Laurie Lyn Bessler

Laurie Lyn Wagner Day Bessler was born on August 6, 1960 in Fairbury, Nebraska to Jacob and Ruth (Meyer) Wagner of Belvidere, Nebraska. She was joined by sister Barbara in 1961 and a set of twins sister Sally and brother Kelly in 1965.  She was baptized at St. John’s Lutheran Church on September 1960 at Ohiowa, Nebraska.  She went to Kindergarten at Bruning Public Schools in 1965.

The family moved to rural Hebron in 1966 and she then attended Gilead Public School. She attended there until 1973 when the family moved into the Hebron School District.  In 1966 she started attending St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Gilead.  She was confirmed May 12, 1974.  She enjoyed the youth group and their trips.  She was also a member of the Gilead 4-H club.  She graduated from Hebron High School in 1978.

Laurie married Rick Day on November 10, 1979 at Grace Lutheran Church in Hebron, Nebraska. To them two sons were born Joshua and Nathan.  The family lived in Chester, Nebraska until 1982.  Then they moved to Fairbury, later moving to the Diller Community where she lived until Rick died in 2005.  During that time they were members of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Diller.

On August 1, 2007 Laurie married Joel Bessler at their home in Plymouth, NE.

During her younger years she was a very talented artist and during her high school years won many contests. She was an accomplished seamstress and worked at Swingsters until it closed.  She attended SCC majoring in Business and before her illness she sewed for McBattas in Fairbury.

She was a loving daughter, sister, wife, mother and grandmother. She enjoyed gardening and canning, sewing for her grandchildren, raising flowers and she loved to cook.

Preceded in death by her husband Rick Day, father Jacob Wagner, brother-in-law Scott Kleider, all of her in-laws, grandparents and uncles Larry Marquardt, Duane House, and Wilfred Schwisow.

Survived by husband Joel Bessler, mother Ruth Wagner, sons Joshua (Kelli) Day and Nathan (Jen) Day, sisters Barbara (Scott) Tuttle, Sally Kleider, and friend Bryan, brother Kelly (Denise) Wagner, grandchildren Drake, Maylin, Jacob and Bria, nieces Stephanie (Justin) Scherbarth, Erica Ciemnoczolowski and friend Tom, stepchildren Jacob Bessler and fiancé Kassi, Jenna (Greg) Johnson, sister-in-law Jodi (Brian) Epp and family, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

Laurie departed this life peacefully on September 18, 2017 at her home after a very long brave battle with cancer.

Funeral will be held at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Gilead on September 23, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. Cremation was done in honor of her wishes.  Burial will be at a later date.