Irene Delores Poppe

Irene Delores Poppe was born October 16, 1931 to Gustav H. and Ella (Asche) Lunzmann on a farm near Hardy, Nebraska. She was baptized at St. Peter Lutheran Church, rural Byron, Nebraska by Pastor Leo H. Hoefer and confirmed by him in 1946. Irene was a lifelong member of St. Peter Lutheran Church. She sang in the Luther League choir, taught Sunday school for many years, served as Sunday school Superintendent, and taught Bible school.

On September 24, 1961 Irene was united in marriage to Floyd E. Poppe. To this union five children were born. She was preceded in death by her parents, one sister Lenore Lunzmann, two children Timothy Allen Poppe and Rhonda Marie Poppe.

She is survived by son Kenneth Ray Poppe and wife Kristi, Byron, NE; daughters Carol Jean Tietjen, Hardy, NE and Lori Ann Fayle and husband Rick, Deshler, NE; seven grandchildren Angel, Ashley and Lexi Fayle, Dalen Tietjen and wife Darcie and Kendra Tietjen, Nicholas and Katelyn Poppe; great grandchild Baylee Fowler; step-grandchildren Dakota and McKenzie Breuer and Bowdie Roelfs; step-great grandchild Clay Henderson; brother Ervin Lunzmann and wife Helen, Deshler, NE; nieces, nephews and cousins; special friends Cindy & Gerald Sasse; other relatives and friends.

Sewing was a big part of her life since she started sewing doll clothes on her mother’s treadle machine before she started grade school. Irene sewed for her family and by age 14 she started sewing clothes for the neighbors. She continued to sew for her own family and others, sewing shirts, men’s & women’s suits, coast, dresses, formals, and wedding gowns.

In 1983 she began working at M-C Industries in Belleville, KS in the sewing department. Irene sewed samples for the company and served as leader in various lines of production. They sewed gurney covers, a variety of things for hospitals, nursing homes, hotels, aviation helmet liners, and various things for the government. What always stood out in her mind was when the Pentagon commissioned them to sew patient wraps. They were charcoal lined covered stretchers with a zipper on three sides so they cloud lay the wounded on and zip it up with tree handles on each side to transport the wounded from the battlefield to the hospitals. They had a plastic window and two cones for life support systems. Dessert Strom was chemical warfare and we were the only US Company to sew them. Irene worked full time until she was 70 and retired at the end of that year.

Irene enjoyed ballroom and square dancing. She attended her children’s sporting and school events. She enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren and getting together with family and friends. She wrote poems as a hobby. Her favorite was

"Country Spring"

The lilacs smell wonderful, the wild plum thickets too

No perfumes compares to the scent of these two

The patter of rain on the newly turned earth

Give promise again for a year of rebirth

Baby calves frolic in the sunshine all day

Baby piglets will dance in circles in play

There’s nothing quite like a day on the farm

With someone you love, when the weather grows warm

Irene was also an artist. She loved drawing horses, deer and dogs in scenic backgrounds.

As her healthwas failingthis fall, her life of 88 years on this earth came to a close Tuesday, November 26, 2109 while a patient at St. Elizabeth Hospital, Lincoln, Nebraska. Although missed by all you loved her, she will never be forgotten. Family will be greeting family and friends 5:00pm to 7:00pm Friday, November 29th at Ahrendts Funeral Home, Deshler, Nebraska. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 P.M. Saturday, November 30th at St. Peter Lutheran Church, rural Byron, Nebraska with Pastor Breen Marie Sipes officiating. She will be laid to rest in the Church Cemetery. Memorials in her honor may be made to the family to be designated later. Ahrendts-Urbauer-Price Funeral Home, Deshler, Davenport, and Hebron, Nebraska has assisted the Poppe family with these arrangements.