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(Please note: Our office relies on families, congregations, and schools to provide obituary information. If you do not see an obituary here that you believe should be shared with the district, please contact communications@ndlcms.org to notify us.)
Below are obituaries from the past 6 months.
The Reverend Roland A. Jank, Sr., pastor emeritus, Omaha, Nebraska, departed this life on Wednesday, January 27, 2021, at the age of 100. He was born in the parsonage at Canby, Minnesota, on July 14, 1920, to The Reverend Paul and Helen Jank. A third-generation pastor, he left home at age 14 to begin his pre-theological training at Concordia High School and Junior College in St. Paul, Minnesota. He received his theological training at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, during WWII, graduating in 1945. He served his vicarage at Trinity Lutheran, Navasota, Texas.
Pastor Jank was ordained and installed in July, 1945, at Immanuel Lutheran in rural Amherst, Nebraska. He served Immanuel and, later, Grace Lutheran in Sumner for 11 years. For several of those years, he taught parochial school in a one-room school-house. He served for 15 years at Peace, Hastings, Nebraska; and seven years at Trinity, Guttenberg, Iowa, and St. Paul, McGregor, Iowa. From 1978-1994, he served at Immanuel, Columbus, Nebraska, as Assistant Pastor. From 1994-2004, his role changed to Visitation Pastor for his remaining years in Columbus. During those ten years, he officiated at 300 funerals. After retiring and moving to Immanuel Village in Omaha in 2004, he continued to serve the church making hospital calls on Mt. Olive parishioners at Immanuel Hospital for many years. He was faithful in the worship life and Bible study opportunities at Mt. Olive where his son, Roland, served as pastor and considered it a great joy to have his son as his pastor.
Pastor Jank served the church at large in the Southern Nebraska District of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod as: member of the Town-Country Committee; editor of the District Supplement of the Lutheran Witness (1956-1966); District Public Relations Chairman (1958-1970); on the Circuit level he served as Walther League Christian Growth Chairman and Pastoral Counselor, LWML Pastoral Counselor, and Hastings Circuit Counselor. In the Nebraska District of the LCMS, Pastor Jank was Secretary of the District Centennial Steering Committee; Secretary of the District Constitution and Handbook Committee; Secretary of the Nebraska District; and member of the Nebraska District Board of Directors (1982-1985). In the Iowa District East of the LCMS, he was LWML Circuit Pastoral Counselor and Dubuque Circuit Counselor. He was honored by the Nebraska District in 2015 for having the longest tenure in the District – 70 years.
During his years in Amherst, he met and married his wife, Norma Buehler, on August 4, 1946. They were blessed with three sons: Roland, Jr., Michael, and Joel. Roland and Norma were married 51 years before her death in 1997. After Roland’s move to Immanuel Village, he served as a volunteer proof reader and librarian for the Village. He enjoyed playing ping pong and bean bags and often held the title of Bean Bag Champion. He regularly met with other Village residents for a night of joke telling.
Pastor Jank will be remembered by many for his incredible memory for names, his quick smile, and always for the jokes he had ready to tell. He supported his three sons in their musical and ministry pursuits throughout their lives and his grandchildren with monetary contributions to their college educations. He often said his first and last congregations were named Immanuel and his last home was Immanuel Village which means “God with us”. He lived his life knowing God was with him always as a saved child of God and often witnessed to his family, friends, and complete strangers about how much God loved them.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Norma; sisters, Lois Kroenke and Paula Jank; and brother-in-law, Robert Kroenke.
He is survived by his three sons: The Rev. Roland (Suzan) Jank, Omaha; Michael (Jill) Jank, Lincoln; Joel (Ellen) Jank, Hastings; eight grandchildren: Nathan (Jamie) Jank; Rachel (Jeff) Misiolek; Sarah (Josh) Callahan; Ryan Jank; Aaron (Kathleen) Jank all of Omaha; Jeremy Jank of Lincoln; Julie (Ramez) Habash of Hastings; Jonathan (Rachel) Jank of Seward; 12 great-grandchildren: Adela, Klara, and Lillia Jank; Evelyn, Eleanor, and Everett Misiolek; Stella Callahan; Zade, Leena, Jad, and Layla Habash; Phillip and Theo Jank; brother, Rev. Orville (Arlene) Jank; sister, Mary Dawson, of Wausau, Wisconsin; four nieces and nephews; and many friends in his former congregations and communities.
Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, February 2, 2021, at Mount Olive Lutheran Church, Omaha, Nebraska. Visitation will precede the service at 9:30 a.m. Burial will be in the Kearney Cemetery in Kearney, Nebraska, at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday as well. Memorials can be directed to Lutheran Hour Ministries, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, or Mount Olive Lutheran Church, Omaha.
Condolences may be sent to Rev. Roland Jank, Jr., 3319 North 130th Circle, Omaha, Nebraska 68164-4224.
Mrs. Debra “Deb” Alice (McLeod) Landsmann, wife of the Reverend Lon Landsmann, Juniata, Nebraska, departed this life on Tuesday, January 19, 2021, at the age of 66 due to complications of cancer. She was born on July 1, 1954, to Robert and Mildred (Mowen) McLeod in Chicago, Illinois. She grew up in Illinois and graduated from Westview High School in 1972. She worked at Montgomery Ward where she met Lon. They married on May 21, 1976, at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Kankakee, Illinois. They had lived various places in the Midwest where Lon served LCMS churches in Kansas, Illinois, and Ohio. She adapted and worked jobs in offices, hospitals, and schools. They moved to Nebraska in 2010 and settled in the Juniata area in 2014 where Pastor Landsmann is currently serving at Zion Lutheran Church, Juniata, and St. Paul Lutheran Church, Holstein, Nebraska. She worked as a para-educator at the Zion Classical Academy in Hastings. She found her calling dedicating her time and energy to helping students and staff in whatever capacity they needed.
Deb was a member of the Zion Wanda Lutheran Church, the Zionetz, the Dorcas Society at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Holstein, and served the Hastings Zone of the LWML. She enjoyed flower gardening, traveling, camping, walking, and attending grandchildren’s activities.
Deb is survived by her husband, Rev. Lon Landsmann, Juniata; one son, Robert (Rosie) Landsmann, Hebron, Nebraska; two grandchildren, Andrew and Audrey; brother, Robert (Shirley) McLeod, Colorado Springs, Colorado; and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and sister, Rita (Hal) Schoof.
The service was held at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, January 25, 2021, at Zion Wanda Lutheran Church, rural Juniata, Nebraska. Interment was in the St. Paul’s Lutheran Cemetery, Ellsworth, Kansas. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to Zion Classical Academy, Hastings, Nebraska.
Condolences may be sent to the family from www.apfelfuneralhome.com or mailed to Rev. Lon Landsmann, 4080 S. Wanda Avenue, Juniata, Nebraska 68955.
Ellen Edith (Bergt) Glanzer, Commissioned Minister—Teacher Emeritus, departed this life on January 15, 2021, in Norfolk, Nebraska. She was born on May 21, 1933 in rural Schuyler, Nebraska to Erich J. and Gertrude (DeBower) Bergt. She was baptized and confirmed at Immanuel Lutheran Church, and educated at Immanuel Lutheran School, which had been founded in 1890 by her ancestors who homesteaded in the area. She continued her education at Schuyler High School, and Concordia Teachers College in Seward, Nebraska, where she received teacher training, completing her studies in 1953. In 1974, she finally completed her Bachelor of Science degree from Concordia, in order to teach at Christ Lutheran School in Norfolk. Throughout her career she served as teacher at Trinity, Arapahoe; Trinity, Fremont; and Christ, Norfolk. She retired in 1998.
Mrs. Glanzer is survived by her three children: Joan (Bachrun) LoMele, Pinehurst, California; Janet (Jon) Wiechelman, Hartington, Nebraska; and John (Anita) Glanzer of Oviedo, Florida; and one grandson, Aaron Wiechelman of Hartington, Nebraska. She is survived by one brother, Paul Bergt, of Omaha, Nebraska and one brother-in-law, Robert (Wanda) Glanzer of Kearney, Nebraska. She is also survived by many nieces, nephews, and cousins. She was preceded in death by her husband, Harlan, on September 19, 2012; father and mother; special aunt Edith DeBower; sister, Ruth Brauer and her husband, Milford; brother, Ervin Bergt and his wife, Pearl; sister-in-law, Helen Bergt; brother-in-law, Ronald and his wife, Ruth Glanzer; and sister-in-law, Marilyn Glanzer.
Private family services for Ellen were held on January 20, 2021 at Christ Lutheran Church in Norfolk. A public memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 26, 2021 at the church. Burial was in Prospect Hill Cemetery in Norfolk. Memorials may be directed to Christ Lutheran School, Orphan Grain Train, or Concordia University in Seward. Arrangements are under the direction of Home for Funerals.
Lucille M. Winterstein, Commissioned Minister—Teacher Emeritus, departed this life on September 20, 2020. She was born on October 2, 1930, in Bay City, Michigan, to Emil and Helen Walter Bieberich. She graduated from Michigan Lutheran Seminary High School in Saginaw in 1948, attended Dr. Martin Luther College in Minnesota, and received a Bachelor’s from Concordia, River Forest in 1963. Lucille and William W. Winterstein were married on July 22, 1951.
Lucille was a teacher in small Lutheran schools for 40 years, spending ten of those years at Trinity in Blue Hill, NE. She retired in 1995. After retirement they made their home in Beatrice, NE and were members of First Trinity Lutheran Church. Lucille was active with LWML and the quilt group for many years.
Mrs. Winterstein is survived by her daughters, Bonnie (Brady) Yoder of Omaha, and Beth (Jim) Lohse of Beatrice; 7 grandchildren; and 10 great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, William, her husband of 67 years, and her sister.
The funeral service was held September 24, 2020 at First Trinity Lutheran Church, Rural Beatrice, NE. Interment was at the Evergreen Home Cemetery.
