Vernette Marie Zwiebel

Vernette Marie Witte was born Oct. 27, 1917 in Valley to Jess and Marie (Moeller) Witte. She passed away at the age of 97 on Friday, Feb. 27, 2015 at South Haven in Wahoo. Vernette grew up on a farm in the Elkhorn area where her father was a farmer and her mother was a homemaker. She attended a country grade school in rural Douglas County. She graduated from Valley High School in 1934. On Nov. 24, 1939, Vernette married Lester Zwiebel at her parent’s home in Valley on their 25th wedding anniversary. To this union, three daughters were born – Jeanne, Virginia and Nancy. Lester died on Nov. 21, 1991. The family lived in Valley until moving to Yutan in 1951 when Lester bought a mechanics garage and opened Les Zwiebel Service on Second Street. In 1959 they built a house next door to the garage and Vernette lived there until she moved to Orchard Gardens in Valley in 2010. In 2012, she moved to South Haven in Wahoo. After marriage, she worked at the Nebraska Ordnance Plant near Mead, Stange Grocery in Yutan and Miller’s Café in Venice. But her primary vocation was taking care of her home, which she did very well. Vernette was an avid flower and vegetable gardener and could regularly be found outside tending to her garden, flower beds and yard, which she kept in immaculate condition. She was an early proponent of compost and natural gardening that is becoming so popular today. Sharing her love of nature with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren was very important to Vernette. Every summer she would exhibit the miracle of nature by capturing a caterpillar that she’d keep in a large glass jar with a tall sprig of dill from her garden. The children watched with wonder as the caterpillar wove a cocoon and eventually turned into a beautiful butterfly. Vernette turned the bounty from her garden into delicious meals for her family and was a master at preserving these fruits and vegetables through canning and pickling. Her family rarely knew the taste of store-bought jelly, stewed tomatoes, sweet pickles or applesauce, as they were supplied with these and other items on a regular basis. Her yard and garden were adorned with flowers that bloomed throughout the growing season, beginning with tulips in the spring. Her peonies were in full bloom around Memorial Day each year and were requested by many to decorate the resting places of loved ones. Vernette’s prowess in the kitchen was also known far and wide. Her sugar cookies were legendary, and family members were known to fight over her peanut bars. She was also one to waste very little and utilize the resources around her. She spent many hours carefully removing the meat from black walnuts that grew so plentifully in her yard. She often enlisted the help of Lester and her grandchildren and great-grandchildren in this task, which required the use of sewing needles to extract the nuts. Not only was Vernette creative in the kitchen, but she was also a talented artist who mastered several arts and crafts, including sewing, quilting, textile painting, needle work and macramé’, among others. However, her claim to fame was ceramics. She operated a ceramics studio out of her basement for several years, complete with her own kiln and hundreds of molds. Many of her friends and family decorated their homes with her Christmas trees, jack-o-lanterns and Easter bunnies, along with countless non-holiday creations. Having so many hobbies and interests, Vernette was rarely idle. A small bundle of energy, she was very detail-oriented in everything she did. She was also known for her patience and her fair-mindedness. She taught her family to always look at every side of the story and think of others before yourself. She was a longtime member of St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Yutan and was active in the WELCA serving circle. She also belonged to the Yutan Garden Club, the Yutan Historical Society and was a volunteer at the Yutan Senior Center. She was preceded in death by her husband; her parents, brother George Witte and infant brother Russell Witte; daughter Nancy Kruse Kennedy and son-in-law Terry Kruse. Survivors include daughters and sons-in-law Jeanne and Ken Thorne of York, Virginia and Dennis Behrens of Yutan; grandchildren and spouses Marc and Mary Lindell of Houston, Texas; Scott and Bobbette Behrens of Council Bluffs, Iowa; Craig Behrens of Wahoo; Suzi and Mark Nelson of Yutan; Lisa and Kevin Harre of Shawnee, Kan.; Stephanie and Wendall Pascarelli of Yutan; Brad Behrens of Wahoo; Candy and Chad Johnson of Belle Plaine, Kan.; Dustin and Elizabeth Thorne of Shawnee, Kan. and Devon Thorne of Shawnee, Kan.; great-grandchildren and spouse Alison and Eric Johnson, Alyssa Pascarelli, Bethany Lindell, Whitney Nelson, Cheyenne Nelson, Ethan Lindell, Ryan Behrens, Thomas Pascarelli, Brielle Harre, Sarah Lindell, Trace Harre, Kennedy Johnson and Lainey Johnson; one great-great-grandchild, Reid Johnson, and one on the way; sister Alyce Seefus of Valley; sisters-in-law and brother-in-law Lois and Jim Witte of Louisville and Dorothy Johnson of Yutan and numerous nieces and nephews. Memorials are suggested to St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Yutan, Region V Services Wahoo or Saunders County Historical Society. Vernette M. Zwiebel, age 97, formerly of Yutan, died 2/27/15. Preceded in death by parents, husband, Lester, daughter Nancy (Zwiebel) Kruse Kennedy, son-in-law Terry Kruse, brother George Witte and infant brother Russell Witte. Survived by daughters: Jeanne (Ken) Thorne of York, NE, Virginia (Dennis) Behrens of Yutan, 10 grandchildren, 13 great grandchildren, and 1 great great grandchild; sister Alyce Seefus of Valley, NE, sisters-in-law Lois (Jim) Witte of Louisville, NE and Dorothy Johnson of Yutan, numerous nieces and nephews. Funeral service 10:30 AM Wednesday, St. John’s Lutheran Church, Yutan. Visitation Tuesday from 3-8 PM with family receiving friends from 6-8, also at the church. Interment Prospect Hill Cemetery, Elkhorn. Memorials are suggested to St. John's Lutheran Church, Region V Services, Wahoo or Saunders County Historical Society.

Vernette Marie Zwiebel

October 27, 1917 - February 27, 2015