Nelma Ione Theis

Nelma Ione Stuehrenberg Theis, beloved Mother, Wife and Friend, passed away peacefully in her sleep on January 13, 2019. She was 91 years old. Nelma was born on November 6, 1927, on Buffalo Peak in rural Nebraska and was the only daughter of Henry and Golda Meentz Stuehrenberg. She had one brother, Stanley Stuehrenberg, a long time Hastings, Nebraska, insurance representative. Nelma and her brother were only a year apart and entered school together in a "one room" schoolhouse which still stands in rural Nebraska. As his sidekick she learned to ride horses as fast (faster she would say) and shoot guns as accurately as any boy. Nelma graduated from Blue Hill High School, Blue Hill, Nebraska, in 1945, and attended Hastings College. It was at a Bohemian wedding dance in Lawrence, Nebraska that she met the love of her life, James Francis Theis. They married at St. Cecilia Catholic Church in Hastings, on May 27, 1948. Nelma and Jim enjoyed 70 years of marriage and commitment until his passing 6 weeks ago. They are now united again. To accommodate her husband's career in the Life Insurance business, Nelma moved from Nebraska, to Indiana, to Kansas, to Colorado, to Texas, to Nebraska, and finally back to Kansas. Along the way, she gave life, love and direction to five children. They were the primary focus of her life, along with the home she kept for them through their multiple moves. Nelma was skilled at home decorating and enjoyed the fine objects she acquired to furnish her homes over the years. She was an active volunteer, the first PTO president at Most Pure Heart of Mary Catholic School, where all five of her children attended, a Cub Scout, Boy Scout and Girl Scout leader, a member of the PEO Chapter CS, Topeka, Kansas and a duplicate bridge player. Nelma and Jim traveled world-wide during conventions associated with Jim’s employment and continued to do so after Jim’s retirement thus expanding their world even further and allowing Nelma to accumulate objects to provide more character to her home. She made close friends throughout her life’s travels and kept them to the end. Nelma was preceded in death by her husband Jim and her only sibling, Stanley. She is survived by all of her children, James F. Theis, Jr. (Diana), Paola, Kansas, Thomas L. Theis (Joan), Topeka, Kansas, Kathryn Ann McPherson, Olathe, Kansas, Jill Marie Firth (James), St. Louis, Missouri, and Mary Jane Santeiro (Ernest), Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida; 11 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren, all of whom she was very proud. They all miss her dearly. Memorial service will be 11 a.m. Friday, January 25, 2019, at Kevin Brennan Family Funeral Home, 2801 SW Urish Road, Topeka KS 66614, with visitation two hours prior. Inurnment will follow in Mount Calvary Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to Most Pure Heart of Mary Catholic School, sent in care of the funeral home.

Nelma Ione Theis

November 6, 1927 - January 13, 2019