Marie Kreman

Marie Ann Ellis Kreman

April 26,2021

Funeral Services for Marie E. Kreman of Crawford, Nerbaska will be held Friday, April 30, 2021 at 2:00 PM at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Crawford, Nebraska. Burial will be held at Glendale Cemetery in Glen, Nebraska. Visitation will be held Thursday, April 29, 2021 at 5:00 PM at Chamberlain Chapel in Crawford, Nebraska.

Crawford, Nebraska – Marie died peacefully at the age of 85 at her home with her beloved husband Jack at her side.  She was surround by her loving family, children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and her cats.  She died on April 26th after a short illness.

She was born in Grand Coulee, Washington to Emrys and Margaret Ellis the second of five children.  She was predeceased by her father, Emrys, her mother, Margaret and by her beloved siblings Eugene and Gertrude.  She is survived by her husband Jack L. Kreman, son David (Mary Jane) and daughter Rebecca; grandchildren, Jack (Lorissa), Adam (Caitie), Eric, Amanda, Andrew (Laura), Wendi and Aspen (Blake). She was also great-grandmother to Henry, Oliver, Dani, Jack, Link Blake Taylor, Preston, Morgan, Aiden, Grady and Parker.

While she had a large family who loved her dearly she will always be remembered as a nurse and teacher and will be remembered by the patients, families, colleagues and students whose lives she touched.

Marie’s family had moved from Grand Coulee to Tacoma where they lived for eight years. Marie attended elementary school in Tacoma. The family moved to Rainer, Oregon, where Marie attended high school. She was active in drama, music, sports, and was chosen as Queen of the high school annual Sweetheart’s Ball. Marie was an outstanding swimmer, participating in water ballet and other aquatic activities. Her younger brother recalls the many boys who were attracted to her. One fellow told her brother that Marie was the prettiest girl he had ever seen outside of the movies.  When Marie decided to become a nurse, her Mother said to the family, “Marie will make an ideal nurse. She is always calm, kind, and good at what she does.” Marie loved the beach town of Seaside, Oregon. She and brother Gene spent many summers there where her grandmother lived. A number of her cousins would also come to Seaside, and she had wonderful memories of beach parties and adventures with them. Marie was a loving daughter and sister, much admired and adored by her brothers and sisters, Trudy referred to her as “beautiful Marie”.

Jack and Marie were married in 1956 on July 21st. They started their family in Saint Helens, Oregon but Jack always wanted to return to Nebraska.  They moved in August of 1963 and this is how Marie became a Nebraska cattle rancher.  She always worked on the ranch as a cowboy and as a farm hand, in addition she continued to work as a nurse at the Crawford Hospital.

Above all things Marie loved to read with a vast library standing as testament. She loved golfing, quilting and she attended the Bethlehem Lutheran church faithfully.  She also loved to travel and saw most of the United States, England, Germany and Jamaica.  The highlight of her travels was the vast cathedrals of Europe and the original Lutheran church in Wittenberg in East Germany.  Marie continued to work well past retirement age until illness forced her to retire when she became a caregiver for Jack.

Marie pursued knowledge and education with tenacity and determination, she was “trained” by nuns and obtained a diploma in nursing but went on to pursue her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing, Masters of Public Health, Masters in Nursing and an Educational Doctorate.

She will be missed by all who knew and loved her but more importantly she leaves a legacy of a grand extended family, a cattle ranch lovingly tended by her husband and grand-daughter Wendi and numerous patients and students whose lives she made better.

Her favorite poem was Robert Louis Stevenson’s “The Swing”

How do you like to go up in a swing,

Up in the air so blue?

Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing

Ever a child can do!

Up in the air and over the wall,

Till I can see so wide,

Rivers and trees and cattle and all

Over the countryside—

Till I look down on the garden green,

Down on the roof so brown—

Up in the air I go flying again,

Up in the air and down!

She would be happy if that was how you remembered her.

A memorial has been established for the Crawford Rescue Unit and donations may be sent in care of Chamberlain Chapel, PO BOX 970, CHADRON, NE 69337.

Online condolences may be left at www.chamberlainchapel.com

Chamberlain Chapel of Crawford, Nebraska is in Charge of Arrangements.