Laurel June Poland

Laurel June Poland, 96, a resident of Sargent, NE, who lived in Lincoln, NE, the last three years, passed from this life on October 28, 2019 in Lincoln after a brief illness.

Laurel was born on June 21, 1923 near Enders, NE, to Leon and Ina (Douglass) Hust. She was the second of three daughters and grew up on a farm west of Imperial, NE. She loved to read and to also be outside on her pony, which meant she was frequently assigned the task of watching the cows while they grazed. Since she often became immersed in reading a book, while sitting on her pony, the cows tended to wander off when she was in charge. Such necessitated her father needing to check on things frequently. Laurel had vivid memories of the dust storms and the great depression of the 1930's as well as the rationing of the World War II era.

She graduated from Chase County High School in 1940 and took the leap of faith to head off to college in Kearney.  She spoke of the stunned silence that came over the campus the Sunday of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Laurel became a teacher, ultimately ending up in Sargent after a college friend, who was teaching there, wrote her about an opening.  Soon after, she met Glenn Poland on a church hayrack ride and offered to help him with the team of horses. They were married on August 15, 1948 in Imperial. The first winter of their married life was the infamous winter of 1948-1949 and they were snowed in for months in their first home, a sod house between Sargent and Taylor.  A couple years later they moved to a nearby farm they purchased. 

Laurel was the spouse of a farmer/rancher and always had a large garden where she grew, and then canned, much of the food for the family. Her family meant everything to her.  She was the family photographer and kept memories of the ancestors alive through the stories she told of them. She enjoyed reading books to her children and grandchildren, attending their school events, and going on walks.  She was a “get down on the floor and play” type of mother and grandmother.  She hosted holiday dinners, birthday parties and ordinary weekend gatherings.  She was a Girl Scout leader for both of her daughters and taught Sunday school at her beloved Sargent United Methodist Church.  She delivered Meals on Wheels, and also taught GED and ESL/citizenship classes at the Sargent Library. 

Survivors include her son Doug of Sargent; daughter Kathy (Randy) Fiorelli of Anselmo; daughter Shirley (David) Williams of Lincoln; grandchildren Jeremy (Christine) Fiorelli of Broken Bow, Marci Fiorelli of Kearney, Kim Fiorelli of Bellevue, KeShara Poland of Ord, Garet (Cindy) Poland of Kenesaw, Isaac (Amy) Poland of Grafton, Owen Williams of Minneapolis, MN, and Emma Williams of Lincoln; great-grandchildren, Tara, Trinity and Tyler Murray, Dylan, Dominic, Dakota and Dezalynn Rogers, Kacey Poland, Johanna Poland, and Frederick Fiorelli; step-great grandchildren Cody Shriver and Wyatt Van Eaton; and step-great-great grandchild Emma Shriver. She is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews who visited the farm frequently and whom she loved dearly.

Laurel was preceded in death by her husband, Glenn; their parents Leon and Ina Hust, and George and Margaret Poland; her sisters and their husbands, Norma (Howard) Surber and Nancy (Larry) Tinkham; as well as Glenn's siblings and their spouses, Raymond (Agnes) Poland, Kenneth (Dwana) Poland, Evelyn (Earl) Dawson and Donita (Duane) Van Horn. 

Laurel's funeral will be held Saturday, November 2^nd, at 2 PM at the United Methodist Church in Sargent. Burial immediately following at the Mount Hope Cemetery near Sargent, with a reception following, back at the church. Visitation will be held on Friday, November 1^st, at the Sargent United Methodist Church, from 4 to 8 PM with the family present from 6 to 8 PM. Govier Brothers Mortuary, Broken Bow, is in charge of arrangements. Memorials are suggested to the Sargent United Methodist Church or the Salvation Army.