Helen Niebaum

Helen Niebaum, 92, of Fremont died Friday, Feb. 20, 2009, at her Shalimar Gardens apartment.

Helen was born March 13, 1916, on the farm near Fontanelle to William and Lenora (Scheer) Wilkening. She grew up there and graduated from Fremont High School in 1933. She then received her teaching certificate from Midland College and taught in a rural school.

Helen Wilkening married Aaron “Jack” Niebaum on June 16, 1937, in Fontanelle. The couple lived in Beatrice and in Columbus before moving to Fremont in 1943. In Fremont, her husband operated Niebaum Motor Company (a Studebaker dealership) for 20 years before becoming the clerk of the district court of Dodge County. Her husband preceded her in death in December 2004.

Helen was a member of Salem Lutheran Church of Fremont. She also was a member of Beta Sigma Phi and she was formerly a member of the Optimist Club ladies organization and a hospital volunteer.

Survivors include: a daughter, Marci (and husband, Gerald) Giesing of Omaha; two sons, Gar Niebaum of Potter Valley, Calif., and Roger (and wife, Judy) Niebaum of Fremont; three grand-children, Traci (and husband, John) Langland, Kelli (and husband, Tom) Mougin and David Niebaum; two step-grandchildren; six great-grandchildren, Brittani, Christopher and Brooke Langland, Logan and Grant Mougin and Barbar D’Agostino; and a sister-in-law, Dorothy Wilkening of Arlington.

She also was preceded in death by her two brothers, Alvin and Clarence “Kelly” Wilkening.

The funeral will be 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Salem Lutheran Church in Fremont with the Rev. Michael Thomas officiating. Visitation will be from 2 – 8 p.m. Tuesday at Ludvigsen Mortuary in Fremont with the family receiving friends from 6:30 – 8 p.m. Visitation will continue one hour prior to service time Wednesday at the church. Burial will be in Memorial Cemetery in Fremont.

Memorials are suggested to her church.

An online guest book may be signed at www.ludvigsenmortuary.com.

~~~ Obituary courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.~~~