Mabel WILKINS

¹Brief Bio Wilkins, Mabel. "Mabel Wilkins
Schoolteacher and housewifeMethodistStrong physicallyGood cheerful dispositionInterested in garden & home, also church work."

Ruby L. OLSEN

¹Notes from Lynn Giesman: 2003, Personal History about Ruby Olsen, Email  LGIES@EARTHLINK.NET. "Notes from Lynn Giesman: 2003.Ruby is a sister to my grandfather, Otto F. Olsen.   I remember Gerald Ball
very well at family gatherings prior to his death.  He's in pictures I have
of  Ruby's parent's 50th wedding anniversary in Fremont, etc.

I'm from Nebr. originally - raised in a small town 13 miles north of Lincoln
and 10 miles south of Wahoo - called Ceresco.  We are traveling to Nebr.
this Thurs. for a week and a half to attend a wedding and birthday
celebration on my husband's side, and to go through family photos and
ancestry on my Dad's side.  My husband, Merv, and I get to Nebr. quite a few
times during the year.  We always take my mother up to see Great Aunt Ruby,
and talk to her on the phone in between visits
Mom (Lucile (Olsen) Anderson still lives in Ceresco in the house Otto built
in 1947.

Years after Gerald Ball passed away, Ruby remarried to Emil Precht.  He
passed away within a couple of years of their marriage and she has been by
herself all these years since.  Ruby is getting very frail and has trouble
hearing, but her mind is still sharp, etc.  She has two nurses that come to
her home - one in the morning for a few hours, and one in late afternoon for
several hours to help her bathe, make sure she's eating well, take her vital
signs, etc.  She still lives in the same home that she and Gerald Ball
purchased and remodeled -
Address:  334 W. 4th St., Fremont, NE 68025.  Phone - 402-721-5654.

Ruby worked for the Fremont newspaper 50 years before she
retired.  Otto was also in the printing business - started when he was 14
working for others before starting his own papers.  In our hometown, he
published the town newspaper (The Ceresco News) for 34 years."

²Death Notice for Ruby L. Olsen Ball wife of Gerald M. Ball Fremont, NE. "2. Death Notice Email for Ruby L. Olsen Ball.
From: "Lynne"
To: "Donna Autrey"
Sent: Sunday, May 23, 2004 5:44 PM
Subject: Re: WorldConnect: Post-em posted


Hello Donna,

I kept your last message in my compter "Personal File".  Ran across it
today.  Thought I'd tell you that Great Aunt Ruby (Gerald Ball's wife)
passed away in Fremont, Nebr. on Jan. 25.  She was 103 yrs. old that same
month (Jan. 5).

I was in Nebr. in November and stopped by to visit with Ruby.  Showed her
some old family pictures that a cousin had inherited from his mother.  One
picture showed Ruby as a baby, along with her mother and grandmother (both
from Denmark), and Ruby's older brother Otto Olsen (my grandfather) at 6
yrs. of age with his violin.  Grandpa (and Ruby's father from Denmark -
Zacharias Olsen) played the violin all of their lives.

Two more pictures were brought from Denmark.  A studio photo of Ruby's
grandfather (her mother's father), and a studio photo of Ruby's mother,
Marianne, as a young girl of 4 yrs. of age.

Ruby had never seen these pictures, so she was really excited.  We had such
a nice long visit and I left copies I had made at Kinkos of the photos for
her to have and enjoy.  I asked Ruby a few more questions about her parents,
etc., which she was able to answer right away from memory.  She was a
remarkable lady.

Ruby is buried next to Gerald Ball in Fremont.  My mother and I drove to
Fremont the first week in April and visited their graves, and those of my
Great Grandparents - Zacharias and Marianne.  I was six when Marianne died
and 11 when Zacharias died, so remember them both.  Zacharias was very
nimble - went for walks every day without a cane, etc.  Marianne had
crippling arthritis the last 10 yrs of so of her life - so I just remember> her in   her wicker wheelchair.

Will quit for now - just wanted to let you know that Ruby did pass away.

Lynne Giesmann
."."