Elva D. Fesler age 67 of Lincoln, Nebraska died on Saturday, April 2, 2011 at her home in Lincoln. Born September 12, 1943 in Bartley, Nebraska to Thomas Dorwin and Frances (Lohr) Carpenter. Elva was a devoted, hard working and kind person, she started working as a junior high student with her mother at the Bartley Municipal Telephone Company. After moving to Lincoln she worked for Safeway from 1964 until the store closed in 1981. Elva was a long time member of the Wyuka Cemetery and Wyuka Funeral Home family, where she held several positions as administrative assistant, bookkeeper and friend beginning in 1995.
Survivors include her brother Wayne Carpenter and Cheryl Bales of North Platte, Nebraska. Niece: Dawn LaRae Sikes and her husband Stewart of York, Nebraska. Nephew: Thomas Carpenter and his wife Julie of Bartley, Nebraska. Niece: Kimberly Rosenkranz and her husband Jim of Lakefield, Minnesota. Sister-in-laws: Roberta Carpenter and Loretta Carpenter. Great Nieces and Nephews plus a lot of very special friends. Preceded in death by her husband: Harley Fesler, her parents and brother: Roger Carpenter.
Services will be held at Wyuka Funeral Home on Friday, April 8, 2011 at 2:00 P.M. with public visitation beginning at 10:00 A.M. on Friday. Graveside services will be held at the Bartley Cemetery, Bartley, Nebraska on Saturday, April 9, 2011 at 11:00 A.M.
Memorials may be left for the People’s City Mission, Matt Talbot Kitchen or the Bartley Volunteer Fire Department.
Elva(aka “Speeding Elva”), Thank you for all the amazing memories I have of you. From driving the youth to camps,spending time at your house while my parents were away,long talks about life,loyalty and love for our family, loving God and showing His love. You were an amazing woman and I will miss you.
I love you,
Heather Duncombe-Jimenez & Family.
i know elva from the assembly of god church she was my kids sunday school teacher.she will be missed by every one she wasawomen of god.she,s in heaven nowlooking down on every one.you will be missed.
Elva, you were an awesome rainbows leader and a great babysitter! I remember my sister and I always playing tiddlywinks at your house. You will be deeply missed by us, but I know that you are in good hands.
loving you always,
Autumn Bradbury (Downey)
Elva,
Thank you for always being so good to me and to my family. I will always treasure you in my heart. I miss you!!! Margaret Lanik and family
What a wonderful, kind, loving friend we have lost. Our kids adored her and there are many, many little Rainbows that began their spiritual walk in Elva’s class. She will be greatly missed.
Dan & Dawn Downey
Elva, you were the friendly person at the church office, always available to talk and ready with a laugh. A great friend of the youth, and a great friend to me. Thanks for letting us “hang out” with you! I will miss you. Paul Wiese, Charlotte, NC
Elva was my dearest friend, I loved her like a sister, that I never had! Where we were together we were always laughing! One time when my youngest daughter was a teen, we decided we were going to cruise “o” street in Lincoln, this was with Elva’s old care, so we drove up and down “O” street honking at guys with the windows down, we got lots of looks too my daughter was so afraid the police would get us and what would we tell Dad if he had to come to town and bail us out! We had a good time, but were real careful going home so some one didn’t follow us! Elva really enjoyed having a good time, and she spent alot of time with our family, as they called her Auntie Elva and she enjoyed that! When my daughter got married she ask Elva to walk down the isle with myself and our son ushering us! When ever we had a party or anything she was always there to help me with the food! She was a wonerful friend! I had n’t been very good at attending church for a few years, so she started taking my with her and was so happy when I excepted Christ again into my life! When we moved here to Ark. she was so happy that we found a good church family, in a small country church close to us. She always called me on Sat. night, every sat. night since we moved here, I told her I would call her part of the time, but you know Elva she said she had lots of min. that she didn’t use so she always called we laughed and talked for an hour every week, my family always said what can you talk about that long and all that laughing, but we always did. Three yrs ago when I had cancer, then my chemo, and radiation, sometimes she called several times a week! Last Sat when she didn’t call I thought she had probably, fallen asleep in her chair and would call Sun as she sometimes did, between church services I ask my daughter if she called and she said no, I had told her we were having a Revival this week so thought she would call again.But instead she was on her way to Heaven to be with her beloved Mother and the rest of her family, also the only Love of her life dear Harley! God Bless you Elva and someday I’ll join you in Heaven!
Sheila, that is a WONDERFUL tribute and memory that you wrote about Elva. The details lets me know more about her, which I appreciate a lot. I’ve known Elva since I was a child in the 1960s and she came to my grandma and uncle’s home sometimes on Saturday evenings. They were friends at First Assembly of God. (Elsie and Clayton Murphy) In the 1970s she even took care of my dog for a week while my mom and I went on vacation. I went to her memorial service today and Pastor Dale Sutter did a fabulous job of paying tribute to Elva, telling many things about her from the past few years at Wyuka Funeral Home. I think a CD was made of the service, if you’d like to have one just contact the funeral home to ask. Thanks again and I’m very sorry about the loss of your friend from this earth but you will be joined in Heaven again. Today we heard that Elva had recently finished reading the new book, “Heaven Is For Real,” about the boy from Nebraska who had a near-death experience. Now she is there.
Elva, you were always such a good friend to me and my family. I will always remember stopping by the church office during the summer and visiting with you while you worked. I will always cherish all the good times. The lunches at Chi-Chi’s after Sunday morning services and getting an ice cream cone before cruising down “O” on a summer night. There are so many good memories. Thanks for all of them! You will be missed.
Roger Wolf
I only met Elva once, but what an impression she made on me and, subsequently, my cadets! In the Spring of 2010, we were in the first year of our Lincoln AFJROTC program and struggling to finance our community service efforts. The Lincoln Journal Star published an article about our efforts and Elva left a message for me here at Northeast High School. When I returned her call, she said she wanted to make a donation and we arranged that I would drive by Wyuka to pick it up that afternoon. I asked her what her ties to the military were and she said she had none, but wanted to help out our kids. When I met her, she handed me a sealed envelope, told me not to open it then, and insisted she wanted no publicity or public thanks. I then asked her if I could give her a hug: she said yes! When I opened the envelope I was moved to tears, as she’d given us $300. With her donation, we were able to send hundreds of pounds of donated items to troops stationed overseas in harm’s way. Elva was instrumental in letting our cadets know that members of the Lincoln community care about them and their work; it’s important that high school students know that! Thank you Elva for being an inspiration to all of us. I’m sure you’re carrying on your good works with Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.