Betty Ann (Wagner) Hubka, age 87, of Diller, NE passed away peacefully in her sleep after a sudden decline in her health on Saturday, December 9, 2023, at the Good Samaritan in Beatrice, NE.  Her children and grandchildren were by her side throughout the last hours of her life on earth. 


Betty (Elizabeth) Ann was born on February 8, 1936 to Fred C. Wagner and Eleanor I. (Ullman) Wagner at their home in Steinauer, NE.  Betty was the first child of twelve born to Fred & Eleanor.  She spent her early years helping take care of all her younger siblings, braiding hair, and helping her mom make loaves and loaves of bread and fry a lot of chickens. She graduated in 1954 from Lewiston High School, then worked at ASCS in Pawnee City and at the State Bank of Burchard.  Betty then moved to Lincoln, NE, where she worked at the National Bank of Commerce.  
Betty married Melvin E. Hubka on August 20, 1966 at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Steinauer, NE.  They moved into their new home on the Hubka family farmstead northeast of Diller.  Melvin and Betty had four children; Julie Ann (1967), Jane Marie (1969), Joyce Ellen (1972), & Timothy John (1976).  Throughout her married life, Betty was a hardworking farm wife and mother.  She was always working in the home;  cleaning, doing laundry, cooking, baking, and taking care of her four kids.  Her farm life included helping Melvin where needed, tending their large garden, milking goats, and selling eggs from the chickens they raised.  Betty loved baking - some of her best baked goods were cinnamon twists, chocolate crinkle cookies, chocolate drop cookies,and sugar cookies, and at Christmas time;  spritz cookies, cherry mash, and peanut brittle. She also did a lot of canning and her Kosher pickles were a favorite of her children, grandchildren, and anyone she shared them with.  Betty loved it when family came to the farm to visit, especially her dad, Fred, who would stay for a few days to fish in their many ponds.  Betty was a lifelong Catholic, attending church at Steinauer, Odell, Wymore, and Beatrice.  Being part of Altar Society, worshiping, and receiving communion were an important part of her life.  
In 1983, Betty decided to take the job as the Site Manager of the new Diller Nutrition Site in the Diller Community Building.  The program was a way for people over 65 years old in the area to join together to have lunch and participate in activities such as bingo, screamo, cards, exercises, music, programs, and much more.  The site also delivered meals to those at their homes who were unable to make it in.  One of the highlights of each year was when a king and queen were crowned and rode through the parade at the Diller Picnic.  Betty made many, many lifelong friends with her “people”, the part time employees and volunteers who helped clean, transport meals, and make deliveries.  Betty’s love of socializing and seeing people was fulfilled each day she went to work at the Diller Nutrition Site.  Betty retired in 2019 at the age of 83.  During the 1980s  Betty also began a second job working with Verla Bures at her chicken butchering business.  Betty would get up early (around 4 am) to go to Verla’s farm, where they could butcher up to 150 chickens together, before she would go to her full time job.  Later in life, Betty enjoyed cleaning the homes of families around Diller.  
Betty and Melvin lived on the family farm, raising their kids and attending their many activities until 1991, when they moved off the farm to another home in rural Diller/Beatrice.  Years later, Betty and Melvin moved to the last home they would share together, located off the PWF northwest of Diller.  Betty lost Melvin suddenly in May of 1999.  As hard as this was on Betty, she stayed positive and continued to enjoy life.  In May of 2010, a tornado hit Betty’s home.  Betty had “felt the need” to go into the basement, she said two Hail Marys, the tornado hit, and she was safe.  Her home was destroyed though, and because of this, she found a small home in Diller she could rent.  This is where she spent her next 13 years; taking care of her small home, her garden, and her friends.  Betty especially loved her “neighbors to the south”, the Ebelings.  John was extra kind to Betty, taking care of anything she needed, without the need for any thanks (except maybe an old beer out of her fridge).   
In April of 2023, after being diagnosed with early dementia, Betty moved into Willow Creek at Good Samaritan in Beatrice. After a few weeks of adjusting, Betty quickly became a favorite of the nurses, with her smile and many circles she walked each day.  Before Thanksgiving 2023, Betty’s health quickly showed signs of decline.  She was able to join her family on Thanksgiving at her daughter Julie’s home in Beatrice.  Betty was admitted into Hospice on Wednesday, December 6, 2023.  Her family was by her side all day Thursday and Friday.  She passed from this earth, peacefully, in her sleep shortly after 12 am on Saturday, December 9, 2023.
Betty’s 11 siblings were a constant and reliable part of her life throughout all of her years.  Her sister, Nora, was her best friend through her unmarried years, and living with Nora in an apartment in Lincoln was still something Betty had good memories of.  Betty, Danny, Nora, Keith, Pat, Dort, Nancy, Peggy, Marilyn, Mary, Bob, & Kathy were a group of siblings who always had the best of times whenever they were together.  So much laughter was had within this group, and later with all the children and grandchildren.  Betty’s siblings were the reason she had a constant smile through all of her life, passing that smile on to her children.  After marriage, Betty also became fast friends with Melvin’s family, which included his parents, Rudolph & Abby, his brother Verne and his family, and his sister, Camilla, her husband Larry and their children (Laurie, Mary (Franza), David, & Mark).  Camilla was a very special friend to Betty throughout her life.  
Betty and Melvin welcomed their first grandchild, Julie’s son, Jesse Genrich in 1989.  Jesse was their pride and joy and they loved when he would come to the farm to visit and stay overnight.  Betty welcomed her first granddaughter, Melina Kostal in 2001.  She gained two more grandchildren, Luke Feist & Kate Kostal in 2005.  Her son, Tim, and his wife, Meeghan gave Betty two more grandsons, Gage Hubka in 2010, and Calvin Hubka in 2014.  These grandchildren were the “sparkle” in her smile, each time she saw them, and she loved spending time and talking to them.  Betty was able to join with Melvin “in spirit” at their grandson Jesse's wedding to his new wife Dana (Johnson), on Saturday, December 9, 2023.  
During Betty’s lifetime she gained many friends through extended family, farm life, extension club, card parties, work, and her children’s activities, but her closest friend, above all, was Judy Vitosh.  Betty and Melvin spent a lot of time with Judy, and her husband Arnie, and Betty talked to Judy on the phone almost every night “at 9:00 pm” until she moved to the Good Sam this year.  Mary Ann Klecan was also a good friend throughout her life, and was one of her daily phone calls in the last years of her life.  Virginia Lottman was one of Betty’s “retirement” friends when she lived in Diller, and they could be seen driving about Diller in Virginia’s golf cart, once even having people in a panic when she couldn’t be found at home and she was down with Virginia in the golf cart, visiting a local friend in town.  
Betty enjoyed some hobbies and activities that included card parties with Melvin and the “local” Diller couples, gardening, baking, sewing clothes for her kids, embroidery, crossword puzzles, reading the Reader’s Digest and daily newspapers, and doing puzzles.  She loved bird watching and feeding birds.  When her children were in school, Betty and Melvin were at all of their events, not questioning whether they had time to be there, they just were.  Betty and Melvin loved summer softball, taking friends and family to games.  Betty followed Melvin as he coached and umpired during the summers. She loved watching channel 10/11, and especially enjoyed Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune daily.  She loved cheering on the Kansas City Royals, and Husker Volleyball.  Betty was an avid listener of KWBE radio, especially enjoying the Birthday Line.  Betty had KWBE playing all day on her radio even while at Good Sam.  While living in Diller, Betty walked around town a lot, enjoying seeing people, their kids, and their pets.  As Betty's activity slowed, she relied on her children and neighbors more and more.  They would bring her groceries, including her favorite staples of Chips Ahoy soft baked chocolate chip cookies (which she shared with her grandkids) and bananas. Living in a small town included having neighbors who would collect her mail and take out her trash.  
One amazing thing Betty did was to keep a diary.  Betty started this habit shortly after she was married, writing in it daily.  Her children now have a set of diaries from Betty that cover her life from 1967-2023.  Betty leaves a legacy of being positive, always having a smile, being a hard worker, and “never sitting still” with her children and grandchildren. 
Betty’s survivors include:  daughters, Julie (Pat) Feist of Beatrice, NE, Jane Briggs of Kansas City, MO, and Joyce (Paul) Kostal of Odell, NE; one son, Tim (Meeghan) of Aledo, TX; 6 grandchildren, Jesse, Melina, Luke, Kate, Gage, and Calvin; 3 brothers, Danny, Pat, & Bob; 7 sisters, Nora Kathe, Dort Brandt, Nancy Hilt, Mary Baker, Peg Barrett, Marilyn Buhman, & Kathy Wagner; brothers-in-law, Leon Kathe, Larry Brandt, John Hilt, & Jim Buhman; sisters-in-law, Dianna (Pat) Wagner & Linda (Keith) Wagner, and numerous nieces and nephews. Betty was preceded in death by her parents, Fred & Eleanor (Ullman) Wagner, her husband, Melvin, her brother, Keith; brothers-in-law, Tom Barrett, Verne Hubka, & Larry (Camilla) Budke; sisters-in-law, Bonnie (Danny) Wagner, Camilla (Hubka) Budke, & Corinne (Verne) Hubka.  

 


Memorials can be made to the family or to the Odell Public Library Restoration Project.  https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/54d315ab-c12f-4e4c-9500-407685a56397