Irwina Bader

Irwina M. Bader, 99, of Palmer, Nebraska died Friday, February 21, 2014 at Brookefield Park in St. Paul.

Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m., Monday, at St. John's Lutheran Church in Palmer. The Reverend Thomas Clark will officiate.

Burial will be held in Rose Hill Cemetery in Palmer. Visitation will be held from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m., Sunday at the church.

Memorials are suggested to St. John's Lutheran Church.

Greenway Funeral Home in Palmer is in charge of the arrangements.

Mrs. Bader was born December 20, 1914 in Marquette, NE to Ralph and Gladys (Stalnaker) Herbig.

She grew up on a farm north of Cushing and moved to St. Paul when she was in the fifth grade. She attended and graduated from St. Paul High School in 1933.

Irwina was baptized at age 19 and confirmed at Zion Lutheran Church in Worms.

Irwina began teaching school in 1934.

She was united in marriage to George Bader on December 24, 1939 at Zion Lutheran Church in Worms.

The couple lived on a farm by Palmer where they raised two boys, Gary and Dean.

Irwina's teaching career spanned 50 years in Gage Valley, District 42 south of Worms, in Howard County from 1960-1967, and she taught 4th grade in Palmer from 1967-1979 at which time she retired.

She received her Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Kearney State College in January of 1970.

She traveled with George to every state except Hawaii. After her retirement, they traveled to Arizona for the winters and went to Mexico three times. She especially enjoyed and shared a 40 day trip with a motor home caravan to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. They also traveled to Canada, Nigeria, Africa and to Europe.

The couple moved from the farm to Matelyn Retirement Community in St. Paul in 2004. Her husband George died on November 9, 2004.

She enjoyed spending time with her family, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, and playing couples cards. She loved to grow a large vegetable garden, grow beautiful flowers, her favorite being gladiolas, fishing, bird watching, wood carving, crocheting and reading.

Irwina was a member of St. John's Lutheran Church in Palmer and the Gage Valley Extension Club.

Survivors include two sons and a daughter-in-law, Gary and Connie Bader of Palmer and Dean Bader of Placerville, CA; four grandchildren; seventeen great-grandchildren; two great great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

She is preceded in death by her parents; husband, George; and a brother Tracy Herbig.

Irwina's family would like to thank everyone at Matelyn Retirement Community, Brookefield Park and Ascera Care for their kindness and caring.

---