Grace, Ardis Jan 12, 1930 - Nov 3, 2018 Survived by her children: Cindy (Larry) Sorensen, Don (Jackie) Grace, Tim (Colela) Grace, and Jay Grace; 8 grandchildren; and 12 great grandchildren. MEMORIAL SERVICE: Wednesday 11am at First Lutheran Church in Blair. VISITATION: Tuesday at Campbell Aman Funeral Home, with family Receiving friends from 5:30-7:30pm. Campbell Aman Funeral Home 444 S. 17th Blair, NE 402-426-2191 www.campbellaman.com

#2-Published in the Pilot-Tribune November 6, 2018

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Ardis Grace, 88, of Blair, passed away Nov. 3, 2018, at Crowell Memorial Home in Blair.

A memorial service will be held Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018, at 11 a.m. at First Lutheran Church in Blair. Visitation will be held Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018, at Campbell Aman Funeral Home with family receiving friends from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Ardis was born Jan. 12, 1930, in Storla, S.D., to Clifford and Nellie (Hagan) Jensen. After graduation from high school, she earned her teaching certificate and taught country school for two years.

She married Les Grace in 1951, while he was in medical school. The couple made their home in Blair, in 1955, when Les joined Dr. Howard and Dr. Sievers at the Blair Clinic.

Ardis served on the First Lutheran Church Council, the Good Shepard Home Board, and was active in the American Cancer Society, winning a national award for developing the first Colorectal Cancer Screening Community Program in 1977. She also received awards as the American Cancer Society Volunteer of the Year, Aksarben Good Neighbor, Extension Service, High School Alumni Board Honors, Beta Sigma Phi Lady of the Year and the Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Service Award. Ardis was named the Woman of the Year by the American Medical Association Auxiliary in 1981 and served as the national president in 1985 and 1986.

Her pride and joy would have to be the 54 years of volunteer work to the Memorial Community Hospital Auxiliary. She was there when it began in 1956 and raised $600 and she was there when it raised over $74,500.

She is survived by her children, Cindy (Larry) Sorensen, Don (Jackie) Grace, Tim (Colela) Grace and Jay Grace; grandchildren, Jesse, Eric, Ashley (Brian), Daren (Maggie), Shawn (Catherine), Lizzy (Lance), Hannah and Abby; great-grandchildren, Brady, Alayna, Barrett, Riley, Chloe, Liam, Bella, Keegan, Piper, Ollie, Matilda and Millie; sister, Marian (Martin) Anderson; brothers, Bob (Ruth) Jensen, Les (Mary Louise) Jensen; sister-in-law, Mavis Grace; and brother-in-law, Ernest (Ila) Grace.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Leslie Grace; infant son, Leslie Dean Grace; her parents; and her brothers, John, Lloyd, and Willis Jensen.

Memorials may be directed to First Lutheran Church, Crowell Memorial Home or Memorial Community Hospital in Blair.

#3-Published in the Enterprise November 16, 2018

Cindy Sorensen knew her mother, Ardis Grace, was a busy and dedicated volunteer.

But, it wasn't until she put it down on paper that Cindy was amazed at the impact her mother made.

"She was definitely an amazing Grace, that's for sure," she said.

Grace passed away Nov. 3 at Crowell Memorial Home in Blair. She was 88.

Grace served on the First Lutheran Church Council, the Good Shepherd Home Board, and was active in the American Cancer Society, winning a national award for developing the first Colorectal Cancer Screening Community Program in 1977. She also received awards as the American Cancer Society Volunteer of the Year, Aksarben Good Neighbor, Extension Service, High School Alumni Board Honors, Beta Sigma Phi Lady of the Year and the Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Service Award. Grace was named the Woman of the Year by the American Medical Association Auxiliary in 1981 and served as the national president in 1985 and 1986.

But, her pride and joy was her 54 years volunteer work she did for the Memorial Community Hospital Auxiliary's Rummage Sale.

She was there when it began in 1958 and raised $600, and she was there when it raised more than $74,500.

When plans for the first sale were being made, Grace said there were not that many rummage sales around and some of the committee were not sure they could make much money, but decided that it would be worth a try.

The rummage sale has become an annual event that attracts people from across the region, with proceeds helping to purchase of equipment for the hospital.

Over the years, the annual sale held a special place in Grace's' heart because of her husband's affiliation with the hospital. The late Dr. Leslie Grace was a doctor at the hospital for 34 years and delivered more than 3,000 babies.

“It’s such an important thing to raise money for,” Ardis told the Enterprise in a 2012 article marking the sale's 55th year.

Ardis' dedication to the sale even hit home — in more ways than one. Cindy said during the early years of the sale, before the auxiliary secured warehouse space, items donated for the sale were often kept in the family home.

"People would give (the auxiliary) things and we would store them at our house, for a very long time, sometimes," she said.

Ardis'son, Don Grace, knew his mother was proud of the sale.

"I can remember her always getting me to make signs for it," he said. "She did whatever she could to make it bigger and bigger every year."

While she worked hard to make the sale a success each year, Ardis was always quick to recognize the work of other volunteers, oftentimes acknowledging their work in letters to the editor submitted to the Enterprise.

"She was a great writer and was always writing thank-yous to people," Cindy said. "She said you have to let people know you appreciate them. She was good at putting that down on paper. She joked that she submitted so much to the paper that Kenny Rhoades teased her that maybe she should have a job there."

Ardis was just as devoted to her family, her children said.

Leslie and Ardis Grace had five children, Don Grace, Cindy Sorensen, Tim Grace and Jay Grace, and Leslie Dean Grace, who passed away as an infant.

Because of his father's schedule, Don said he and his siblings grew close to their mom.

"We saw Dad for breakfast, then we'd go to school and come home to eat lunch and we'd see him at lunch, then he'd go back to work and we'd see him at supper and he'd go back to work and we'd see him at 9:30 when he got home," Don said. "We were always proud of him, but we got close to our mom because she was there all the time for us.

" Cindy agreed.

"She was very dedicated to us," she said. "She was a mom and a dad because he worked all the time and us kids would get disgusted sometimes and she always stuck up for him."

Her parents, Cindy said, had a great love story. They never raised their voices to each other and she said her dad gave her mom a kiss every time he came home.

"I found out when my dad died that they would lay in bed at night, hold hands and say The Lord's Prayer," Cindy said.

Don said he'll always remember his mom's smile.

"I never, ever saw her in a bad mood," he said. “She was never crabby, just always smiling. My friends loved her."

That was a side of Ardis that Don's son also saw.

"My son said she was just so steady, always kind and he never heard her yell at anybody," Don said. "You could talk to her about anything growing up and could always count on her."

The kindness also extended outside the family and sometimes even involved strangers in less than ideal situations.

Cindy shared the time her parents got into an accident on the way to a Nebraska football game in Lincoln. As the couple was driving, the driver in another car ran a stop sign, hitting them. The woman was killed and the Graces were hospitalized.

"They felt so bad that the lady was killed, even though it wasn't their fault," Cindy said. "My mom wrote a letter to the husband saying how sorry they were at that place at that time."

Her parents, Cindy said, never drove to a Nebraska football game again. If they went, it was when someone else drove.

A few years after sending the letter, Ardis received a invitation in the mail from the man who lost his wife.

"He was getting remarried and my mom went down to the wedding," Cindy said. "It was the first time she met him. He told her 'I just wanted to let you know that we (he and his two children) are going to be OK'"

As she looked back on her mother's life, Cindy tried her best to find just the right words to remember her mother.

"To sum up my mom: Forgive and forget. Have sweets on hand for company. Be good. Be kind, and always, always say thank you,” she said.

#4 Funeral Leaflet

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In Loving Memory of Ardis Eileen Grace

Born January 12, 1930 Storla, South Dakota; Entered Into Rest November 3, 2018 Blair, Nebraska

Memorial Service 11:00 AM Wednesday, November 7, 2018 First Lutheran Church, Blair, Nebraska. Officiating: Pastor Scott Frederickson. Organist: Clare Cowing. Vocalist: Susan Stork Bensen. Musical Selections: “Amazing Grace”, “Old Rugged Cross”, “How Great Thou Art”

Honorary Pallbearers: Jesse Sorensen, Eric Sorensen, Daren Grace, Shawn Cole, Brian Brown, Lance Smith

Place of Rest: First Lutheran Church Columbarium Blair, Nebraska Campbell-Aman Funeral Home

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

FindaGrave # 194463651