Glenn Lee "Lee" Mae Jurgens

Glenn Lee (Lee) Jurgens died at home, surrounded by her family, on June 10, 2016, after a short illness.



She was born March 17, 1928 in Hildreth, Nebraska, first and only daughter of Herman and Olive (Johnson) Ortgiesen. She was married for nearly 70 years to Virgil Jurgens. Together they settled in Hastings after WW2 to raise their family of six children. While the children were small, Lee was central to a group of other young mothers on North Denver Avenue, and made many life-long friends there. As the children grew up, she took part time jobs until she qualified as a real estate agent in 1970, working for the Marge Hardin Realty Company, and later joining Century 21 and Benchmark IV Real Estate. She was honored as Hastings Realtor of the Year in 2006. After his retirement, she and Virg operated Jurgens Wheel Estate in Hastings, selling campers and motor homes.

Lee was creative: sewing and knitting for her girls, crocheting prayer shawls, embroidering quilts for her grandchildren and taking up painting (acrylics, oils and watercolors) late in her life. She researched a family history of the Ortgiesen family in central Nebraska, and completed one on the Jurgens family. A devastating house fire in 2003 destroyed many of her creations, but she picked up new projects once the house was rebuilt on the same lot in Idlewilde Acres, southwest of Hastings.

A life-long Lutheran, Lee was an active member of First St Pauls in Hastings. She was instrumental in establishing the Feed My Sheep program there, and was a regular member of the cooking crew. She also participated in crocheting prayer shawls for the Prayer Shawl Ministries.

She is survived by her six children: Terri Jackson of Melbourne, Australia; Debra Gillett of Edmonton, Canada; Michelle Thomas of Newport News, Virginia; Jackie Koopmann of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Scott Jurgens of Arvada, Colorado; and Lori Horton of Hastings, and their spouses Stephen Duckett, Reg Gillett, John Thomas, Rich Koopmann, Kathi Jurgens, and Gerardo Martinez.

She was Mimi to 11 grandchildren and their spouses: Bradley Antonides (Sheila), Jessie Peters (Darren), Katie Kluver (Kris), Reggie Gillett (Krystin), Jordanne Park (Eugene), Ali Horton, Jaimie Reeves (Troy), Jenni Molholm (Ky), Jade Horton, Hannah Helt (Taylor) and Sarah Duckett; she was a loving Mimi J or Mimi the Great to eleven great grandchildren. Lee was a special aunt to her late brothers children Cheryl Joiner and Todd Ortgiesen, and to Candy Johnson and the many other Jurgens nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by, her parents, her husband Virgil, in January 2016, and brother Delbert Ortgiesen.

Visitation will be Friday, June 17, from 6-8 pm at Apfel Funeral Home Chapel in Hastings. Services will be Saturday, June 18, at 11 am at First St Pauls Lutheran Church, Hastings, with Rev. Joel Remmers officiating. A private graveside service for family will be conducted at Parkview Cemetery prior to the church service. Condolences may be sent to the family from www.apfelfuneralhome.com. Apfel Funeral Home, Hastings is in charge of the arrangements.

Lee has requested that, in lieu of flowers, any memorials be given to First St Pauls Lutheran church in Hastings, Feed My Sheep, or to the Mary Lanning Hospice Foundation, which supported Lee and her family through her final illness.