Mary Joy Landkamer

Funeral services for Mary will be Tuesday, February 19, 2019, at 10:30 AM at the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Broken Bow, NE with Father Jim Hunt officiating. Burial will be at a later date, with inurnment in the St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery. Memorials may be made to Broken Bow Scholarship Fund, Custer County Historical Society or the Broken Bow Library Foundation. Visitation will be on Monday, February 18, 2019, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM at Govier Brothers Mortuary, then a rosary will be held at 7:00 PM at the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Broken Bow, NE. Govier Brothers Mortuary are in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be left at www.govierbrothers.com.

Mary Joy Landkamer, age 90, of Broken Bow, died of ALS on February 15, 2019, at her home at Custer Care, Broken Bow, NE.  In addition to being a loving mother, she had uncommon perseverance and grace. She outlived the doctors’ predictions by many years and lived with this degrading illness with composure, equanimity and no sign of bitterness. Upon diagnosis, her first thought was not for herself, but for her children, asking the doctor if ALS was hereditary. She was an amazing person and will be lovingly missed.

Mary was born January 30, 1929 at Wolbach, Nebraska to Clarence Abel Larson and Frankie Christina (Kelley) Larson.  She received a Regent’s Scholarship and attended the University of Nebraska.  After receiving her teaching degree, she taught elementary school at Valley, Fairbury, and Alexandria, Nebraska. 

She married Loren (Jack) Landkamer June 2, 1952 and they remained married for 54 years until his death in 2006.  Together they raised five children.  They owned and operated the Alexandria Argus newspaper for several years.  They resided in Fairbury, Alexandria, Arapahoe, and Burwell and finally moved to Broken Bow in 1970.  Mary worked for the Custer County Chief before starting at the Custer County Historical Museum where she worked until her retirement in 2010.  Her work at the museum was a delight to her as it combined with her passion for the mystery solving required by her genealogy research.  It did not matter whose family she was working on, she loved the search.  To the final weeks of her life, she impressed people with her ability to solve Sudoku puzzles.

She was declared a Citizen of the Year for Broken Bow in 2009 and Nebraska State Genealogist of the Year in 2010. 

Mary is survived by her children Christine (Richard) Hanley, Lee Landkamer, and Eric (Kit) Landkamer, and by her six grandchildren William and Carl Hanley, and Sean, Jason, Luke and Erin Landkamer.  She recently celebrated her 90^th birthday surrounded by this family.

Mary was preceded in death by her parents, her brother James Larson, husband Jack, and her sons Gregg and Jay Landkamer.