundreds of quarts of produce each year. She made a quilt for each of her children, sewed comforters for Mennonite Central Committee, and was a stalwart in her church sewing circle. Always frugal, she lovingly patched and repaired clothing for every family member and recalled one busy summer when 42 pairs of trousers needed mending.

For over 80 years Mary Jean was a faithful member of Bossler Mennonite Church, Elizabethtown, and prayed regularly for family members and community needs. She volunteered at Landis Homes and Mount Joy Gift and Thrift. Always ready for a good laugh, her humor brightened the lives of others. When asked, late in life, how she had managed to raise a large family, help run a business, and volunteer, she said, “I guess I just always did the next thing.”

When the whirl of responsibilities lifted in her later years, Mary Jean enjoyed crossword puzzles and read books daily, especially biographies. Never inclined to complain or control, she remained gracious and calm until her last days, grounded in a joyous Christian faith.

A celebration of Mary Jean’s life will be held in the WEST BETHANY CHAPEL at Landis Homes, 1001 East Oregon Road, Lititz, on Monday, January 12, 2026 at 12:00 Noon. Friends may visit with the family on Monday January 12, 2026 from 11:00 AM until the time of the service. Interment will be private in Bossler Mennonite Cemetery. Those desiring may send contributions in Mary Jean’s memory to Landis Homes Caring Fund, 1001 East Oregon Road, Lititz, PA 17543.