Nona A. Vammen, 91, of Blair, died Dec. 29, 2002, at Good Shepherd Lutheran Home in Blair.

A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2003, at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Home Chapel, 2242 Wright St., Blair, with the Rev. Kenneth A. Jensen officiating. Graveside services and inurnment will be held at the Ebenezer Lutheran Church, McCabe, Mont.

Nona Alfreda Vammen was born Sept. 11, 1911, to Ole and Anna (Andersen) Olsen on her parents’ homestead outside of McCabe, Montana, the oldest of three children. She graduated from Culbertson High School (Montana) and from Trinity School of Nursing, Minot, N.D., and the School of Anesthesiology in Detroit, Mich.

She was united in marriage to Charles W. Bentsen on Nov. 7, 1939, in Glendive, Mont. While the couple farmed and raised a family in the McCabe area, she worked as a nurse, nurse anesthetist, and hospital administrator in Culbertson, Montana. When her husband died in 1960, she moved her family to Culbertson.

On April 12, 1961, Nona married Rev. Peter J. Vammen at the First Lutheran Church, Blair. They lived and worked in Culbertson, Miles City, and Havre, Mont. She resided in Blair since retiring here in 1993.

In addition to her careers, Mrs. Vammen was active in music, ladies aid activities, and Bible studies at Ebenezer Lutheran Church, Dane Valley, Mont., and in the other communities where she lived. Some areas in which she served were choir director, pianist, Bible camp nurse, Sunday school teacher, and ‘Circle’ President. She enjoyed social time at the weekly card party while living at Johansen Manor, word games and puzzles, plus music. She will be remembered as a loving mother and grandmother, a caring and compassionate nurse, and an individual who was always concerned with your spiritual welfare.

She is survived by her daughters; Patricia M. Bentsen, Tulear, Madagascar, and Anne L. Nielsen, Pisgah, Iowa, and Anne’s fiancé, Richard L. Kelly, Missouri Valley, Iowa; son and daughter-in-law, David C. and Kim Bentsen, Modale, Iowa; two grandchildren, six great-grandchildren; a number of niece, nephews, cousins; and extended family members.

She was preceded in death by her husbands, brother, Arden Olsen, and sister, Mildred Cheney.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to the charity of the donor’s choice or: Madagascar Mission, c/o First Lutheran Church, 2146 Wright St., Blair, Nebraska 68008-1167. Letters of condolence may be written to: Family of Nona Vammen, P. O. Box 37, Modale, IA, 51556-0037.

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

Find a Grave Memorial #59726949