Phyllis L. O’Brien, 82, of Wayne formerly of Ponca, died Tuesday, January 25, 2022 at Plainview Manor.
Services will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Jan. 31 at Concordia Lutheran Church in Concord. Visitation will be Sunday, Jan. 30 from 3 to 5 p.m. at Concordia Lutheran Church in Concord. Burial will be in the Grand Island Cemetery at Grand Island.
Memorials may be directed to the O’Brien family for later designation.
Arrangements are with Hasemann Funeral Home of Wayne.
Phyllis Louise O’Brien was born Sept. 29, 1939 in rural Grand Island to Russell and Edna (Hennings) Rehder. She attended school at District #14 in Hall County, Wood River High School and later graduated from Kearney State College with a degree in Education. Phyllis taught high school math, business education and home economics. She was married on Feb.11, 1961 to Hubert O’Brien in Kearney. Together, they were blessed with three children. Throughout their marriage they lived in Wood River, Kearney, Coleridge, Cedar Rapids, Ponca and Wayne.
After retirement Phyllis was a substitute teacher, dispatcher at the Ponca Courthouse, worked at A.B. Dick & Company, Dean Witter and Sears in Kearney, and the Care Center in Wakefield. Phyllis enjoyed putting puzzles together and knitting. She knitted baby hats for the Pender Hospital, as well as dish clothes, scarves, pillow cases and scarves for family members.
Survivors include her husband, Hubert; children, Kathleen (Chris) Grams of Kearney, Colleen (Mike) Farnik of Creighton and Scott O’Brien of Omaha; grandchildren, C.J. (Cassie) Grams, Michaela (Matt) Holst, Brent Grams, JoEllen Farnik (Leland Slawson, boyfriend), Alaina Farnik and Shane Farnik; five great-grandchildren; a brother-in-law, Stephen (Lori) O’Brien of Kearney and sister-in-law, Lola Scott of McAllen, Texas.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Russell and Edna Rehder; brother, Richard Rehder; brothers-in-law, John and Gary O’Brien; sisters-in-law, Lewellyn (Richard) Rehder, Betty (Chuck) Johnson and Phyllis (John) O’Brien; father and mother-in-law John and Mary O’Brien; brother-in-law, Ralph Scott; grandson, Noah Farnik and granddaughter, Andrea Farnik.
