William Walter "Bill" Wehrmann

1932 - 2025

William (Bill) Walter Wehrmann

November 14, 1932 - March 3, 2025

William (Bill) Walter Wehrmann died peacefully, surrounded by family, on March 3, 2025, in Omaha, Nebraska.

Bill was born November 14, 1932 in Lincoln, Nebraska, and adopted at the age of one year and one day from the Lutheran Orphan Society at Military and Lincoln Avenue in Fremont, Nebraska. New parents for "Little Billy" were Rev. Otto W. Wehrmann and Alice M. (Reinschmidt) Wehrmann, of Madison, Nebraska, serving St. John's Lutheran Church in the Green Garden Township. 1938 found the Wehrmann family of three moving to Scribner, Nebraska, and Billy growing up at St. Peter's Lutheran Church. Bill got into more than his fair share of mischief, it was a real chore disproving the preacher's kid stereotype.

Bill developed a love for fishing and hunting from many outings with his folks, and he passed these loves down to his children. Treasured times of early morning trips to drop our stringer lines in the Platte, weekend trips to the Elkhorn with our reels. Scribner was home for Bill, a graduate of Scribner High School, there until he enlisted in the United States Navy (1952-1956), serving as a radio operator, amazingly adept at Morse Code. We will never really know just what he tapped out on the kitchen table during meal times that had become beyond boisterous.

Bill and Jean (Lorna Jean Hoops) were married February 13, 1955. Fremont, Nebraska was home base for the family for many years. Dad and Mom loved Debra Jean, Vicki Jo, Cindy Joy, Scott Alan, and Christopher Clinton Ashmore. Dad was volunteer youth sports coach, Sunday School teacher and youth leader with Mom. He was the pitcher for years on the church slow pitch softball league, and insisted that we learn how to keep a proper baseball score book – helpful when we went to Royals and Cardinal games. More than fifteen foster children and teenagers joined the family over the years, some keeping contact as adults (walking Sondra Grohs down the aisle was an honor for dad). Special family friend, Kari Mullen, was added as a daughter-by-choice in 2012.

After short stints at Campbell's and on the railroad as a gandy dancer, Dad somehow survived working thirty-seven years at Hormel's. Both parents worked two or three jobs at a time, year after year, to provide for their brood. Mom's budget-keeping method of cash categorized in old bank envelopes, together with dad's weekly allowance doled out into glass baby food jars, resulted, after many evenings of noses buried in atlases, in the most unforgettable camping trips and vacations – St. Louis, Black Hills, Mt. Rushmore, Fort Rob and Chadron, Expo67 Canada, California in 1972 are just a few. The memories are magic – the trips always taken in yet another junker station wagon, and dad ALWAYS getting the dry corner of the tent in any and every rainstorm. And it continued with the multi-generation trips to Yellowstone and Glacier and Disney World. Dad journeyed to Germany to see distant cousins. They both had a wonderful trip to Alaska. Because of 9/11, the dream trip to Australia/New Zealand was not to be.

And there was music, always music. Never-ending music in the house, in the car, on the piano, on band instruments, in church, around campfires...it was another wonderful gift that dad and mom gave each of us. Like any family glued together by lore and love and spats, the family stories will go on forever. As most certainly will the love and spats.

2006 was a big move from Fremont to the farm. Mom and dad and Chris joined Scott high up in Washington County. Mom died in 2018, and now here we are. 2025, spring is here, and our favorite Certified Master Gardener has plotted his vegetables and flowers. No more Good Friday mornings will he haul anybody out of bed to get the potatoes planted! He has joined the love of his life, the most creative soul we ever knew. They are sitting together on the north porch, sharing again a cup of tea, mom with mending on her lap. We treasured getting a chance to say goodbye to you, dad, and are so glad you are together again with mom – gone from us too soon and so very suddenly.

Surviving are children: Debbie Wehrmann DeFrain (Jim DeFrain), Vicki Wehrmann-Sorensen (Art Sorensen), Cindy Wehrmann Menzel (Ted Menzel), Scott Wehrmann (Sarah Isaacson), Chris Wehrmann, Kari Mullen; grandchildren: Billy DeFrain, Robby DeFrain (Scout Raskin), Anne Sorensen-Wang (Chunyang Wang), Eric Sorensen (Jessica Fischer Sorensen), Hannah Menzel Clark (John Clark), Aaron Menzel (Rachel Steenson Menzel), Rebekah Menzel Crider (Zeb Crider), Emily Wehrmann Derickson (Keith Derickson), Andrew Wehrmann, Betsy Wehrmann Clark (David Clark), Maggie Wehrmann, Chelsey Wehrmann Haeck (Andy Haeck), Justin Isaacson (Haelee), Aaron Isaacson; great-grandchildren: Ivy DeFrain, Zoe Wang, Everett Sorensen, Amelia Sorensen, Gabriel Clark, Caroline Clark, Elijah Clark, Benjamin Clark, Cecilia Clark, Elizabeth Clark, Enid Menzel, Euan Menzel, Blaise Crider, Ambrose Crider, Gideon Crider, Baby Crider due September 2025, Abe Derickson, Saul Derickson, Levi Derickson, Olive Derickson, Easton Wehrmann, Reese Wehrmann, Rozlyn Wehrmann, David Clark, Jr., Nicholas Clark, Luna Pernell, Mary Haeck, Baby Elaina Haeck due March 2025, Haedyn Isaacson; two first cousins Leland Krecklow (Lorraine), Russell Krecklow (Barb). And from the Hoops side, mom's siblings and spouses, nieces and nephews have always been a loving part of dad's life.

Bill was preceded in death by his wife, Lorna Jean; parents: Otto (Grandpa Sodie) and Alice (Grandma Alice) Wehrmann; his aunt, Clare Reinschmidt Seim; and many uncles, aunts, and first cousins from the Wehrmann side.

The family is especially grateful for the loving medical care provided by dad's health care team in Fremont and Omaha, Memorial Community Hospital of Blair, and Methodist Hospital, Omaha (North Tower Fourth Floor/North Tower Seventh Floor ICU).

We are so grateful for their steadfast example of giving to others – always – because there is someone that has a greater need, no matter which way you turn. Thank you for providing everything we needed. Thank you for not giving us everything we wanted. You are loved.

These charitable organizations were favorites of our folks. Mom definitely knew what it was like to not have enough clothing or enough food. Dad was the last surviving adoptee of the Lutheran Orphan Home (German Lutheran Orphans Home) in Fremont – later growing into an organization of churches that became present-day Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska. Dad was so grateful he was chosen by loving parents from that old orphanage, to Madison, to Scribner, to Fremont, and back to the same corner of Military and Lincoln. Grandpa Bill and Grandma Jeanie are forever in the hearts of the next three Wehrmann generations.

Memorials suggested to Joseph's Coat/Washington County Food Bank (1737 Washington Street Blair, NE 68008 https://www.josephscoat.org/support/online-donation/); Orphan Grain Train (Box 1466 Norfolk, NE 68702-1466 https://orphangraintrain-bloom.kindful.com/); Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska/Attn: Development (7929 West Center Road Omaha, NE 68124 https://www.onelfs.org/donate/)

A celebration will be held on Friday, March 21, 2025 at 10am in Blair, Nebraska at Trinity Lutheran Church (141 South 20th St).

Burial will take place at a later date in the Omaha National Cemetery.

Online guestbook at www.Ludvigsenmortuary.com