Funeral services for Ila June Friedrich, 87, were held on Wednesday, March 30, 2022, at Zion Lutheran Church in Plainview.
Pastor Jerome Leckband officiated the service. Burial was at Plainview Cemetery. Bearers were Derek Friedrich, Taylor Friedrich, Tyler Friedrich, Kyle Boever, Tyson Bolling, Isaac Deichmann, Garret Holland, Caleb Pence, and Kaintrel Unger. Honorary Bearers were John Kumm, Wesley Kumm, Leon Schulz, and Ralph Timmerman. Ila June Friedrich was born on December 16, 1934 to Fred and Evelyn (Heckman) Uecker at their farmstead north of Pierce, and she passed away peacefully at the Plainview Hospital surrounded by loved ones on Friday, March 25th. She was baptized at Zion Lutheran Church in Pierce, and confirmed there on March 21, 1948. Her confirmation verse was John 10:27-28: "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand." Her favorite Bible verse was Psalm 118:24: "This is the Day the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it." She graduated from Pierce High School in 1952, attended Wayne State College for teaching certificates, and taught in one-room country schools in Pierce and Madison County for six years, and one year at Zion Parochial School in Plainview. She loved teaching children in these settings, as many as 23 in one room, and was proud when her granddaughter wrote a report about one of her schools, complete with pictures of the original desks and blackboards, and got an A+. She married Gerald John Friedrich (son of John and Edith Friedrich) on June 10, 1956 at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Norfolk. The couple enjoyed going to card parties and dances, especially at King's Ballroom in Norfolk, where they met. They farmed near Plainview from 1956 until retiring to town in 1999. They had four boys and four daughters-in-law: Dan and Marcia Friedrich, David Friedrich, Kelly May, Kent and Denise Friedrich, Kirk Friedrich, and Kris Gentzler. They worked side by side with her farming, milking cows, farrowing pigs, and other chores. She loved to accompany her sons on the piano and managed to get them all to take piano lessons. Her hobbies included cooking, gardening and flowers, sewing (especially embroidery work), and singing in the Plainview Zion Lutheran Church choir and the Plainview Legion Auxiliary Quartet. She was an active member and frequent officer in Zion's Priscillas and Ladies Aid, Plainview American Legion Unit #148 Auxiliary, and Plainview V.F.W. Auxiliary. She enjoyed watching the Nebraska Cornhuskers with family and friends (even in recent years!). She loved attending her grandchildren's activities, helping them make Christmas cookies and gingerbread houses, and leading them on wild goose chase scavenger hunts on holidays. Her popcorn balls, which she made in great quantities at Halloween and Christmas, were legendary in the family and beyond. She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, and a brother (Roger Uecker). Ila J. Friedrich is survived by her four sons; 10 grandchildren: Carisa (Kyle) Boever, Camille (Garret) Holland, Candra (Caleb) Pence, Cara (Tyson) Bolling, Cherise (Kaintrel) Unger, Tyler Friedrich, Derek Friedrich, Taylor Friedrich, Samantha Friedrich, and Kynlee Friedrich; nine great-grandchildren: Elijah, Genevieve, Aurora, Tristan, and Mila Boever, Cora Pence, Graham Holland, Zedekai and Laiklyn Unger, and two on the way; one brother (Glenn Uecker) and two sisters (VeAnn Buchholz and Jeanne Emrich). Ashburn Funeral Home in Plainview is in charge of arrangements.