Jessie Morse

Memorial Services for Ira "Jessie" Morse will be held on Friday, July 9, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. at the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Holdrege, Nebraska with Pastor Rodney Beiber of Chadron, Nebraska, officiating. Inurnment will be held at Industry Cemetery in Phelps County, Nebraska.

Ira "Jessie" Morse, 85 years of age, of Holdrege, passed away on Thursday, June 24, 2010 at Holdrege Memorial Homes. She was born March 22, 1925 at Neaodesha, Kansas, the youngest of four daughters born to Milford and Maude K. (Thomas) Cowan. Jessie grew up in Neodesha, but graduated from Enterprise Academy at Enterprise, Kansas in 1944. She attended Union College in Lincoln and nursing school in Colorado.

On February 25, 1948, she was united in marriage to Byron "Lowell" Morse and to this union three children were born: Vernette, Erroll and Myrna. The family made their home on a farm west of Wilcox, Nebraska, where they engaged in farming until Lowell's retirement in 2002. Lowell and Jessie then moved into Holdrege. Lowell passed away on May 2, 2007.

Along with helping with the farm work, Jessie worked at Artistic Woven Labels for fifteen years and at Arnold's Upholstery for nine years. She also helped her sister-in-law, Lucille Richardson with Richardson's Specialty Foods.

She enjoyed sewing, crocheting, baking and playing the piano, organ and violin.

Besides her parents and her husband, Lowell, she was preceded in death by her three sisters and their husbands: Otelia Morris and her husband, Walter, Lois Barker and her husband, Claude, Aletta Beard and her husband, Paul; three brothers-in-law and two sisters-in-law: Roy and Irene Morse, Glenn and Florence Morse and Charles Richardson; and four nephews and two nieces.

She leaves to mourn her passing her three children: Vernette Houtchens and her husband, Larry of Cheyenne, Wyoming, Erroll Morse of Holdrege, Myrna Birth and her husband, Randy of Holdrege; three grandchildren: Tami Martindale and her husband, Keith of Cheyenne, Wyoming, Laura Fiedler and her husband, Michael of Lincoln, Nebraska, Randy Birth, Jr. and his wife, Marisol of Lincoln; three great-grandchildren; sister-in-law, Lucille Richardson of Holdrege; and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

There will be no visitation; the family is honoring her wish for cremation.

A memorial has been established in her memory and will be designated at a later date.

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.