Erma E. Gatzemeyer

Erma Eunice (Holmberg) Gatzemeyer, 78, of Bancroft, NE passed away on Wednesday, January 20, 2021 at MercyOne Medical Center in Sioux City, IA after a short fight with Lymphoma. She ended her courageous fight surrounded by love from family and friends. A visitation will be held on Sunday, January 24, 2021 from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at the Munderloh – Smith Funeral Home in Bancroft, NE. A memorial service will be held on Monday at 2:00 p.m. at the Munderloh – Smith Funeral Home in Bancroft; Pastor Charity Potter will be officiating. Burial will follow at the Bancroft Cemetery. Memorials may be directed to the family for future designation. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, all state guidelines will be in effect and we ask for everyone in attendance to wear a mask. Erma grew up on a farm near Lyons, NE, with her mom, Dorothy, dad Lawrence, three brothers, Tony, Fred, Jerry and her sister, Mary Sue. She attended Paine District 37 grade school and graduated from Lyons High School in 1960. She met and married Patrick Gatzemeyer of Bancroft, NE, where they lived and farmed until retiring to town in 2008. Erma and Pat had four boys: Kent Karl, Kurt Lee, Patrick Wayne and Brent Alan. Much of Erma’s young life revolved around taking the boys to and from tractor pulls, sports activities, and cooking all sorts of meals to take to Pat and the boys in the field. Erma’s greatest joy in life was being a mom, grandma and great-grandma and making sure everyone always got their favorite food! She was an avid Nebraska Husker and B-R/BRLD fan. She was an active member of the Bancroft Presbyterian Church. She held multiple positions in the Lyons/Bancroft community for a number of years before retiring as a cook at the Bancroft-Rosalie Community School. After retirement she enjoyed being an assistant librarian at Bancroft Public Library and delivering meals-on-wheels through the Bancroft Senior Center, where she also taught Tai Chi. In recent years, Erma loved putting together family picnics, traveling with family and exploring casinos everywhere she went! Erma is survived by her sons, Kent (Julie) Gatzemeyer of Des Moines, IA, Kurt (Leslie) Gatzemeyer of Bancroft, NE, Patrick (Colleen) Gatzemeyer of Lincoln, NE, Brent (Tiffany) Gatzemeyer of Randolph, NE; grandchildren, Anne, Melanie, Kristen (Cody), Jace (Courtney), Jenae, Brenden, Nathan, Morgan, Aniston and Cade; great grandchildren, Lauryn, Natasha, Aiden, Farrah, Hadley and Harlyn. Erma was preceded in death by her husband of 51 years, Pat Gatzemeyer; parents, Lawrence and Dorothy Holmberg; siblings, Sonny and Charlotte Holmberg; brother, Fred Holmberg, brothers-in-law’s, Loren, Jim and Dennis Gatzemeyer and Kent Bunderson; and sister-in-law’s, Deloise Pearson, Fran Gatzemeyer and Beth Gatzemeyer.