Marie B. DeRoe of Syracuse passed away at the age of 101 on March 14, 2023 at the Syracuse Hospital.

Marie was born at home on December 7, 1921 to Louis & Mathilda (Gottwald) Ullsperger on their farm northwest of Cook. She attended Fariview school district 77 north of Sterling to the 8th grade, and then completed two years of high school in Douglas. 

She married Herman DeRoe on May 15, 1941. They met at a dance in Sterling.  She was not sure if Herman ever proposed but when asked she said “it seemed like we just knew we would always be together”. They were blessed with two children, Kenneth and Cheryl.  Marie spent her days working side by side with Herman on the farm where she raised chickens, tended to cattle, and helped with their crops.  There was always a beautiful garden that she would hoe by hand and the entire family would help put up sweet corn.  She was an active member of St. Martins Catholic Church in Douglas serving on altar society. In 1995 they moved to Syracuse and became a member of St. Paulinus Catholic Church. 

When asked to write a short story of her life, Marie wrote the following.  “From age 4 I lived on the farm north of Sterling.  At age 19 Herman and I wanted to get married.  Dad said no, so we got married in Rockport, Missouri.  Two weeks later we took off for Bremerton, Washington where Herman was a welder.  We lived there for a while and then went to Renton, Washington where Herman worked in the Seattle shipyard.  On my birthday, Pearl Harbor was bombed.  Herman was up for the draft in 1943 so we came back to Nebraska so I wouldn’t be alone if he had to go to war.  We rented 80 acres of land and borrowed machinery.  We had one cow and a sow with pigs.  The next year we moved to a farm near Douglas, added to our livestock and machinery.  We added Ken and Cheryl to our family.  All we ever did was work.  No vacations.  Not a very exciting life, but we loved our family getting together.  My life was my family.”

Marie truly lived the words Faith, Family and Farming.  She was never afraid of hard work.  She could be found mowing her lawn, raking leaves and shoveling snow until just a few years ago. 

She is survived by her son Kenneth (Beverley) DeRoe of Syracuse; daughter Cheryl (Francis) Milder of Nebraska City; grandchildren Martin (Shelley Alexander) DeRoe, Jill Marie (Kevin) Hartman, Craig DeRoe, Rachel Anderson all of Douglas, Christopher (Holly) Callahan of Eyota, MN; great grandchildren Terra Marie Hartman, Wesley (Kacey Herring) Anderson, Samuel Callahan, Kaylee (Clayton) Henne, Mallorie (John) Macchi, Wyatt (Shaylie Brown) DeRoe, Benjamin (Hannah) Callahan, Joseph Callahan; sister-in-law Agnes Ullsperger; also many nieces, nephews and cousins.

She was preceded in death by her loving husband Herman, parents and brothers Raymond Ullsperger & Leo Ullsperger.

Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, March 22 at 10 a.m. at St. Paulinus Catholic Church in Syracuse. The service will be livestreamed on the church’s Facebook page. Burial will be held at Park Hill Cemetery.

An open visitation will be held on Tuesday, March 21 from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the funeral home in Syracuse. The rosary will be held at 7 p.m. at the St. Paulinus Catholic Church with a gathering to follow.

Memorials are suggested to St. Paulinus Catholic Church or St. Martin’s Catholic Church.

Arrangements By: Fusselman Allen Harvey Funeral Home, Syracuse, NE

Condolences to www.fusselmanallenharvey.com