Gerda Doelling

Gerda Doelling 
Manti, Utah

     Gerda Anna Scherwinski Doelling was born on December 17, 1930, and passed away on June 29, 2024, at the age of 93 years, 6 months and 12 days. She was born in Elbing, West Prussia, Germany, the oldest daughter of Paul Robert Scherwinski and Ida Knoblauch. Their family eventually grew to include 8 children: Rita, Harold, Hildegard, Gunter, Ursula, Edith, and Reinhard. She was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1939 in the Thiene river near Elbing. German soldiers waiting to invade Poland watched – World War II started the very next day, on September 1, 1939. 
     Gerda had a rough beginning living through World War II and was 14 years old when it ended. Her family had many faith promoting experiences which saved their lives. Gerda’s father was a well-known genealogist. When Gerda was 12, she helped him fill out family group sheets. Her interest in genealogy was sparked. She also worked as a nanny which she did not enjoy. In 1945, the family was required to leave their homeland as it became part of Poland. As refugees, the family lived in a camp in Wolfsgrun for 6 months. In 1946, a sponsor made it possible for the family to move to West Germany in Langen near Frankfurt. The family lived in old army barracks in Langen for 7 years without running water or electricity. After the war, food was scarce. They were blessed when saints from other countries shared food. While living in Langen, she worked for a gardening firm during the summer and then as a clerk at the Nassovia Machine Company. In 1953, the family was able to save enough money to immigrate to the United States by ship. They crossed the United States by Greyhound Bus to their new home in Salt Lake City, Utah. 
     After coming to Salt Lake City, she found a job at the LDS Genealogical Library and earned her Golden Gleaner Award. After 4 years, she was called to the North German Mission which included East Germany. Here she taught many people the gospel.  
     After returning from her mission, she ran into Hellmut Hans Doelling walking down State Street, who had also served in the North German mission. They started going out and were married in the Salt Lake Temple on May 25, 1960. Gerda had 7 children. These include (followed by name of spouse) David (Yo), Barbara (John), Jed (Lynette), Doris (Gabe), Peggy (Jim), Teresa, and Matthew (Meghan). Since Gerda and Hellmut both spoke German, they decided that the German language should be spoken at home. They raised their children in Centerville, Utah on an acre of land. Her husband was a geologist and was constantly in the field, so the work of raising the children fell to her. She was also in charge of the large garden, fruit trees, goats and chickens. She taught her children how to work hard. Each year she canned and preserved hundreds of quarts of fruits and vegetables. 
     She was called as coordinator and trainer in the German Records Extraction Program in her stake in Centerville. The calling consisted of teaching German and Latin, reading films in the old German script, and proofreading and correcting cards. She was responsible for extracting a quarter of a million names in the old German script so that temple work could be done for them. She indexed up until the day before her death, completing tens of thousands of German records to help people worldwide find their families. After 30 years in Centerville, she moved to Manti with her husband. She served as a ward missionary and was a worker in the Manti Temple for over 20 years. She was married to her husband for 63 years. She loved living in both Manti and Centerville. She loved her neighbors and her family. She came back to her Centerville home after her husband’s death and passed away surrounded by her loved ones. 
     She is preceded in death by her husband Hellmut Doelling. She is survived by her brothers: Guenter Scherwinski and Reinhard Scherwinski;  sisters: Ursula Bennion and Edith Parr; 7 children, 23 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren.  
     Funeral services will be held on Monday, July 15, 2024, at 12:00 Noon in the Manti Stake Center, 555 E Union Street in Manti, Utah. Viewing will be from 10:30 - 11:30 am. Interment will be at the Manti Cemetery. Funeral Directors: Magleby Mortuary, Richfield, Salina, and Manti.