Leota M. Verplank

Click here to view the video tribute.Leota Verplank, 81, of Pender, formerly of Wakefield died on Sunday, May 03, 2009 at the Pender Community Hospital in Pender, Nebraska. Funeral services for Leota will be held on Wednesday, May 6, 2009 at 10:00 A.M. at the Evangelical Covenant Church in Wakefield; Pastor Ross Erickson will be officiating. The visitation will be held on Tuesday from 3:00 until 8:00 P.M. at the Bressler ~ Munderloh Funeral Home in Wakefield. The family will be present from 6:00 until 7:00 P.M. Burial will be at 2:00 P.M. on Wednesday at the McCoy Cemetery near Meadow Grove, Nebraska.Leota was born on April 19, 1928 in Tilden, Nebraska, the daughter of Elmer and Sadie (Weind) James. After attending school, Leota was married to Wendell E. Verplank at a ceremony at Marysville, Kansas on September 28, 1946. The couple moved to Wakefield in 1970. Wendell died on March 27, 1976. After Wendell’s death, Leota moved several times before settling in Wayne and currently in Pender. She enjoyed many activities including Yahtzee and Nebraska Football. Most of all Leota loved spending time with her family. Leota is survived by her children: Nancy and Steve Buss of Roseville, California; Jim and Marilyn Verplank of Colorado Springs, Colorado; Sherry and Steve Oswald of Wayne, Nebraska; Ginnie and Steve Snider of Columbus, Nebraska; Doug and Susan Verplank of Bloomington, Illinois; and Jeff Verplank of Sacramento, California. She is also survived by sixteen grandchildren, twenty-seven great grandchildren and two great great-grandchildren. Leota is also survived by her brothers and sister: Jerry and Margaret James of Wichita, Kansas; John and Sandy James of Omaha, Nebraska; Terry and Norma James of Meadow Grove, Nebraska and Sandy James of Ana Cortes, California.She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Wendell, a grandson Christopher Snider and three sisters: Janet Hicks, Marge Philamelee and Jean Sheldon.