Lena died Sunday, September 5, 2021, at Heritage of Bel Air in Norfolk, where she was recuperating from a recent fall.
Lena Inness, daughter of Alva and Hazel (Ickes) Inness, was born September 21, 1922, at Dumas, Nebraska. In 1924, the family moved to Orchard, Nebraska, after a tornado destroyed their farmstead at Dumus.
Lena attended the rural school, District #30, northwest of Orchard for eight years before moving with her family to Meadow Grove in 1935. She graduated from Meadow Grove High School with the class of 1939, attended Wayne State College, and taught school two years at District #70 in Pierce County.
On June 11, 1941, Lena married Darrell Braun at the Meadow Grove Methodist Church and moved to a home on the Braun farm southeast of town. The following April, Darrell was inducted into the United States Army, and she taught school one year at District #10 in Madison County. The next spring, she joined her husband at Battle Creek, Michigan, and worked as a secretary at the Oliver Farm Equipment Plant until the fall of 1945, when Darrell was transferred to Ft. Belvoir, Virginia to await his army discharge in January 1946. Two children, Bonnie and Beverly, were born to this union.
They returned to Meadow Grove and lived on the family farm until 1985, when they retired and moved to Norfolk. Lena received the Pioneer Family Farm Award in 2005, when the farm had been in the family name 100 years.
Mrs. Braun was a member of the United Methodist Church, taught Sunday School, and was a Brownie troop leader. Lena was a 40-year member of Federated Women's Club and a charter member of the Northeast Nebraska Writers Club, belonging for 30 years.
Lena enjoyed many hobbies, which included oil painting, various types of needlework, and sewing. She won first place in the Federated Women's Club state sewing contest in 1966. Lena was an avid bridge player, learning the game at age 11.
The hobby she enjoyed most was her freelance writing. In 1957, Lena started writing a weekly column, "Gabbie Gertie, Your Friendly Farmerette" which was published in The Tilden Citizen and Battle Creek Enterprise for 21 years. She received recognition for her writing at the 4th Annual Ag-ceptional Women's Convention in 2012. During the time she was writing her column, Lena was also a news correspondent for the Norfolk Daily News for 25 years as well as other surrounding area newspapers. She had submissions published in 18 national magazines and wrote two biography books for friends.
In recent years, Lena enjoyed extensive traveling which included the 50 states, two trips to Europe, seven cruises, and spent part of seven winters in Arizona.
She is survived by two daughters, Beverly Braun of Norfolk, Nebraska and Bonnie and her husband, Ron Wies, of Petersburg, Nebraska; one grandson, Adam Wies and wife Jeri and three great-grandchildren, Karlie, Kaci, and Kenzie, all of Petersburg.
She was preceded in death by her husband in July 1991; an infant grandson, Barry Wies; her parents, Alva and Hazel Inness; brother, Dale Inness and his wife, Betty; and sister, Mary Emma Bennett and her husband Boyd.
Lena Inness, daughter of Alva and Hazel (Ickes) Inness, was born September 21, 1922, at Dumas, Nebraska. In 1924, the family moved to Orchard, Nebraska, after a tornado destroyed their farmstead at Dumus.
Lena attended the rural school, District #30, northwest of Orchard for eight years before moving with her family to Meadow Grove in 1935. She graduated from Meadow Grove High School with the class of 1939, attended Wayne State College, and taught school two years at District #70 in Pierce County.
On June 11, 1941, Lena married Darrell Braun at the Meadow Grove Methodist Church and moved to a home on the Braun farm southeast of town. The following April, Darrell was inducted into the United States Army, and she taught school one year at District #10 in Madison County. The next spring, she joined her husband at Battle Creek, Michigan, and worked as a secretary at the Oliver Farm Equipment Plant until the fall of 1945, when Darrell was transferred to Ft. Belvoir, Virginia to await his army discharge in January 1946. Two children, Bonnie and Beverly, were born to this union.
They returned to Meadow Grove and lived on the family farm until 1985, when they retired and moved to Norfolk. Lena received the Pioneer Family Farm Award in 2005, when the farm had been in the family name 100 years.
Mrs. Braun was a member of the United Methodist Church, taught Sunday School, and was a Brownie troop leader. Lena was a 40-year member of Federated Women's Club and a charter member of the Northeast Nebraska Writers Club, belonging for 30 years.
Lena enjoyed many hobbies, which included oil painting, various types of needlework, and sewing. She won first place in the Federated Women's Club state sewing contest in 1966. Lena was an avid bridge player, learning the game at age 11.
The hobby she enjoyed most was her freelance writing. In 1957, Lena started writing a weekly column, "Gabbie Gertie, Your Friendly Farmerette" which was published in The Tilden Citizen and Battle Creek Enterprise for 21 years. She received recognition for her writing at the 4th Annual Ag-ceptional Women's Convention in 2012. During the time she was writing her column, Lena was also a news correspondent for the Norfolk Daily News for 25 years as well as other surrounding area newspapers. She had submissions published in 18 national magazines and wrote two biography books for friends.
In recent years, Lena enjoyed extensive traveling which included the 50 states, two trips to Europe, seven cruises, and spent part of seven winters in Arizona.
She is survived by two daughters, Beverly Braun of Norfolk, Nebraska and Bonnie and her husband, Ron Wies, of Petersburg, Nebraska; one grandson, Adam Wies and wife Jeri and three great-grandchildren, Karlie, Kaci, and Kenzie, all of Petersburg.
She was preceded in death by her husband in July 1991; an infant grandson, Barry Wies; her parents, Alva and Hazel Inness; brother, Dale Inness and his wife, Betty; and sister, Mary Emma Bennett and her husband Boyd.
Lena died Sunday, September 5, 2021, at Heritage of Bel Air in Norfolk, where she was recuperating from a recent fall.
Lena Inness, daughter of Alva and Hazel (Ickes) Inness, was born September 21, 1922, at Dumas, Nebraska. In 1924, the family moved to Orchard, Nebraska, after a tornado destroyed their farmstead at Dumus.
Lena attended the rural school, District #30, northwest of Orchard for eight years before moving with her family to Meadow Grove in 1935. She graduated from Meadow Grove High School with the class of 1939, attended Wayne State College, and taught school two years at District #70 in Pierce County.
On June 11, 1941, Lena married Darrell Braun at the Meadow Grove Methodist Church and moved to a home on the Braun farm southeast of town. The following April, Darrell was inducted into the United States Army, and she taught school one year at District #10 in Madison County. The next spring, she joined her husband at Battle Creek, Michigan, and worked as a secretary at the Oliver Farm Equipment Plant until the fall of 1945, when Darrell was transferred to Ft. Belvoir, Virginia to await his army discharge in January 1946. Two children, Bonnie and Beverly, were born to this union.
They returned to Meadow Grove and lived on the family farm until 1985, when they retired and moved to Norfolk. Lena received the Pioneer Family Farm Award in 2005, when the farm had been in the family name 100 years.
Mrs. Braun was a member of the United Methodist Church, taught Sunday School, and was a Brownie troop leader. Lena was a 40-year member of Federated Women's Club and a charter member of the Northeast Nebraska Writers Club, belonging for 30 years.
Lena enjoyed many hobbies, which included oil painting, various types of needlework, and sewing. She won first place in the Federated Women's Club state sewing contest in 1966. Lena was an avid bridge player, learning the game at age 11.
The hobby she enjoyed most was her freelance writing. In 1957, Lena started writing a weekly column, "Gabbie Gertie, Your Friendly Farmerette" which was published in The Tilden Citizen and Battle Creek Enterprise for 21 years. She received recognition for her writing at the 4th Annual Ag-ceptional Women's Convention in 2012. During the time she was writing her column, Lena was also a news correspondent for the Norfolk Daily News for 25 years as well as other surrounding area newspapers. She had submissions published in 18 national magazines and wrote two biography books for friends.
In recent years, Lena enjoyed extensive traveling which included the 50 states, two trips to Europe, seven cruises, and spent part of seven winters in Arizona.
She is survived by two daughters, Beverly Braun of Norfolk, Nebraska and Bonnie and her husband, Ron Wies, of Petersburg, Nebraska; one grandson, Adam Wies and wife Jeri and three great-grandchildren, Karlie, Kaci, and Kenzie, all of Petersburg.
She was preceded in death by her husband in July 1991; an infant grandson, Barry Wies; her parents, Alva and Hazel Inness; brother, Dale Inness and his wife, Betty; and sister, Mary Emma Bennett and her husband Boyd.
Lena Inness, daughter of Alva and Hazel (Ickes) Inness, was born September 21, 1922, at Dumas, Nebraska. In 1924, the family moved to Orchard, Nebraska, after a tornado destroyed their farmstead at Dumus.
Lena attended the rural school, District #30, northwest of Orchard for eight years before moving with her family to Meadow Grove in 1935. She graduated from Meadow Grove High School with the class of 1939, attended Wayne State College, and taught school two years at District #70 in Pierce County.
On June 11, 1941, Lena married Darrell Braun at the Meadow Grove Methodist Church and moved to a home on the Braun farm southeast of town. The following April, Darrell was inducted into the United States Army, and she taught school one year at District #10 in Madison County. The next spring, she joined her husband at Battle Creek, Michigan, and worked as a secretary at the Oliver Farm Equipment Plant until the fall of 1945, when Darrell was transferred to Ft. Belvoir, Virginia to await his army discharge in January 1946. Two children, Bonnie and Beverly, were born to this union.
They returned to Meadow Grove and lived on the family farm until 1985, when they retired and moved to Norfolk. Lena received the Pioneer Family Farm Award in 2005, when the farm had been in the family name 100 years.
Mrs. Braun was a member of the United Methodist Church, taught Sunday School, and was a Brownie troop leader. Lena was a 40-year member of Federated Women's Club and a charter member of the Northeast Nebraska Writers Club, belonging for 30 years.
Lena enjoyed many hobbies, which included oil painting, various types of needlework, and sewing. She won first place in the Federated Women's Club state sewing contest in 1966. Lena was an avid bridge player, learning the game at age 11.
The hobby she enjoyed most was her freelance writing. In 1957, Lena started writing a weekly column, "Gabbie Gertie, Your Friendly Farmerette" which was published in The Tilden Citizen and Battle Creek Enterprise for 21 years. She received recognition for her writing at the 4th Annual Ag-ceptional Women's Convention in 2012. During the time she was writing her column, Lena was also a news correspondent for the Norfolk Daily News for 25 years as well as other surrounding area newspapers. She had submissions published in 18 national magazines and wrote two biography books for friends.
In recent years, Lena enjoyed extensive traveling which included the 50 states, two trips to Europe, seven cruises, and spent part of seven winters in Arizona.
She is survived by two daughters, Beverly Braun of Norfolk, Nebraska and Bonnie and her husband, Ron Wies, of Petersburg, Nebraska; one grandson, Adam Wies and wife Jeri and three great-grandchildren, Karlie, Kaci, and Kenzie, all of Petersburg.
She was preceded in death by her husband in July 1991; an infant grandson, Barry Wies; her parents, Alva and Hazel Inness; brother, Dale Inness and his wife, Betty; and sister, Mary Emma Bennett and her husband Boyd.
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