[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Penner obituary translation question

[Del & Kathy Sperling]

This line was in my g-grandparents obituary.  
Spaeter, im Jahre 1871, reichte er mir, der jetzt trauerten Witwe Minnie Penner, geborne Funk, die Hand zum Ehebund. 
My aunt translated it:
"Later in 1871 he extended the hand of marriage to me, a grieving widow, Minnie Funk Penner."  
 and concluded that Minnie Penner had been married before.  But as I worked on the translation (with the use of translation sites and German dictionary) I am wondering if it should be "the grieving widow" and means that Minnie Penner is the now (presently) sorrowing widow.  The wife was the one who wrote the obituary for her husband-Abraham A Penner.  Thanks for any help you can give me.   Kathy Sperling

German obituary is posted at http://www.geocities.com/sperpen/aapennerobit.jpg
and the English translation at http://www.geocities.com/sperpen/  in the yellow frame.