Lorna Jean Witt

Lorna Jean Witt was born July 27, 1944, in Elkhorn, Nebraska to Clifford and Alice (Rohwer) Custard. It apparently was a difficult birth as Clifford was told by the doctor to pick either his wife or the child. Luckily, both survived. She was the youngest of four children: Ruby Glover (Joe), Harlan Custard (Nancy), and Bernice Seefus (Larry). She was baptized on 10-29-1944 at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Benson and was confirmed on 3-22-59 at Bethany Lutheran Church in Elkhorn. She was a lifelong member of Bethany Lutheran Church in Elkhorn and attended 3 church locations: the original Bethany in downtown Elkhorn, the 2nd location at Hwy 31 and Flavin, and then the 3rd location north of Maple St. on Hwy 31. She attended Elkhorn High School and graduated in 1962. Lorna grew up on the family farm south of Center St. on the east side of Hwy 31 (current location of Copperfields subdivision). She was one of her dad’s hired hands and helped extensively on the farm, but she never learned how to back up a truck or tractor. She met one of the ornery Witt boys (Tery Witt) in Sunday school at Bethany Lutheran. In her late teens and early twenties, she and Terry would socialize with the same group of friends, and that eventually evolved into dating each other. They were married on December 28, 1964, at Bethany Lutheran Church while Terry was on leave from the Army. They initially made their home in Honolulu, HI while Terry was assigned to the 25th Infantry Division. When Terry deployed to Vietnam, Lorna moved back to Elkhorn. Together, they built a beautiful family and raised three children: Cheryl, Jennifer and Brian. Lorna inherited the hospitality gene from her parents, and the importance of family was always evident in her relationships with her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and other relatives. Family gatherings at Lorna’s home were regular occurrences either for major holidays or impromptu gatherings. She found immense joy in these gatherings and always enjoyed cooking for the family and creating lasting memories around the dinner table. She was always up for an impromptu trip rafting down the Elkhorn River, Funday Mondays, and most recently, to the splash-pad with her six great grandchildren on the hottest day of the year. She was especially known for her tuna and egg salad sandwiches, as well as never having to pump her own gas. Lorna trained as a beautician in 1962 at Capitol Beauty School in Omaha. She worked several decades in this capacity at shops in Omaha and Elkhorn. This job provided her an opportunity to be connected to the community. It placed her in an extremely advantageous position in relation to her family. It was said that anything that happened to the children at school or during the day, she already knew about it, thus, nothing could be gotten away with. Lorna retired from the hairdressing profession in Feb 2020. In later years, she cared for her husband, Terry, as he experienced numerous health issues, mainly related to his exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam. Terry preceded her in death in 2023. Lorna will be remembered as a giving, generous, compassionate, dedicated and patriotic woman. Her personal traits of always maintaining a positive outlook, never complaining, and shrewd advice touched the lives of family, friends, and colleagues. Lorna experienced many health issues in her later years and dealt with four different bouts of cancer related to her original breast cancer. She died August 9th at Methodist Hospital at the age of 82 years, while surrounded by family. Lorna was preceded in death by her parents Clifford & Alice Custard, her husband Terry, and her sisters Ruby Glover and Bernice Seefus. She is survived by her daughters Cheryl (Jim) Dillon, Jennifer (Matthew) Kelly, and son Brian (Stephanie) Witt, her 7 grandchildren: Rachael (Greg) Barnes, Mikaela (Alex) Waybright, Kirsten Dillon, Aaron Kelly, Ginger Witt, Scarlett Witt, and Ruby Witt, as well as 6 great grandchildren: Luke Kazmierczak, Rhett Barnes, Eli Kelly, Knox Barnes, Kip Barnes, and Owen Waybright, and her brother Harlan Custard. Funeral services will be at Bethany Lutheran Church on Saturday, Aug. 15 at 10:30 AM. Interment at Mt. Auburn Cemetery. Visitation will be at the church on Friday from 3-7 PM. Memorials to the family.

Lorna Jean Witt

July 27, 1944 - August 9, 2026