Funeral Services For Edith Mary (Helmricks) Sawyer

Edith Mary (Helmricks) Sawyer passed away at the Nebraska Veterans Home in Grand Island on March 17, 2016.

Services will be Tuesday March 22, 2016 at 1:00 PM at the Nebraska Veterans Home Chapel – Grand Island.  There will be no visitation.  Memorials have been suggested to the Alzheimer’s Association of Nebraska.  Apfel Funeral Home is serving the family.  

Edith was born to Martin and Barbara (Zimmerman) Helmricks on April 14, 1930 near Orchard, Nebraska.  Edith was the oldest daughter of four girls.  She grew up on the family farm near Ewing and was very active on the farm helping her parents with the chores.  She graduated from high school in Ewing and very soon moved on to teaching in a one room rural school.


She soon met the love of her life Wayne W. Sawyer and they married on May 13, 1951.
Wayne was home on leave and shipped out to the Korean War a few days later.  After his return from Korea they moved to Camp Breckenridge, Kentucky.

After Wayne’s discharge from the Army they moved back to Orchard, Wayne’s home town and very shortly on to Norfolk where they lived for 14 years where Edith was a housewife and raised their five sons.  They moved to Grand Island in 1966 where she continued to raise her five sons and also became an Avon representative.

After Wayne’s retirement from Meyer’s Farm Equipment they began to travel the U.S. and Mexico and earlier traveled to Europe several times.

Edith is survived by her husband Wayne of 64 years, sons Randall of Kearney, Roger of LaVista, Rodney and wife Linda of Salt Lake City, Utah, Russell and wife Janet of Ewing and Ronald of Grand Island, along with 6 grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, sisters Lynette, Laura Louise and Catherine and daughter in law Janice.

Online condolences may be shared at www.apfelfuneralhome.com  

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