Siemens, Alma Irene Bergen (1918-2004)

Newton Kansan obituary: 2004 Mar 11 p. 2

Birth date: 1918 Jun 9

'Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 2004 Jul 19 p. 11

text of obituary:

ALMA IRENE SIEMENS

Alma Irene (Bergen) Siemens, 85, of Hesston, Kan., died March 8, 2004. She was born June 9, 1918, to John and Kathrina Bergen on the family farm six miles north of Henderson, Neb.

She attended District 60 South Violet and graduated from the eighth grade. She also attended Henderson Bible School for two years. She was unable to attend high school due to the Depression.

She helped her parents on the farm with daily chores. She worked at the beanery in Henderson and at a store in Grand Island.

She accepted Jesus Christ as her personal Lord and Savior on March 10, 1938. She was baptized June 5, 1938, and received into membership at Bethesda Mennonite Church in Henderson, Neb.

Studying the Bible and learning more about Christ were important to her. She attended Grace Bible Institute in Omaha for two years.

In 1947, she began working at Berean Children’s Home in North Platte, helping care for children from broken homes, where she worked until her marriage.

On Aug. 30, 1951, she married Edward Siemens of Burrton, Kan., at Bethesda Mennonite Church.

They settled near Alta Mills, Kan. They lived in Henderson in the winter months of 1956-57 and 1957-58 to help care for her mother after her father died.

She transferred her membership to Hebron Mennonite Church of Buhler. She was active in WMSO, taught Sunday school and served on the social committee.

In the late 1950s they moved to a place east of Hesston, then to their present home three miles northeast of Hesston in 1968.

She was a people person who could meet a total stranger and have a nice conversation. Her hobbies were embroidery and playing harmonica for special music in church and for family gatherings.

She had a stroke in September 1994, which affected her right side and made her spend many hours in a wheel chair.

She entered Schowalter Villa in January 2003. Her health declined rapidly in her last two weeks of life.

Survivors include her husband of 52 years, Edward; four sons, Kenneth and his wife, Teresa, of Buhler, Karl and his wife, Jacquie, of Newton, Kelvin of Hesston and Klifford and his wife, Fran, of Hesston; and eight grandchildren.

Funeral services were held at Hebron Mennonite Church. Burial was in Hebron Cemetery of rural Buhler.