Lily A. (Sunblade) Berlie

Funeral services for Lily A. (Sunblade) Berlie will be held on Tuesday, April 11, 2017, at 10:30 a.m. at the First United Methodist Church in Holdrege, Nebraska, with Rev. Nora Mendyk officiating.  Interment will be held following the services at 2:00 p.m. in the Juniata Cemetery at Juniata, Nebraska.

Lily Ann (Sunblade) Berlie, 81 years of age, of Holdrege, passed away on Thursday, April 6, 2017 at her home in Holdrege.  Lily was born February 9, 1936 on a farm near Axtell, Nebraska, the daughter of Jens and Bertha (Quadhamer) Hansen. She grew up on farms near Hildreth, Nebraska, and graduated from Hildreth High School with the class of 1954. She was confirmed member of the Saint Peters Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hildreth. She later joined the Loomis United Methodist Church, where she was an active member.

She made her home in Loomis for many years, where she did babysitting and later was employed by Phelps Memorial Hospital in Holdrege for fifteen years.

On September 29, 1996, she married Rev. Robert E. Berlie, Sr. and moved to Osceola, Nebraska. Being a pastor's wife, the couple made their home in several communities where they were called to Benkelman, Cozad, Falls City, Oxford and Mira Valley, Nebraska. In June of 2011, they retired and made their home in Lincoln, Nebraska, before moving to Holdrege in April 2012. She was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Holdrege.

Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by: daughter-in-law, Deb Sunblade; three brothers: Ingward Hansen, Marvin Hansen and Raymond Hansen; and one sister, Dorothy Johnson.

Lily is survived by her husband, Robert E. Berlie, Sr. of Holdrege; five sons: Steve Sunblade of Chicago, Illinois, Mike Sunblade and his wife, Caron of Holdrege, Stan Sunblade and his wife, Keren of Greenwood, Nebraska, Mitch Sunblade and his wife, Barb of Lincoln, Lenny Sunblade and his wife, Tami Sue of Orleans, Nebraska; one daughter, Michele Crom and her husband, Tony of Lincoln; three step-children: Erin Berlie and his wife, Christina of Overland Park, Kansas, Wade Berlie of Hastings, Nebraska and Rae Berlie of Osceola; a host of grandchildren and great-grandchildren; nine sisters: Viola Spors, Carol Abramson, Minnie Hendrickson, Leona Jackobson, Gladys Johnson, Edna Anderson, Mary Jane Jensen, Elizabeth Johnson and Rose Gilespie; three brothers: Henry Hansen, Stanley Hansen and Harold Hansen; two sisters-in-law:  Audrey Berlie of Lincoln and Pauline Loomis and her husband, Verne of Kimberling City, Missouri; and numerous other relatives and friends.

Visitation will be held on Monday, April 10, 2017 from 4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. with the family greeting from 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at the Nelson-Bauer Funeral Home in Holdrege.

A memorial has been established in Lily's honor and kindly suggested to ruralMED Home Care Resources or the First United Methodist Church of Holdrege.

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.