Phyllis Mae Hongsermeier, 93, of Grand Island, Passed away on July 1, 2024 at Good Samaritan Society- Grand Island Village. A funeral service will be held on Monday, July 8th at 11 am at All Faiths Funeral Home, with Dan Naranjo officiating. Burial will follow at Westlawn Cemetery. Casual attire is requested. Visitation will be on Sunday, July 7th, from 5-7 pm, also at the funeral home.
Phyllis was born on March 29, 1931 to John and Pauline (Feierstein) Brehm. Phyllis grew up surrounded by her older siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles, all in the pollywog town of Grand Island, NE.
Her grandparents even had a grocery store just down the street from where they all lived, and it's still standing today.
Phyllis attended Dodge school, Walnut JR High, and then Grand Island Senior High, graduating in 1948.
Phyllis worked at Kaufman's from an early age of 14; and at 15, she started at Hested's in downtown Grand Island, where she worked until 1949.She had to walk or hitch a ride until she finally got her driver's license when she was 26 years old. She said when it came in the mail, she was so excited that she took Ron and Diane for a ride into Grand Island to get groceries.
When Phyllis was only 16, she met the love of her life, Roger Hongsermeier. They met at a dance at Shimmers Lake in Grand Island. Phyllis said that herself, and two girlfriends were all just standing around when Roger came up to ask her for a dance. She had to clarify if it was really her he wanted to dance with or one of her girlfriends instead. It was her he wanted to dance with, and Phyllis was so surprised that he had asked. In 1949, Roger and Phyllis tied the knot at Messiah Lutheran Church, where she has been a member for 75 years.
After Phyllis and Roger were married, they moved into a house in the country near Chapman, NE. Our city slicker ended up out in the country without running water. She went from having a bathroom and running water in town, to using an outhouse and a pump inside to gather water. Now, that is true love.
Phyllis and Roger made a home and started their family there. In 1958, they moved into a family farm in rural Hamilton County owned by Roger's aunt and uncle. They continued raising their family, farming, raising cattle, pigs, chickens, and a huge garden to provide food for their family.
Phyllis would can everything that Roger grew. Everything from sweet pickles, dill pickles, corn, green beans, salsa, beets, and a lot of tomato juice. Some family members were even known to hide it from their spouses so they could keep it all to themselves. The entire family would process around 500 chickens every year. They would sell some, and the rest would end up in the freezer. Phyllis also worked at the Dairy Sweet, just across the country road from their house, and later worked at Shady Bend before retiring.
Phyllis and Roger would spend many happy hours dancing on the dance floors all over Nebraska. Phyllis was a member of the Platt Duetsche, Leidercranz, Eagles, and Saddle Club. The couple made a few trips to Las Vegas, Hawaii, Texas, and South Dakota with family and friends.
Phyllis and Roger stayed on the farm until 2006, when they moved to a duplex in Grand Island. Phyllis and Roger would celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary on July 3, 2009, before Roger passed away in September that year.
Phyllis stayed in the duplex until 2022, when she moved into independent living at Good Sam, followed by assisted living. She made many friends and has enjoyed many hours playing Bingo while a resident at Good Sam.
Those left to cherish her memory include her children, Diane Randolph, Barbara (Doug) Schultz; daughter-in-law, Patty Hongsermeier; niece and bingo companion, Mary Redman; grandsons, Justin, Jeffery, Jared and Jordan Groff, Cody and Casey Hongsermeier; granddaughters, Alicia Marco and Tina Randolph; sister-in-law, Carole Hongsermeier; and many nieces and nephews.
Phyllis was preceded in death by her husband, Roger; sons, Ronald and Rodney Hongsermeier; grandson, Jeremy Randolph; her parents; brother, Elmer Brehm; and sisters, Florine McMahan and Doris Sundermeier.
Memorials are suggested to the family.