Celestina Schifferer, 94, of Sabetha, Kan., a former resident of Elgin until 1994, was a switchboard operator for the former St. Joseph Hospital in Elgin. She worked 25 years for the hospital until the 1950s and continued working as a volunteer after retirement. Mrs. Schifferer was a schoolteacher in Elgin in the mid-1920s. Mrs. Schifferer, a Chicago native, died Tuesday Jan. 23, in Sabetha. “She taught in a one-room country school in rural Elgin before she was married,” said her daughter-in-law, Pat. “It was a little stone schoolhouse on Shoe Factory Road just east of Elgin. It’s still there.” Other survivors include a daughter, Eileen Bahr; a son, Howard; eight grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren. A visitation will be from 9 to 10 a.m. Friday, when a service will begin in Apostolic Christian Church, 2750 W. Highland Ave., Elgin.
