Marga E. VonEssen

Marga VonEssen, 96, of Pender, Nebraska died on Thursday, October 18, 2007 at a nursing home in Omaha, Nebraska. Funeral services for Marga will be held on Monday, October 22, 2007 at 10:00 A.M. at St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Pender, Pastor Margaret Olson will be officiating. The visitaiton will begin at 9:00 A.M. on Monday morning and the church and will run until the time of the service. Burial will be in the St. Peter's Lutheran Church Cemetery near Pender. Marga Von Essen was born on January 9, 1911 in Bremen, Germany as the 5th child of Heinrich and Emilie Krumrei. She was baptized Margarete Emma Pauline Sophie in the cathedral of Bremen but was known as “Marga” to her family and friends. In 1917, her family moved to Bookhorn, a small village near Bremen, and this is where she spent most of her childhood. She spent her years as a young adult working with underprivileged children, which she greatly enjoyed. In 1948 she met Herman Von Essen. He grew up on a nearby farm, but had moved to Pender, Nebraska many years earlier. Herman and Marga were married in Ganderkesee, Germany on December 16, 1949. Marga arrived in Pender on March of 1950 in a blizzard after a long journey from New York City by train. Despite this introduction to Nebraska winters, the years spent on the farm north of Pender with Herman and Susanna were some of the happiest of her life. She and Herman moved to Pender in 1974. He passed away several months later. Marga died peacefully in Omaha on October 18, 2007. She is survived by her daughter, Susanna Von Essen, son-in-law Allen Spiker and step granddaughter Andrea Spiker as well as by nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, an infant son, her parents and siblings.