Lily Marie Ourada

Lily Marie (Henderson) Ourada, 88, of Kearney, Nebraska, passed away Monday, December 10, 2007, at St. Luke’s Good Samaritan Village in Kearney, Nebraska. She was born November 23, 1919, in rural Phelps County, Nebraska, to Fred and Mabel (Ecklund) Henderson. Lily grew up in Sumner, Nebraska where she attended high school and received her teaching certificate from Kearney State Teacher’s College. On June 1, 1940, she was united in marriage to George Richard Ourada at Elm Creek, Nebraska. The couple farmed and raised cattle near Overton for fifty years. Her husband passed away in 1992. Ralph Henderson, her only sibling, recently passed away in Kearney. She was a much loved, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother who had a deep respect and affection for the natural world expressed through tenderness for animals and children; a way with plants; and a deep appreciation for landscapes and mountains. She was a teacher by vocation and spirit, leading 4-Hers in Dawson County over a twenty-year period. An expert at extracting much from little, she raised her children and managed her household with remarkably small dollar outlays. It is temping for each of her offspring to view her life through the lens of their birth order. But, we also take pride in her life before us-in high school, she worked at the newspaper until an allergy to printer’s ink precluded it. She went off to college when it was a rare thing for young women of her background. She taught country school for two years-and it was there that she met her future husband, George, when he came to pick up his younger brothers and sister from school. We remember well her modeling good behavior and a strong sense of community. We admire her exemplary characteristics—stoicism, initiative, hard work, and high standards in work and life. She was gracious, reflective and appreciated a well-turned phrase-and she was, herself, an eloquent speaker. Some memorable phrases that come to mind: It takes just as much work to sew a garment from a flour sack as from wool. The teacher has not taught until the student has learned. Survivors include five children: Laurence (Mary) Ourada of Tulsa, Oklahoma Ronald (Connie) Ourada of Overton, Nebraska Catherine (Richard) Fishbach of Cleveland, Ohio Victoria Jacobson of St. Louis, Missouri Steven (Diane) Ourada of Lexington, Nebraska One cousin: Gene Ecklund of rural Holdrege, Nebraska Seventeen grandchildren and sixteen great-grandchildren. Lily was preceded in death by her parents; husband, George in 1992; and, brother, Ralph Henderson in 2007. Mass of Christian Burial will be Saturday, December 15, 2007, at 10:00 a.m. at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Overton, Nebraska with Reverend Jose Chavez, officiating. Burial will be in St. Ann’s Catholic Cemetery at Lexington. Rosary will be held Friday, December 14, 2007, at 7:00 p.m. at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Overton. Memorials are kindly suggested to the Overton Rescue Unit or Holy Rosary Altar Society. Reynolds-Love Funeral Home in Lexington is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be sent to reynoldslovefuneralhome.com.