PHILLIPS — Babe Luthy, 73, of Phillips, passed away on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2018, at CHI Health St. Francis in Grand Island with her family by her side.

Funeral services will be held 10:30 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 13, at Aurora United Methodist Church. The Rev. Ron Harris and Rev. Karla Sheffy will officiate. Interment will be in the Phillips Cemetery at 2 p.m. Higby-McQuiston Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.

Doretha ‘Babe’ Luthy, the daughter of Floyd Maret and Cora (Thayer) Maret Jacobsen, was born at Hendley, Neb., on Jan. 17, 1944, and passed away at Grand Island on Jan. 9, 2018, at the age of 73.

Babe was the youngest of 10 children. Babe’s father passed away when she was only two years old. Her mother remarried Jack Jacobsen some years later. She attended grade schools in Hastings and Grand Island before moving to Kronborg, Neb., where she graduated from Marquette High School in 1962. She played volleyball and was a cheerleader for the Marquette Cubs. Her stepfather owned Jack’s Trading Post in Kronborg. You would often find Babe and her sister, Judy, helping customers.

Babe married her high school sweetheart, Dallas Luthy, on Aug. 19, 1962, at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Kronborg. Dallas and Babe resided in Aurora until they bought the family farm south of Phillips in 1967. They raised two children: Linda and Kim. Babe enjoyed being part of several neighborhood clubs over the years. Happy Hour Club and the card club group were among her favorites. She cherished those lasting friendships throughout the years. She was also a member of Rachel Circle at the Methodist Church and a member of Beta Sigma Phi, Rho Master Sorority.


Babe was very passionate about her family. Her children were her life. When grandchildren came along, she took her role of grandma very serious. She rarely missed any activities they were in. She traveled to many states to watch them compete and was their biggest fan. Babe was very talented in interior design and home decorating. She was part-owner of Cherry Hill in Aurora and also owned Checkered Rose Interiors in Grand Island for five years. She worked at Plumb Street Interiors in Doniphan for a time.

She was preceded in death by her parents and stepfather, Jack Jacobsen; two brothers and three sisters, Paul Maret, Tommy Maret, Annie Linner, Bonnie Runyan and Lucille ‘Sissy’ Brazda.

Those who remain to cherish her memory are her husband of 55 years, Dallas; two children, Linda (Ray) Simmons of Aurora and Kim (Gregg) Trumble of Phillips; five grandchildren, Clint Simmons of Grand Island, Amanda (Josh) Gesell of Centennial, Colo., Beau (Shelbi) Simmons of Aurora, Jenna Trumble of Canyon, Texas, and Zach Trumble of Aurora; and a great-grandchild, Avery Simmons of Aurora. She is also survived by three sisters and one brother, Judy Sonderup of Fullerton, Genny Hastings of Colorado Springs, Colo., Peggy (Leonard) Mueller of Elizabethtown, Ky., Kenny (Sharon) Maret of Grand Island; and many nieces and nephews and several special friends.