Leora Velma Ruth Engel

Leora Velma Ruth (Willems) Engel died June 16, 2020 while residing at the Country House Memory Care facility in Lincoln, NE.  She had insisted on moving to Lincoln from Fairbury so she could be near her boys after the death of her husband.  Leora was born at home in a rural area southwest of Gilead, NE to Henry “Hank” H. Willems and Ida (Bodtke) Willems May 18, 1930.  She was baptized June 8, 1930 and confirmed May 21, 1944 at St. Paul’s Lutheran church southwest of Gilead, NE.

Leora attended the Gilead elementary school and the 9 ^th and 10 ^th grades at the Gilead High School.  For her last 2 years of school she went to the Hebron High School.  She told her children how honored she was to be elected as the Sports Queen her last year in school. Toward the end of her school, she got a job working for J.C. Penney and continued to work there until married.

A very active member of the Lutheran Church, she was a server for a Luther League Rally honoring the veterans returning from WWII.  It was during this function that she caught the eye of the returning veteran, Marvin Engel.  Marvin started asking about her and then introduced himself to her before the end of the evening.  According to Leora, Marvin told her he noticed how good looking she was.

Marvin and Leora dated and corresponded by letter for several years while Marvin attended college. They were married June 5 ^th , 1949 in a small ceremony at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church.

Marvin accepted a job as the principal and school teacher of the Peace Lutheran Church in Deshler, NE and the two of them stayed there for 25 years.  During that time, they had 4 children.  Leora’s hard work around the house and with the children made it possible for Marvin to be a very active member of the community outside the home.  After her children were all in school, she became a telephone operator and was one of the last call assisting telephone operators in the state of Nebraska.  (Does anyone remember cranking a telephone and having a lady ask, “number please”.)

In 1974, Marvin quit teaching and they moved to Fairbury, NE where Leora started working as the secretary for the Blue Valley Mental Health Center in Fairbury.  She worked there until her retirement after around 25 years.  Mom continued staying involved, helping with many activities through the church as well as the Fairbury Community Concert series.

She is survived by her four children; Duke (Julie Lattimer) Engel, Dennis Engel, Debra (Brad) Bader and Denise (Kimo) Bannister, 8 grandchildren and 3 greatgrandchildren.  Also survived by her sister-in-law Mary Ann Johnson and brother-in-law Lou Engel, and numerous nieces and nephews.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Marvin, her parents, Hank and Ida Willems, 2 sisters, Dorothy Hissong and Rolla Priest, their spouses, and Marvin's brothers, Lavern and Donald.

Services will be Friday, June 19, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. at American Lutheran Church in Fairbury. Leora's book will be available to sign and public viewing will be Thursday evening from 5 - 8 at the Funeral Home. Memorials have been established to the American Lutheran Church and Tabitha Hospice.  Gerdes-Meyer Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.