Edna Louise Vanek

Edna Louise (Pretzer) Vanek, age 95, of Beatrice, daughter of August and Ida (Moschell) Pretzer passed away at the Good Samaritan Center on June 17, 2012.

She was born November 27, 1916, at Beatrice. At the age of four, her family moved to Aurora, Neb., attending her school years there. They moved back to Beatrice in 1936. She worked at the Hested's Store in Beatrice until she married Joseph B. Vanek on Oct. 2, 1947. They lived and farmed near Wymore for 10 years.

In January 1957, Joe and Edna moved their family to Beatrice. Edna loved children and babysat for many families during the next ten years. She worked at Nitz's Dairy Queen for several years, then went to work for Wilke Baking Co., making Grandma's Fruit Cakes. She quit in 1979 to babysit her own grandchildren.

Edna loved spending time with her grandchildren, making quilts, crocheting, knitting and working the daily newspaper crossword puzzles. She enjoyed bowling until she was 85. She was a 72-year member of Beatrice Centenary United Methodist Church.

Survivors include her son, Gayle Vanek and wife Chizuru (Chico) of Beatrice; daughter, Diane Daubendiek and husband Daryl of Warsaw, Mo.; four grandchildren, Jeffrey Vanek, Jennifer Vanek and fiance Justin Dunbar of Lincoln and James Daubendiek and wife Kay, Russell Daubendiek and wife Kristin, all of Omaha; six great-grandchildren, Hailey Dunbar, Trenton and Kiera Daubendiek and Mary Claire, Audrey, and Emelia Daubendiek; brothers-in-law, Arthur Vanek of Marysville, Kan., and Nels A. Nelsen of Wayne.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Joseph B. Vanek (1996); parents, August and Ida (Moschell) Pretzer; sister, Dorothy M. Nelsen, infant brother, Donald; sister-in-law, Betty Vanek.

Memorial services will be held Thursday, June 21, at 10:30 a.m. at the Centenary United Methodist Church of Beatrice with the Rev. Charles Spence officiating. A family prayer service will be held at 10:15 a.m. in the church library on Thursday. The body has been cremated and inurnment will be in the Evergreen Home Cemetery, Beatrice.

A register book will be available for signatures at the Fox Funeral Home, Beatrice, on Wednesday from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m., and at the church one hour preceding the services on Thursday. A memorial has been established to the Beatrice Community Hospital Hospice and the Beatrice Good Samaritan Center. A guest book for signatures and messages of condolence is available online at www.foxfuneralhome.net. Fox Funeral Home of Beatrice in charge of arrangements.