Lorna Jean Hoops Wehrmann, age 83, died on February 28 in Blair. Born in rural Colfax County on Sept. 12, 1934, to Lloyd and Effie (Foust) Hoops, she was the eldest of 12 children. She modeled a life of grit and determination in the face of economic and health obstacles.

Lorna Jean, aka Lorna, Jeanie, Jean, Grandma Jeanie and Great-Grandma Jeanie made a conscious decision to choose love, kindness, family and faith. She spent over eight decades fighting for the disenfranchised, the underdog and the outcast.

Lorna Jean and William Wehrmann met at Scribner High School when she was attending the roller skating party for incoming freshmen. She tutored Bill in math (he, feigning numbers ignorance) and paved the way as the only female in typically all-male classes in math and science, while excelling in every other thing she set her mind to. Unable to use her Regents Scholarship at University of Nebraska-Lincoln because she could not afford living expenses, she attended Wayne State College. Lorna Jean was a successful country school teacher in Dodge County and was often much tinier than her students.

She married Bill Wehrmann in 1955 and continued her teaching. She returned to college as an adult to earn a degree in special education. Her teaching gifts were used in Ames, Fremont Public Schools and for decades as a Sunday school teacher, confirmation teacher of students with special needs, county extension, 4-H, county fairs, state fairs and leading college groups on summer camping excursions. A special gift was welcoming foster children and high school students that needed loving homes. She and Bill did this for over 30 years. Jeanie fought and beat breast cancer twice. A massive heart attack unexpectedly ended her life.

Lorna Jean is survived by husband, Bill Wehrmann and children: Debbie (Jim DeFrain), Vicki (Art Sorensen), Cindy (Ted Menzel), Scott (Sarah) Wehrmann, and Chris Wehrmann, and special family friend Kari Mullen. Survivors also include fourteen grandchildren, eleven great-grandchildren, and one expected in April. All 11 siblings survive Lorna Jean.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Effie and Lloyd Hoops; in-laws Reverend Otto (Sodie) and Alice Wehrmann.

Celebration of Lorna’s life and legacy of love was held 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 3 in Fremont, at The Presbyterian Church of Fremont (Linden & Nye). Visitors were requested to dress in brightly-colored clothing and share in laughter and stories around her legendary chocolate chip cookies, ice cream and balloons. No flowers, please.

Memorials are directed to Lutheran Marriage Encounter, Orphan Grain Train, Trinity Lutheran Church (Blair).

Obituary courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clipping on file at the Blair Public Library.