Luella Onnen Bauer

Luella Darline Bodtke was born on February 10, 1930 in Hebron, Nebraska to Edward Frank Bodtke and Ida Christine (Aufderheide) Bodtke. Pastor Fredrick Bangert baptized her in her parent's home on February 11, 1930. Pastor Paul Reith confirmed Luella at Trinity Lutheran Church in Gilead, Nebraska on May 23, 1943. Her Confirmation verse was Romans 1:16, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth."

Luella graduated from Reynolds High School in 1947 and continued with classes at Fairbury Junior College and Peru State College. She became an elementary teacher and taught in the Gilead vicinity for six years.
Luella was married to Alvin L. Onnen on December 27, 1953 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Gilead, Nebraska. They moved to a farm Southeast of Gilead. Three sons were born to this union: Doyle, Neal, and Mark. Alvin later died as a result of cancer on January 5, 1975. Luella worked for Boyden's Natural Gas and continued to live on the family farm until she remarried on October 3, 1982 to Oscar M. Bauer at Grace Lutheran Church in Fairbury, Nebraska. Oscar died on May 29, 2006.

Luella is preceded in death by her parents, Edward and Ida (Aufderheide) Bodtke and husbands, Alvin L. Onnen and Oscar M. Bauer.

Her sons, Doyle (Joan) Onnen of York, Neal (Kay) Onnen of Fairbury, and Mark Onnen of Lincoln survive her, as well as two sisters, Myrna (Gale) Brauch of Hebron and Janice Bodtke of Jansen, and five grandchildren, Drew Onnen of Fairbury, Laura Barrows (married to James Barrows) of Chadron, Jared Onnen, Brett Onnen, and Alyssa Onnen, all of York.

Services will be 10:00 a.m. Saturday, March 7, 2015 at Grace Lutheran Church in Fairbury with Pastor Charles Schmidt officiating. The family will greet friends from 6-8:00 p.m. Friday at the Funeral Home. Gerdes-Meyer Funeral Home in Fairbury is in charge of arrangements.