Alice Graber

Alice Graber, 103, of Freeman passed away on February 20th at Oakview Terrace in Freeman. A visitation and viewing with the family present will be held Sunday, March 1 at the Salem-Zion (North) Mennonite Church from 2:30-3:30 p.m. The Memorial Service will begin at 4 p.m. at the church.

Alice Elizabeth (Rulla) Graber was born in Vesta, Nebraska on 13 December 1922 to John F. Rulla and Lena (Harms) Rulla. Fifteen days later, she was presented for holy baptism. She was later joined by a sister Elva and a brother Paul. Lena’s health dictated a change to another climate so the family relocated to Yuma, Colorado in 1929. When Alice was nine years of age, her father died of hemorrhagic stomach ulcers. Her mother took in sewing projects to support the family. Alice’s mother contracted pneumonia and died when Alice was 14, leaving her to manage the household and raise her younger siblings in the midst of the Great Depression. She held her siblings together and graduated from high school in 1941. Her mother’s sisters pooled family resources to gather the $40 enrollment fee for Alice to enroll in nursing school in Lincoln, Nebraska. Her Aunt Minnie and uncle Dr. Harry Hepperlen were instrumental in her admission into and graduation from St. Elizabeth’s nursing school.

While Alice was a student at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, her roommate introduced her to Wilbert (Jim) Graber. A fetching young man, Jim joined Civilian Public Service, an alternative to military service utilized by conscientious objectors. Jim and Alice were married on 4 November 1945 in a double wedding ceremony with her sister Elva. They moved to Jim’s home community in Norway Township in 1946 and established a family farm.

To this 60-year-long union, three children were born— Sharon Louise in 1948; Joan Marie, who died in infancy in 1950, and Timothy James in 1951. Alice worked as a nurse in the newly-established Freeman (SD) hospital from the 1950s-1980s, juggling farm work, child-rearing, Salem-Zion Mennonite church work, and volunteering with the Freeman Junior College Women’s Auxiliary. She maintained her nursing license for 72 years—earning her a short spot on national news. She continued to work at the Tieszen Memorial Home, Pioneer Memorial Hospital, and Salem Mennonite Home for the next 40 years. She helped “feed the old people” at Oakview Terrace until well past her 100th birthday. Alice continued to volunteer at the Et Cetera Shoppe in Freeman until shortly before her death, earning recognition as one of the longest-serving volunteers in the Mennonite thrift shop network.

Grandma Alice was preceded in death by her husband, Jim, daughter Joan, daughter-in-law Carol, and granddaughter Mariell (Mary) as well as her parents and siblings. She made a profound impact on her two surviving children— Sharon (Keith Waltner), and Tim (Beth Bontrager), six grandchildren/spouses, and eighteen great-grandchildren, and her adopted community of Freeman, South Dakota. Her work ethic and stamina were unparalleled. Her deep commitment to God and to following Jesus’s example inspire many. Grandma Alice was fiercely loyal to her family, to her church, and to Freeman Academy. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Bethel (KS) College and Goshen (IN) College.