Willa Mae Maxine (Oltman) Drent

Willa Mae Maxine (Oltman) Drent, 100 years of age, of Pickrell, Nebraska, passed away Thursday, November 24, 2022, at Lakeview Assisted Living in Firth, Nebraska.  She was born on April 21,1922, in Cortland, Nebraska, to Benjamin and Lusetta (Focken) Oltman. Willa Mae was baptized and confirmed at the United Methodist Church in Hallam, Nebraska.  She grew up on a farm near Cortland, Nebraska. She attended school and graduated from Cortland High School with the class of 1940.  On November 5, 1942, Willa Mae was united in marriage to Merle Drent in Holland, Nebraska.  To this union, five children, Linda, Shirley, Harlan, Ernie, and Laura, were born.  After Merle returned from the service, the couple lived in Saint Maries, Idaho, for three years, then moved to Princeton, Nebraska, for ten years before moving to Pickrell, Nebraska, where they had resided since.  Willa Mae was a homemaker for most of her life while loving, caring, and raising her children.  She was a member of the United Methodist Church in Pickrell, Nebraska, where she belonged to the ladies’ aid.  Willa Mae was also a member of the Pickrell Garden Club and the Senior Citizen’s Club.

Willa Mae is survived by her children: Linda Drent of Canyon Country, CA; Shirley Drent of Colorado Springs, CO; Ernie Drent and wife Nancy of Beatrice, NE; Laura Epperson and husband Ron of Holland, NE; 15 grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren; 4 great-great-grandchildren; twin sisters: Eleanor Moormeier of Firth, NE, and Elmira TeSelle of Lincoln, NE. She is preceded in death by her parents; husband Merle Drent, son Harlan Drent, granddaughter Paula (Toth) Arman, brother Milford Oltman and sister-in-law Marilyn Oltman, brothers-in-law Clifford Moormeier and Norman TeSelle, and nephews Douglas Oltman and Jerry Moormeier.

A Celebration of Willa Mae’s Life will be held at 10:30 AM Friday, December 2, 2022, at Harman-Wright Mortuary in Beatrice, Nebraska, with Pastor Mark Brunott officiating. Interment will follow at the Lincoln Memorial Park Cemetery in Lincoln, Nebraska, at 12:30 PM. Visitation will be held on Thursday, December 1, 2022, at Harman-Wright Mortuary, 623 Elk Street in Beatrice, Nebraska, from 1:00 to 8:00 PM with her family greeting friends and family, from 5:00 to 8:00 PM. Memorial contributions are suggested to the Pickrell United Methodist Church, in care of the mortuary. Condolences may be shared online at www.harmanwrightmortuary.com. Harman-Wright Mortuary & Crematory in Beatrice in charge of arrangements.

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