Grand Island: Elizabeth Mary Heuermann, a registered nurse, librarian, and family tree researcher, died on December 18, 2020, aged 96, at CHI-St. Francis Medical Center. She was known for her talents and diverse interests.
A memorial service is scheduled for December 21 at Higby-McQuiston Mortuary. It will begin at half past 10, with Mr. Creak performing this task. After that, the deceased will be interred in Phillips Cemetery. The family will be present for visitors and other interested parties from 10 am on Saturday. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Beth’s Nursing Scholarship at Hamilton Community Foundation.
The fourth child of Bernard Benjamin and Maggie Hartnell Heuermann, Elizabeth, or Beth, was born on December 8, 1928, on their farm in Phillips. Educated in Phillips, she completed her high school in 1946 and trained as a nurse at Bryan Hospital from 1946 to 1950. She then trained at Thomas Jefferson University for two years and graduated at 57. She also graduated with several other degrees in history, library science, and genealogy.
Beth’s professional biography enjoyed more than one achievement. As a research librarian, she assisted Schick Sunn Classic Films in projects like the television series Grizzly Adams and the editing of the film The Lincoln Conspiracy. Later, she worked in the Medicaid program administered by the Utah State Department of Health, where she focused on hospital admission review, quality control, and fraud investigation up to her retirement in 1994.
Having been an avid researcher of family trees, Beth must have spent considerable time searching for the Masters/Heuermann family tree. Together with sister Dorothy, she went on research expeditions to England and Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio in search of more information about their family history.
After retirement, she went back to Nebraska and ultimately opted for Primrose Retirement Community in Grand Island. Though her health failed her in her later years, the family’s love and support were comforting and sustaining, and this enabled her to celebrate her 96th birthday in the company of nieces, nephews, and well-wishers from virtually every part of the country.
In her family, she’s survived by brother Keith Heuermann (Norma) from Grand Island; sister Alma Rohlfing (Norman) from Talmage; and nieces and nephews and their extended families. She has a very affectionate look at her cousin Jenny Ridd Marsden from the United Kingdom. Beth was preceded in death by her parents and her siblings Dorothy Nelson, Martha Knobel, and Gene Heuermann.
Beth’s legacy continues in her work in the healthcare field, her contributions to the preservation of family history, and the many lives she enriched with her love and gentle wisdom.
Rest in peace, Beth—a life well-lived, a legacy well-earned.
