Marvely Jane Klinker

Marvely Jane (Speckmann) Klinker, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, friend, and a two-time breast cancer survivor, was born in Yutan on July 4, 1924 to Harvey and Helen Speckmann, the first of four children. She spent her youth on a farm near Yutan and graduated Yutan High School in 1941. She moved to Omaha and took work first as a child care provider then as a comptometer operator at Union Pacific Railroad. On Oct. 8, 1944, she married John William Klinker and the couple settled on a farm near 132nd Street and Military Road in northwest Omaha, later moving to John’s family farm at 132nd and Fort streets, just a half-mile away. John Klinker served many years as a representative of the Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation, ultimately occupying the office of NFBF president. Marvely accompanied him on numerous trips around Nebraska and the nation promoting agriculture and pro-agricultural policies. Even after her husband’s death, Marvely remained active in Farm Bureau affairs, attending state conventions up until a few years ago. Marvely and John raised three sons on the farm—James William, John Wayne, and Mark Alan. In 1956, she returned to the workforce in the accounting office of the Omar Bakery, later Old Home Bakery where she worked until 1972, when she received her first breast cancer diagnosis. Following her husband’s death on April 16, 1977, she became a tour guide for Travel and Transport and led group tours around the United States. She also became a world traveler herself, seeing Europe several times and China in the mid-1980s. She stayed on at the farm where she and John had built a life and treasured her time with her grandchildren, as one was born each year between 1977 and 1981—Amy, Casey, Adam, John David, and Luke—and John William in 1984. Her first great-grandchild Sofia, was born in 2008, followed by Elliot in 2009, Tyler in 2011 and William in 2012. In later years, she remained active as a golfer and line-dancer and was also a member of the German-American Society where she took language lessons and was a member of the German Dance Troupe. She was preceded in death by her husband of 33 years, John; parents, Harvey and Helen (Heldt) Speckmann; brother Gil Speckmann; and sister, Faye Stranathan. She is survived by sons and daughters in law James and Peggy of Mesa Ariz.; John and Jo of Coronado, Calif., and Mark and Jeanne of Omaha; grandchildren Amy (and husband Steven) Silvestrini and great-grandchildren Sofia and Tyler of San Mateo, Calif.; Casey (and husband Jeff) Gonzalez and great-grandson Elliot of Mesa, Ariz.; Adam (JoDee) Klinker and great-grandson William Carlos of Omaha; Luke (Christine) Klinker of Omaha; and John (and fiancée Amy Vincentini) of Omaha. sister Norma Manceaux of Bellevue; sisters-in-law Norma Speckmann of Yutan, NE, Eleanor Mason of Albuquerque, NM and Dorothy Merrill of Ardmore, OK; many nieces and nephews.

Marvely Jane Klinker

July 4, 1924 - April 18, 2012