Memorial services for Deborah “Debbie” Ensz, 76, of Wayne will be at 11 a.m. Thursday, March 14 at First United Methodist Church in Wayne. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 13 at First United Methodist Church in Wayne.
Debbie has donated her body to the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
She died Saturday, March 9, 2024 at the Hillcrest Care Center in Laurel.
Memorials may be directed to your favorite charity in memory of Debbie.
Arrangements are with Hasemann Funeral Home of Wayne.
Deborah Gene Ensz was born June 13, 1947 at Benthack Hospital in Wayne to Donald Wightman and Edith Huse Wightman.Her paternal grandfather, Dr. W.C. Wightman was one of the early physicians in Wayne County. Her maternal grandfather, E.W. Huse, was the publisher of the Wayne Herald and the Wakefield Republican. Her mother was the first woman elected to the Wayne School Board. Her father became the Wayne Postmaster.
Debbie graduated from Wayne High School in 1965 and enrolled in the University of Nebraska where she was a member of Alpha Omicron Pi Sorority. She received her degree in education in 1969 and began her career teaching English at Lincoln East Junior/Senior High while completing her Master’s degree at the University of Nebraska. She also coached girls swimming and tennis.
In 1970, she met Bob Ensz, her future husband, who was a law student at the University of Nebraska. They were married on July 2, 1971, at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Lincoln. The couple moved to Wayne in 1977 when Bob accepted a job with the Olds and Swarts law firm. Debbie began teaching in the Education Division at Wayne State College, eventually moving to the Learning Center where she taught Succeeding in College and administered the Writing Help Desk. She retired from the college in 2013 after receiving the Professional Staff Recognition Award from the WSC Student Senate.
Debbie’s professional career was important to her but never as important as her family. She was the consummate wife, mother, and grandmother. She never sacrificed her family for her career. There were four children born of the couple’s marriage: Susan Folsom (Mark) of Scottsdale, Arizona; David Ensz (Kellie) of Dakota Dunes, South Dakota; Jeffrey Ensz (Brette) of Kearney; and Mary Elizabeth Ensz, who died in infancy. A bonus addition, Marissa Fallesen, came to live with the family in 1994 and resides in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Debbie is also survived by her husband, Bob, and four grandsons: Zachary and Zane Ensz (sons of David and Kellie) and Elliott and Emory Ensz (sons of Jeffrey and Brette).
She was preceded in death by her parents; her infant daughter, Mary; sister, Jacqueline Deeter; and brother, Donald “Butch” Wightman.
