Marie Wilhelmina Rieker was born July 7, 1904 at Eustis, Nebraska to Christoph and Caroline (Haegele) Koch. She was baptized in infancy at St. John's Lutheran Church in Eustis. She moved to Texas with her family in 1909 and was confirmed into the Lutheran faith at Vincent, Texas. The family returned to Nebraska in 1918.

Marie attended sewing school and worked in private homes in Lincoln prior to her marriage to Herman Rieker on March 14, 1929 at St. John's Lutheran parsonage at Eustis. The couple moved to the Farnam community in 1933. She has been a patient at Gothenburg Memorial Hospital Long Term Care since September 1986 where she passed away on June 25, 1990. She remained a member of St. John Lutheran Church throughout her lifetime.

Survivors include her husband, Herman of Farnam; one daughter, Laura and her husband Lester Gaibler of Farnam; one son, Wayne and his wife, Joanne of Grand Island; Two grandchildren, Floyd Gaibler and his wife, Salome of Alexandria, Va., Gwen and her husband, Rick Kotschwar of Farnam; one step-grandson, Jeff Townsend and his wife, Cayle of Westminster, Colorado; two great-grandchildren, Gretchin and Derek Kotschwar; one step-great-granddaughter, Nellie Townsend; one brother, Gottlob Koch and his wife, Opal of Cozad; one sister-in-law, Mattie Koch of Rockford, Illinois, and nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Otto Koch.

Services were Wednesday, June 27, 1990, at 2:00 p.m. at the St. John's Lutheran Church in Eustis, with the Rev. Harold Gronstal officiating. Interment was in the St. John's Lutheran Cemetery.

Arrangements by McVay Memorial Chapel.

OUR MOTHER'S HANDS

What marvelous wonderful things
Our mother's hands could do
It seemed they held a special touch
To change the old to new.

They could take a hand-me-down
And give it second life
Or fix a binder canvas
Part of being a farmer's wife.

Especially in the kitchen
They cooked and baked each day
What very special foods
Would always come our way.

The home-made bread on Saturday
Was always a special treat
It was a necessary thing
To make the week complete.

Her hands could coax a chick to eat
Or make the flowers grow
They always were her special joy
She dearly loved them so.

Whenever someone was sick or hurt
Those hands could do so much
To make the hurting go away
So much comfort in their touch.

As time slowed down the things
That she was able to do
In her mind her hands were busy
Doing for me and you.

Her earthly journey has ended
No more on this earth does she trod
But today we know our mother's hands
Are in the hands of God.