Georgia Rittenhouse

Georgia Rittenhouse, 94, of Lewellen, passed away Saturday evening August 4, 2012 at the Garden County Nursing Home in Oshkosh.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, August 11, 2012 at the Community Wesleyan Church in Lewellen with Pastor Lynn Lutz officiating. Burial will follow in the Ash Creek Cemetery near Lewellen.

Visitation will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Friday at the funeral home.

Family and friends may sign the guest book and leave condolences online at www.holechekfuneralhomes.com.

A memorial has been established in Georgia’s name to the Community Wesleyan Church in Lewellen.

Holechek Funeral Home & Cremations in Oshkosh is serving the Rittenhouse family.

Georgiana Henrietta, also known as Georgia, Ettie, Grandma Ettie, and Grandma JoJo, was born at home March 14, 1918, to George Henry and Edith Mae (Drown) Jenewein.

Georgia went to District #50 Grade School north of Lewellen. She missed her first year of high school, so she attended a church school in Tabor, Iowa, her freshman and sophomore years, then returned to Oshkosh and finished high school with Normal Training. She graduated from Garden County High School in 1937. Georgia married Evan Virgil Rittenhouse July 14, 1937. To this union three children were born, Evan Leroy, Larry Ronald and Linda Kay. (Evan Leroy only lived 13 days) Georgia and Evan moved directly to Cheraw, Colorado, where Evan pastored a church for 2 years. They came back to old Lemoyne and Evan worked as a ranch hand till they started to fill Lake McConaughy. They moved to Payette, Idaho, and pastored churches in that area until 1943 when they returned to their roots in Lewellen. Evan went to the Navy in 1943, and Georgia and son, Larry, lived with her dad on the Jenewein home place until Evan returned from the Navy in 1944. They purchased a quarter section on Ash Creek north of Lewellen in 1946 and lived there till they moved to a home in Lewellen in 1977. Georgia maintained the home and family and cooked and kept the cellar stocked with canned vegetables and meat.

Georgia had many interests and was a talented musician. She learned to play the pump organ at 3 and taught herself to play the old player piano in her home. She would follow the piano as it played. She also sang in her earlier years and actually got her start singing live radio at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, S.Dak. She always wanted a guitar when she was young. When she and Evan were engaged, he asked her if she wanted an engagement ring or a guitar. She chose the guitar. Her granddaughter, Colleen, now has that guitar. Georgia played the guitar, piano, and accordion for churches, weddings, funerals, or wherever she was needed. She made a cassette tape of her piano playing when she was about 90 years old. That tape will be the pre- and post-service music at the funeral. She played the piano up until a few days before she died.

Georgia loved to crochet. She entered many of her items in the County Fair. Larry and Linda have many wonderful things to remember her by. She made colorful, complicated, patterned afghans for all the great-grandkids. All the great-grandchildren have a baby blanket to give to the first child. Another interest she shared was making pies. She always had some ready for anyone who stopped by. Georgia served on the School Board of District #38. She was on the church board for many years, led several children’s programs, and was actively involved in the Lewellen Wesleyan Church until just a few years ago.

She is survived by her son, Larry, and daughter-in-law, Leona, of Fort Collins, Colorado, and her daughter Linda and son-in-law, Charles Cheney, of Lewellen, Nebraska, five grandchildren Vincent (Penny) Rittenhouse of Windsor, Colorado, Julie (Cliff) Transmeier of Farnam, Nebraska, Brian Cheney of Lewellen, Nebraska, Colleen (Dave) Harris of Northglenn, Colorado, Cami (Scott) Lopez of Loveland, Colorado, and 14 great-grandchildren Evan and Josh Transmeier, Paige and Megan Rittenhouse, Ashton, Kyler, Courtney, and Hannah Harris, Cody and Jaynae Rodriguez and Amber, Hailey, Jaiden, and Sierra Lopez.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband Evan Virgil; all of her siblings: Wilber, Herman, and Herbert Jenewein, Marguerite (Maggie) Yetter, Sara Mae Peterson, and Helen White; infant son Evan Leroy; one grandson Barry Wayne Rittenhouse; and one great-great grandson Landon Isaac Rittenhouse.

Georgia was blessed to have many friends and a host of kids who called her “Grandma.” Everyone was her friend.