Evon Groothuis, 80 years of age from Axtell, NE passed away on Tuesday, January 24, 2017 at St. Luke's in Kearney. Funeral services will be on Saturday, 28, 2017 at 10:30 a.m. at the St. Paul Lutheran Church in Minden with Reverend Christopher Hazzard officiating. Burial will be in the Hildreth Cemetery. Visitation will be at the Layton-Craig Funeral Home in Minden on Friday from 4-6 p.m.

Evon was born on February 18, 1936 on a farm five and a half miles south of Hildreth in Franklin, County, Nebraska to John and Tena (Westerbuhr) Flesner. She was baptized at home on the day of her birth by Pastor R. P. Schulz and confirmed May 28, 1950 at the St. Paul's American Lutheran Church in Hildreth by Pastor A. G. Trost. Evon stared school, 1st and 2nd grades in Kearney County, Country School District 33, then 3rd until 5th grade at Hildreth Public School. The family moved to a farm south of Hildreth-Wilcox where she attended the remainder of 5th grade through 8th grade at District 52, Moline Country School. Evon graduated from Wilcox High School in 1953.

After graduation, that fall she worked in homes for the aged with the Good Samaritan Society. She worked at St. Luke's Home in Kearney, Good Samaritan Home in St. Francis, Kansas and spent the remainder of this career at Good Samaritan Home in Phillipsburg, Kansas. Evon always had a desire to work in an orphanage and spent a short time working at Child Savings Institute in Omaha. She then attended the Lincoln School of Commerce and graduated in 1958. Then she worked as a secretary for Spitsnogle Auctioneer and Realtor Company.

On September 11, 1960 she married Erwin Groothuis in Hildreth, NE and to this union was born four children, Joel Steven, Leta Susan, Sharon Virginia and Myrna Lynn. Evon and Ervin made their home in Holdrege and were members of the Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church. The family moved to Axtell in 1970 and their membership was transferred to the St. Paul Lutheran Church in Minden. Memorials are suggested to the Axtell Rescue Squad or St. Paul Lutheran Church.

The family babysat over 30 children in their home over the years. Family was very important to Evon and Ervin; they cherished the time spent with their children, grandchildren and the babysitting children. She enjoyed genealogy, reading, antiques and letter writing.

Survivors include her son Joel (Tracy) Groothuis of Wilcox; daughters, Leta (Scott) Wiebold of North Bend, Sharon (Tony) Krueger of Blue Hill and Myrna (Colin) Emmons of Lincoln; ten grandchildren, Blake, Blaine, Jeremiah, Mariah, Adam, Katrina, Caitlyn, Bethany, Taylor and Jaycie; brother, Roger Flesner of Lincoln, nieces and nephews, sisters in-law, brothers in-law and other close relatives. She is preceded in death by her husband, Erwin, brother, Merle and her parents.