Veronica "Bonnie" L. Fuerst Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Memorial services for Veronica “Bonnie" L. Fuerst will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, August 1, 2022 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Hildreth with Rev. Caroline Keenan officiating. The service will be live-streamed to the church’s Facebook and YouTube pages. Inurnment will be held following the service at the Hildreth Cemetery. There will be no visitation. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to Trinity Lutheran Church in Hildreth or to the Mid-Nebraska Community Action Partnership. Arrangements are under the care of Craig Funeral Home in Minden. Veronica "Bonnie" Lee Fuerst - a retired nurse practitioner, former church choir director, ardent mother of four ornery boys, adoring grandma to seven grandchildren, and loving wife of nearly 55 years to Dick Fuerst of Hildreth, NE, - died the morning of Sunday, July 24th at Kearney Regional Medical Center. Veronica Lee was born in Madison, WI on May 8, 1945; she was adopted into a Norwegian Lutheran home by Albert and Lillian Knudtson on December 4, 1945. On December 16, 1945, Veronica Lee was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church of Madison, WI. This congregation would prove highly influential on Veronica's life of faith, her strong desire to serve her neighbor, and her love of music. Veronica's nickname, "Bonnie" originated with her older brother, Don Knudtson who would call her "Bon-Bon." Bonnie attended Madison East High School where she soon became known for her perfect pitch and strong leadership in both high school orchestra and choir. Upon her graduation from "East" in 1963, her parents told Bonnie they could support one year of education at a Lutheran college of her choice; Bonnie thus attended Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, WA for one year. While it was difficult for her to leave PLU after just a year, Bonnie cherished the experience of singing soprano in PLU's premier choir. She returned to Madison to continue her college education at the University of Wisconsin whilst living with her parents. It was at UW that she discerned the call to become a registered nurse. Throughout her studies at UW, Bonnie was a loyal and dependable choir member at her home congregation of Trinity Lutheran. In the winter of 1965, her choir director, Arlyn Fuerst, asked Bonnie if she might consider going out on a date with his brother, Dick - a farmer from Nebraska - who was in town for a visit. Bonnie was neither keen on blind dating or farming, but acquiesced. Little did she know that this blind date would also include the presence of Dick's parents, siblings and their spouses. While Dick's booming voice and lanky stature were impressive - both to Bonnie and her parents - she wasn't all that interested in a second date. Dick, however, was. He called her up upon his return to Nebraska. Bonnie’s mom, Lillian, answered the phone, and - with a house full of guests at the time, announced, "Bonnie, It's that rancher from Nebraska!" Thus, amidst the pressure and discomfort of having an audience, Bonnie agreed to that second date. Bonnie and Dick were married on September 9th, 1967. Bonnie's move to the flat, checkerboard landscape of south central Nebraska was not easy. St. Paul's Lutheran Church of Hildreth, NE had no choir and also, she repeatedly got lost on solo drives into town and back home. Both the urging of her mom to "bloom where you’ve been planted," and Bonnie’s love for her farmer husband helped her round the corner. Dick and Bonnie raised four boys on the family farm just 4 miles southwest of Hildreth. Bonnie began a children’s and adult choir program at St. Paul's Lutheran, and even directed a few children's musicals. With a goodly amount of zeal and high expectations, Bonnie encouraged her four boys to develop and share the gifts God entrusted to them. Church attendance and participation were compulsory. Doing laundry and cooking was NOT gender-specific. And treating all people with love and respect was paramount. Once Bonnie could see these lessons were taking root, she returned to nursing - first with Phelps County Hospital in Holdrege, NE and then with Good Samaritan Hospital as a home health/hospice nurse. In 1992, Bonnie was accepted into the University of Nebraska Medical Center's Masters in Nursing program. Upon her completion of that degree, she became a nurse practitioner with Franklin County Hospital. Bonnie's sincere care for and tender way with her patients established her as a trusted and widely sought out medical professional in south central Nebraska. Bonnie's passion for providing quality rural health care led to serving on the board of directors for the Community Action Partnership of Mid-Nebraska in 1990, a non-profit organization serving 139 communities located within 27 counties of South Central Nebraska. In 1994 Bonnie was elected as this organization’s first female board president. Bonnie loved adventure and travel. From canoe trips down the Niobrara to camping and hiking trips in South Dakota and Colorado, to international travel to Italy and Germany - Bonnie led the charge and kept diaries of these travel experiences. She delighted in a bit of tom-foolery too, as evidenced by the establishment of a bottle band at Hildreth's Trinity Lutheran Church - an antic that, at one point, got picked up by ESPN Sports Center's Top 10. Bonnie retired from nursing in 2015. She continued to serve on the Community Action Partnership board until 2020; upon her retirement, the Community Action Partnership honored Bonnie with a 30 Year Outstanding Service Award. Bonnie's struggle with her health began towards the end of her vocation as a nurse practitioner. She survived cancer, endured neuropathy, was a kidney recipient (donated by her daughter-in-law, Casey), and for the past three years, experienced chronic back pain. In spite of all these struggles, Bonnie showed an amazing capacity to be kind, extend grace, and be joyful - with her community, her family, and most especially with her grandkids. One of Bonnie's most profound joys - during these past three years of pain and deteriorating health - has been connecting with the maternal side of her biological family. Following Bonnie's adoption, her biological parents, Roland and Kay, got married and had two daughters. Bonnie rejoiced in having the opportunity to connect with her two biological sisters, Jackie and Ronnie as well as extended family, who Bonnie lovingly dubbed, "my new Italian family." Bonnie is preceded in death by her son, Jeremy who died this past September while mountain climbing in Colorado. Also preceded in death are her adopted parents, Albert and Lillian, and her biological parents, Kay and Roland. She leaves behind her husband Dick ((Hildreth, NE) , her son David (Savage, MN) and daughter-in-law Casey, son Pr. Brad (Austin, TX) and daughter-in-law Pr. Taylor, daughter-in-law Pr. Shannyn Fuerst (Seattle, WA; Jeremy's spouse), her son Nathan (Storrs, CT) and daughter-in-law Shelby, and her seven grandchildren Ainsley, Barrett, Bailey, Charlotte, Holden, Hadley, and Harper, her brother, Don Knudtson (Madison, WI) and sister-in-law, Joyce, and her biological sisters, Ronnie Brady (Stony Brook, NY), and Jackie Sweet (Islip, NY).

Veronica "Bonnie" L. Fuerst

May 8, 1945 - July 24, 2022