Funeral Services For Wilma E. Boyd Lovell

Wilma E. Boyd Lovell, 92, of Cedar Rapids, NE, passed away on Friday, September 9, 2016 at the Cloverlodge Care Center in St. Edward, NE. 

Funeral Services will be 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, September 13, 2016 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Cedar Rapids, NE with Rev. Brian Ketelsen officiating. Interment will follow at Sunset Cemetery in Cedar Rapids, NE. Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. Monday, at the funeral home in Cedar Rapids, NE.

Wilma E. Lovell was born at Phillipsburg, KS to Fredrick and Anna (Dreyer) Zillinger on September 10, 1923. She was the oldest of five children in the family. She was baptized at Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church in Belmont, KS and confirmed at Immanuel Lutheran near Rushville, NE. Wilma passed away on September 9, 2016 to enter God’s Kingdom and find her eternal resting place in her Savior’s arms.

When Wilma was 1 ½ years old she moved with her parents by covered wagon and horses to the Rushville, NE area. She attended four different country schools in the Rushville and Hay Springs area. She also attended high school in the area before the family moved to a farm near Cedar Rapids, NE. She then attended Cedar Rapids High School for one year. She went to work as a housekeeper for a family in Albion and attended her Senior year and graduated in 1942 from Albion High School.

Following graduation Wilma attended classes at Wayne State College and earned a teacher’s certificate. She then taught at rural schools for three years.

On June 5, 1946 Wilma was united in marriage to Johnnie Boyd at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Cedar Rapids, NE. She met Johnnie before he left to serve in the Navy during WWII, and they were married when he returned home. To this union was born one son, Russell F. Boyd, on October 21, 1949.

Wilma and Johnnie lived on three different farm places North of Cedar Rapids and farmed until retiring and moving into town in 1968. They did spend one year living in a trailer house in Gretna while Johnnie worked helping his brother Arnie build houses. 

Johnnie passed away in September of 1993. Wilma married Donald Lovell on August 23, 1998 at Wahoo, NE with Rev. Reimer officiating. Donald passed away in April 2007. Wilma continued to live at her home in Cedar Rapids until 2014, when she entered the Cloverlodge Care Center in St. Edward.

Wilma was a member of St. John Lutheran Church and St. John LWML. She was a regular attendee at the Cedar Rapids Senior. She loved to do her handy-work such as crocheting hats and slippers for all the children, and rugs out of bread sacks and/or rags. She loved to visit with family and friends, and was an avid letter writer. She was a great wall-paper hanger and helped paper many houses in the area for at least 20 years.

Wilma was well known throughout the years as a great babysitter who taught the children more than any preschool – taking picnic hikes, making paste and playdough, reading stories, napping with their own nap blankets made by her, and learning to get along or risk sitting in the house while the others played. She spent more than 18 years helping raise children of the family, teachers, and friends.

Wilma was the main organist for St. John Lutheran Church for more than 70 years – playing for many special occasions, weddings, funerals, baptisms, confirmations, etc. She taught piano lessons for over 40 years and was blessed to see a great number of children learn the talent well. She loved music so well that she taught herself how to play the accordion while in her 80s.

Wilma may have only had the one son, but she was very blessed with many nieces, nephews, friends, and children who called her special. Those left to cherish her memory include her son Russell Boyd; sisters, Ernie Rutten of Cedar Rapids, Helen Cook of Albion, and Marianne (Duane) Karmann of Albion; brother-in-law Arnie (Karen) Boyd of Monroe, sisters-in-law, Bev Boyd of Genoa, Leona Heft of Genoa, Donna (Bruce) Fleck of Gretna, and Vonda (Jim) Conant of Gretna. 

Wilma was preceded in death by her parents Fred and Anna Zillinger, husband Johnnie Boyd, second husband Donald Lovell, brother David Zillinger and his wife Phyllis, brothers-in-law Chic Rutten, Gerald Cook, Melvin Boyd and his wife Mary, Alfred Boyd, and George Heft.

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