Lorraine Mary Mausbach

Lorraine was born May 17, 1925, in Grand Prairie Township, on the family farm, 1 mile east of Tarnov, Nebraska. Her parents were Nicholas (Nick) and Anna (Pillen) Mausbach. She was the seventh of eight children born to this union and the last sibling to pass away. Lorraine said her Dad always told her that on that early May morning the day she was born, it was so cold that the water had frozen in the cow tank.

Lorraine was the first baby baptized in the final St. Mary of the Angels Catholic Church building located three miles southeast of Humphrey, Nebraska, which had just been built and dedicated on April 29, 1925. She made her first communion on May 25,1933 and was confirmed on September 29, 1936, all at St. Mary of the Angels. Father Tom Greisen administered her final sacrament, the Anointing of the Sick, at her home on December 7, 2020.

Lorraine attended grade school and graduated 8th grade from St. Mary of the Angels elementary school. She was always appreciative and grateful for the outstanding education she received from the Franciscan nuns and priests at St. Mary’s. She felt this education laid the groundwork for her strong work ethic and moral values that sustained her her entire life.

She graduated from Platte Center High School in May 1944. Lorraine and her younger sister, Germaine lived with their oldest sister, Odilia (Jerome) Macken and family on their farm in rural Platte Center during the week to attend high school. She faithfully attended the Platte Center High School reunions.

After high school, she worked for a car dealership as a bookkeeper. Lorraine was loyal to the Chevrolet brand, and always owned a Chevy. She was meticulous in keeping her vehicles well maintained, and traded up every few years.

Lorraine moved to Omaha and worked for Northwestern Bell Telephone Company for thirty-five years from September 17, 1951 until her retirement on March 1, 1986.

She worked in the Revenue Accounts department of the Accounting Section and kept tallies of sales, which was used by management for developing sales reports and monitoring sales trends to increase profitability. She took great pride in her ability to keep detailed records and had a successful career.

She was an Honorary Life Member of the Communications Workers of America Union, serving as a resolution dispute representative for her local branch office while employed.

Lorraine obtained a certificate of completion for a Radiological Monitor Course from the Director of Civil Defense, State of Nebraska, in 1969. The course focused on radiation safety and health physics as an essential part of protecting workers, the public and the environment.

After 21 years of service with Northwestern Bell, Lorraine was inducted into the Telephone Pioneers of America Club, a telephone company organization dedicated to community service as their core value. Their motto was: ‘United to Serve Others’. She attended their luncheons and activities on a regular basis for many years, even after her retirement.

Lorraine was a parishioner at St. Columbkille Catholic Church in Papillion since the early 1960’s. She was active in the St. Ann’s Altar Society. She and her sister, Magdalen Widhalm, remained active in the parish for many years. Her sister Mag, who lived on the same street in Papillion, never learned to drive, so Lorraine and Mag would go together to serve the parish. They could often be seen serving funeral luncheons together as well as participating in other parish activities.

Lorraine was a 73-year member of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas. She joined Court Mater Dei, #1404 in Humphrey, Nebraska on April 4, 1947 and transferred to Court St. Charles #472 in Lincoln, Nebraska, on May 21, 2019, after Court Mater Dei disbanded. She was one of the longest standing members of Catholic Daughters in Nebraska.

Although Lorraine never married, she had a large extended family with fifty-two nieces and nephews from her seven siblings. She was especially fond of her Godchildren: Russell Widhalm, David J. Mausbach, Richard J. Moser, Jr., John Mausbach, Ana Mae (Mausbach) Kessler, David L. Mausbach, Doug Macken and Kevin Christensen.

She attended many family functions, baptisms, communions, confirmations and weddings. She was known by all her nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews, and even many great, great nieces and nephews. She enjoyed sending a few dollars in greeting cards for their birthdays or Christmas. She liked to share Russell Stover chocolates at Christmastime.

Lorraine served as a career role model to her nieces, being single and having a successful career at a time when most women married young, were housewives and raised their families. Anyone who knew her was well aware she was an independent, self-sufficient, strong force to be reckoned with. She obtained a loan to build her house in Papillion in 1961, no easy task in those days, when banks were cautious in their lending practices to women. She lived and died in “her home”; it was her pride and joy.

She loved to be outdoors, working in her yard, keeping it trimmed, neat and manicured. She loved tending to her peonies and watching her beautiful magnolia tree mature and bloom each year. She had created her own little backyard patio sanctuary where she would grill hotdogs and enjoy the pleasant Nebraska springtime. She was always up for a good time, playing cards with colleagues and liked visiting Henry Doorly Zoo. Lorraine was an avid Husker fan. She loved watching all sports, but college football and golf were her favorite.

Lorraine travelled extensively throughout the United States on vacations and to visit friends and relatives. In 1978, she travelled to Germany, Belgium, France, Austria and Switzerland. In 1998 she made a pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi, Italy.

Lorraine is survived by many nieces and nephews and their families. Her nieces, Mary Anne (Moser) Classen and Terese (Moser) Roberts assisted her in her later years.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Nick and Anna Mausbach. Brothers: William, Lawrence, Victor and Philip Mausbach. Sisters: Odilia Macken, Magdalen Widhalm and Germaine Moser. Godsons: David L. Mausbach and Richard J. Moser, Jr.

Nephews: William Mausbach, Jr., Michael Mausbach, Leo Mausbach, Patrick Mausbach

Nieces: Laverna Albrecht, Glenda Ann Merwald, Helen Pietzmeier, Betty Christensen, Sharon Kay Mausbach and Debbie Edwards.

A special thank you to VNA Hospice of Omaha and CareMinders Home Care of Omaha for their dedicated, unwavering and compassionate service to Lorraine during her final months.

Visitation will be Friday, December 18th at Kahler-Dolce Mortuary in Papillion, from 1:00 pm to

8:00 pm with family receiving from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Her wake service will start at 6 pm with a rosary at 7:00 pm. Live streaming of the Wake Service will be available on the Kahler-Dolce mortuary Facebook page.

The funeral mass will be Saturday, December 19 at 10:00 am at St. Columbkille Catholic Church in Papillion. Lorraine will be interred in the Chapel of the Apostles Mausoleum at Calvary Cemetery in Omaha, Nebraska, immediately following the funeral mass. Lorraine’s funeral will be live streamed on the parish YouTube page. The parish page can be found at https://youtube.com/c/StColumbkilleParish.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in memory of Lorraine Mausbach to St. Columbkille Catholic Church, 200 East 6th St., Papillion, NE 68046; or St. Vincent de Paul Society, 807 Tara Plaza, Papillion, NE 68046 or Catholic Daughters of Americas, Court St. Charles, #472 c/o Mary Anne Classen 6160 NW 12th St., Lincoln, NE 68521.

Due to Covid -19 precautions and restrictions, face masks will be required at all events.