Faithe Marie Achterberg

Memorial Services for Faithe M. Achterberg will be conducted from the Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church in Holdrege, Nebraska on Sunday, October 14, 2007 at 2:00 p.m. with Reverend Kenton Birtell, officiating. Private family burial services will be following the memorial service at the Ft. McPherson National Cemetery at Maxwell, Nebraska.

Faithe Marie Achterberg was born on April 30, 1918 at Agra, Kansas, east of Phillipsburg, to Clayton and Marie (Case) Adee, and passed away October 11, 2007 at the age of 89 years. She attended Sunday School in Phillipsburg and Prairie View, Kansas, and was baptized into the Christian faith. Faithe grew up in the northeast Nebraska towns of Homer and Allen, where her father was superintendent of schools, and was graduated from Allen High School in 1935. She attended Nebraska State Teachers College at Wayne for two years to obtain a teaching certificate.

After teaching briefly in Belden, Nebraska, and Mapleton, Iowa, Faithe enrolled at Nebraska State Teachers College at Kearney, from which she was graduated with a 4-year degree in 1941. For the next two years she taught second grade at Roosevelt School in Holdrege, Nebraska. On May 22, 1943 she was married to T/Sgt. Albert W. Achterberg in Holdrege, and, as an Army Air Corps wife, lived in Wichita Falls, Texas, and Ogden, Utah, for the following two and one-half years. January, 1946 marked the beginning of a 55 year residency in Holdrege for the Achterbergs.

For a number of years Faithe devoted her time to family, with the birth of Nancy, in 1946, Robert, in 1948, and Linda, in 1954. With all of the Achterberg children in school, Faithe did additional study at Kearney State College in 1959 and 1960 and resumed teaching in 1960 at Franklin School in Holdrege. Over the next 20 years she completed 45 hours of work beyond her Bachelor of Science in Education degree so that she could more completely meet the needs of her students. She served four years as a 3rd and 4th grade teacher in Funk. She then taught first grade two years in Wilcox, and in 1966 came to Washington School in Holdrege as a 3rd grade teacher, where she served until her retirement in 1984. Following her retirement she returned to assist with tutoring students and to be a substitute teacher.

The Achterbergs joined Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church in Holdrege in 1946. Faithe served for many years as an organist, choir director, choir accompanist, Sunday School teacher, and a member of the altar guild and Martha Society. She took on the responsibility for making personalized banners for each newly-baptized member of the congregation.

Faithe was a member and officer of the Extension Club and enjoyed reading, playing the piano, bird-watching, walking, sewing, listening to music, and family activities. She was a Rotary-Ann and Paul Harris Fellow, and enjoyed traveling with Al to attend local, regional, and international Rotary gatherings. Some of their favorite activities were traveling to visit family and friends, visiting historic sites, and to observe and photograph sandhills cranes and whooping cranes along the Platte River.

Since the death of her husband in January of 2000, Faithe spent most of her time in Carrollton, Texas, with her daughter, Nancy and son-in-law, Larry, and for the past five years has resided in assisted living nearby in Lewisville, Texas.

She leaves to mourn her passing, daughter, Nancy Hoffschneider and her husband, Larry of Roanoke, Texas; son, Dr. Robert Achterberg, and his wife, Kathleen of Austin, Texas; daughter, Linda Achterberg Hoover and her husband, Rik of Yuma, Arizona, and Holdrege; four grandchildren: Steve Hoffschneider of Casselberry, Florida; Malinda Walz and her husband, Tim of Bedford, Texas; Krista Achterberg of Sidney, Nebraska; Mark Achterberg of Ft. Dodge, Iowa; four great-grandchildren: Nathan Walz, twins Joshua and Caleb Walz, and Caden Achterberg; and her sister, Dr. Hope Robinson of Tempe, Arizona. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Albert, infant son, Richard and infant daughter, Janet.

There will be no visitation, the casket will be closed.

A memorial has been established in her memory and suggested to the Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church-Organ Fund.

Expressions of caring and kindness can be sent to the family at www.nelsonbauerfh.com

The Nelson-Bauer Funeral Home in Holdrege is in charge of the arrangements.