Mildred Pearl Brownell

Mildred Pearl (Hingst) Brownell, 95, of Wakefield, NE died on Saturday, June 23, 2018 at the Wakefield Health Care Center in Wakefield, NE.  Funeral services will be held on Thursday, June 28, 2018 at 10:30 a.m. at Salem Lutheran Church in Wakefield, NE; Pastor Patty Meyer will be officiating.  The visitation will be held on Wednesday, June 27, 2018 from 5:00 until 7:00 p.m. with a prayer service at 7:00 p.m. at the Bressler – Munderloh – Smith Funeral Home in Wakefield.  Burial will be in the Wakefield Cemetery. Mildred was born on a farm southeast of Emerson, Nebraska, the eleventh child of Lillie Bokemper Hingst and Adolph Hingst.  She spent most of her childhood days there.  She attended East Ward Country School for eight years and then walked four and one half miles to and from Emerson High.  She was only the second in her family to graduate there.  She took classes in “Normal Training” which allowed her to begin teaching right out of high school at the age of 17.  She taught rural schools in Dixon and Thurston Counties; at one school she taught a classroom of 28 pupils in grades 1 through 8, as well as doing her own janitor work, carrying in coal, starting the fire, carrying out the ashes as well as the many other jobs associated.  She was baptized and confirmed at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Emerson. On February 1, 1945 she was married to Jack Brownell at her church.  They lived on a farm far north of Emerson for seven years.  Two children blessed their marriage.  They moved into Allen.  As her family became established she resumed teaching Kindergarten at her alma mater.  Also she began night classes and summer school at Wayne State College.  The family moved to Kearney, Nebraska for a short time and returned to live in Wakefield for the rest of her days.  Here she taught first grade for two years and then Kindergarten.  Meanwhile she achieved both her Bachelor of Education and Master of Education degrees. Her dreams of growing up years were to be a teacher or run an ice cream shop.  She was able to fulfill both as she and her husband built and ran The Brown L drive in.  Her passion was helping children learn.Her hobbies included reading, playing cards, especially bridge, pinochle and 500. She enjoyed time with her grandchildren and became involved in their activities.  She loved poetry and could recite many from memory; both classics and children’s poetry.  In her later years Mildred enjoyed and appreciated the Senior Center. She is survived by her son, Richard (Jane); daughter Barbara (Steven Romersheuser) of Eagle, Colorado. and grandchildren, Brett Brownell of Wakefield, Maggie (Kevin) Box of San Diego, California, Anna Brownell of Lincoln, Jean Romersheuser (Ashley) Guy of Houston, Texas, and Louis Romersheuser of Arvada, Colorado, and two great grandchildren, Cameron and Samantha (Maggie) Box, and many nieces and nephews. Preceding her death were her husband (Jack) of 67 years, a granddaughter, Katie Brownell, six brothers, Chris, Harland, Wesley, Percy and Adolph, and Alvin Hingst.  Six sisters, Elnora Boyd, Lavina Barton, Verna Petersen, Agnes Temple, Eunice Hingst and Lillian Simons.