Alice Andresen, the heart of our family, passed peacefully at Benedictine Living Community on October 31, 2024. She lived 90 rewarding years.
Born on November 24, 1933 to Anton Elbracht and Sophie (Ridder) Elbracht in Howells, Nebraska, Alice was the fifth of ten children in a bustling farm family. The Great Depression had a lasting yet positive impact on Alice, in that she learned to make do with little and make fun out of almost anything. As a child she played with her five sisters, three (surviving) brothers and many cousins who lived on a neighboring farm. It was an upbringing built on a foundation of family and faith, as well as shared work and play. As a teen she served as an officer in Rural Youth and particularly loved the local dances, later fondly recalling, "I polkaed clear across Colfax County."
Alice met her best friend and the love of her life, Bill Andresen, in Lincoln, Nebraska. She and Bill were married on December 28, 1960. His research with the National Institute of Health took them far from their small Nebraska hometowns to Washington, DC, where their first three children, Christine, Tom and Theresa, were born. Returning to Lincoln NE, daughter Kate arrived, completing the family. In 1970 they settled in St Joseph, Missouri. Alice was active in many roles in Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, including service as a Eucharistic minister, on the Altar Society and in the Food Pantry. As a busy wife, mother and homemaker, Alice sewed clothes, raised vegetables and was a wonderful baker - her cinnamon rolls and chocolate chip cookies in particular were family favorites. Her love of children extended beyond her own as she worked at Frederick Boulevard Baptist Church Day Care and taught for Head Start. Eventually she had six grandchildren to love and teach. She and Bill travelled in their later years but in her heart, Alice was a homebody. She was happiest sharing a cup of coffee with Bill on their back patio or laughing in a kitchen filled with family. Our memories of her will always be a blessing.
Alice is preceded in death by her parents, Sophie and Anton Elbracht; brothers Aloysius, Hank, Hermy and Ted; sisters Mary Elbracht and Fran Osbon; brothers-in-law Don Osbon, Duane Kantor and Art Renner; sister-in-law Carol Elbracht, niece Teri Osbon-Kitzelman and son-in-law, Larry Davis. She is survived by her husband, Bill; children Christine Andresen, Tom (Lisa) Andresen, Theresa (Scott) Greiner and Kate (Frank Underwood) Davis; grandchildren Clif (Mariah) Davis, Corinne, Hayden and Adam Andresen, Ashlee Greiner and Tiffani Higgins; sisters Flory Renner, Wilma Kantor and Jean (Rich) Sellhorst; sister-in-law Carol Elbracht, ten great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
Mass of Christian Burial 10:30 A.M. Saturday, November 9, Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. Interment Memorial Park Cemetery. Parish Rosary 4:00 P.M. Friday, November 8, Meierhoffer Funeral Home & Crematory, where the family will gather with friends 4:30 to 6:00 P.M.
