Dolores Herbers, age 92, of Halbur, died Wednesday, March 1, 2023, at Garden View Manor in Elk Horn, Nebraska.
Mass of the Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m., Monday, March 6, 2023 at St. Augustine Catholic Church in Halbur. The Celebrant will be Fr. Merlin Schrad. Music will be by Julie Sibbel and the St. Augustine Choir. Special instrumental music by Carol Packard and Nicole Stinn. Lectors for the Funeral Mass will be Jerome Henkenius and John Stinn. Gift Bearers will be Dolores’ granddaughters: Carissa Gephart, Elizabeth Moreland, Nicole Stinn, Emily Hart, Renee Herbers, Brittany McCoy, Carolyn Murnan, Katherine Ford, Sarah Wilson, Melanie Wendt, and Samantha Herbers. Eucharistic Minister will be Michelle Herbers. Casket Bearers will be Dolores’ grandsons: Tim Niemeyer, Jeremy Herbers, Eric Herbers, Matthew Herbers, Nathan Herbers, Jeffrey Herbers, Noah Ford, Garth Packard, Grant Packard, Grady Packard, Michael Herbers, Ryan Herbers, Joshua Herbers, and Nicholas Fields. Burial will be in St. Augustine Cemetery in Halbur.
Visitation will be from 2-4 p.m. on Sunday at the Sharp Funeral Home in Carroll with a rosary at 4 p.m. Additional visitation will be from 9:30-10:15 a.m. on Monday at the church. Memorials may be left at the funeral home or the church for the Dolores Herbers family for a later designation. Funeral arrangements are under the guidance of the Sharp Funeral Home in Carroll and online condolences may be left for the Herbers family at www.sharpfuneral.com.
The daughter of Michael and Catherine (Hoffman) Berger, Dolores was born on August 13, 1930, grew up on a farm near Roselle, and attended Holy Angels School. She earned a high school education while attending the convent in La Crosse, WI. Though she didn’t end up joining a religious order, God and her faith remained a priority throughout her life. Next to faith, nothing mattered more to Dolores than family. Her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren were her pride and joy and she loved them beyond measure. May those of us who survive her embody her selflessness and love for others.
On October 23, 1956 Dolores was united in marriage to Melvin Herbers at Holy Angels Catholic Church in Roselle. The couple made their home on the Herbers family farm near Halbur, where Dolores resided for 62 years, longer than any Herbers family member had. There they raised their 10 children.
Growing up during the Depression, Dolores knew about hard times and wasn’t one to waste. She also wasn’t one to shirk hard work and often recalled and repeated words from her mom, “Many hands make light work.” For many years Dolores collected eggs every day from the several hundred chicken (the old clucks!) she tended, canned fruits and vegetables, and made jams and jellies from her orchard and enormous garden. The fruit room was filled with bins of potatoes and onions, row after row of canned fruits or vegetables, and the freezer full of good food to feed her large family. Life can’t be all work and no play and Dolores enjoyed playing pitch, pinochle, and rummy – and though she played for fun, she liked to win! As her kids grew older and started leaving to make homes of their own, Dolores enjoyed playing bingo with her newfound leisure time. She was self-taught on the accordion and played as part of a band for several local towns’ celebrations. The grandkids liked Grandma’s house because there was always plenty of ice cream, toppings, and a full candy jar on the counter whenever they visited – and, of course, an abundance of love from Grandma.
Dolores was preceded in death by her parents, Michael and Catherine Berger; her husband Melvin Herbers; a daughter, Marian Niemeyer; a son, Thomas Herbers; her sister, Norma Henkenius; her brother, Arnold Berger; and parents-in-law, Frank and Elizabeth Herbers.
Dolores is survived by her children: Kathy (Dennis) Vogl of Atlantic, Leo (Deanne) Herbers of Urbandale, Jean (Barry) Ford of Omaha, NE, Carol (George) Packard of Ogallala, NE, Louis (Kris) Herbers of Halbur, Lori (Tom) Dunn of Hot Springs, SD, Annette (Michael) Fields of Waukee, and Dan (Michelle) Herbers of Gretna, NE, son-in-law John Niemeyer of Minneapolis, MN, daughter-in-law DeLayne Herbers of Carroll; 25 grandchildren, and 16 great-grandchildren; her sisters: Bernadine Heinrichs, Mary Jane Berger, and Pauline Schenkelberg; brothers-in-law Jerome Henkenius and Elmer Herbers; sisters-in-law: Darlene Niehaus, Dorothy Pudenz, and Dolores Herbers, as well as many nieces, nephews and other extended family.
