Eleanor Joan "Jean" Erthum, 93

Saronville, NE resident Eleanor Joan “Jean” Erthum, 93, passed away Thursday, September 18, 2025, at Bryan Medical Center East Campus in Lincoln, NE. A Rosary will be prayed at 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, September 23, 2025, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Sutton, NE. Mass of Christian Burial will be conducted at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, at the church with Father Kenneth Hoesing officiating. Interment will follow at the Calvary Cemetery in Sutton, NE. Visitation will be one hour prior to the Rosary at the church. Memorial contributions may be directed to the family to be designated later. Eleanor J. "Jean" Erthum was born October 31, 1931, on the family farm SW of Geneva, NE, to Al and Fay (Nance) Erthum. She attended country school in Districts 81 and 47 and graduated from Fillmore High School in 1948. She then married and seven children were born to this union: Katherine, Steven, Laura, Michael, Gary, Carol and Sheryl. They moved to the farm west of Sutton, NE, in 1952. Her life was spent as a mother, farmwife, farmer and doing various other jobs over the years. Jean loved gardening, sewing, artistic crafting and especially spending time with family. She enjoyed cooking for family and hosting family celebrations and holidays, or anytime! Her egg salad sandwiches were always a hit at church events! Jean will be remembered for her kindness, creativity, gardening talents and love for God and family. She always saw the good in others. She was a long-time member of St. Mary's Altar Society and a part of The Living Rosary these last few years, responsible for the 2nd Joyful Mystery. She was always on the go and a hard worker; she would say, "I have to keep moving or I won’t be able to." With her birthday on Oct. 31st, she enjoyed dressing up in costume and entertaining her family and guests with stories, jokes and treats. She was a proficient storyteller and joke-teller and loved making people laugh! She especially enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, making them special gifts for special occasions or "just because." She enjoyed playing cards with friends and visiting her cousins. She is survived by son, Steve (Joan) Krause of Ogallala, NE; daughters, Laura McNabb of Lakeland, FL; and Sheryl (Paul) Drudik of Saronville, NE; 14 grandchildren; 35 great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; daughters, Kathy Sneed and Carol Krause; sons, Mike and Gary Krause; grandson, Tom Krause; sisters, Dorothy Gruenemeier; Carol Bagby and Shirley Beaver; and brothers-in-law, Vic Gruenemeier and Jim Beaver.

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Eleanor Joan "Jean" Erthum, 93

October 31, 1931 - September 18, 2025