Luella Fish

Luella Fish, 95, of Rising City, passed away Sunday, July 4, 2021 at St. Joseph's Villa in David City.

IN LIEU OF FLOWERS: Memorials can be directed to First English Lutheran Church, Rising City Public Library, or the Rising City Volunteer Fire Department.



Luella Katherine Heins-Fish, daughter of John and TaLetta Winkelman Heins was born in Surprise, NE, September 14, 1925. At her birth her father exclaimed, ‘Now we have our little Tootsie!’ And the nickname stuck with her into adulthood as ‘Toots’ and ‘Auntie Toots’.

She was baptized at Zion Lutheran Church in Garrison where she was confirmed and later married. Some years later she and her family became members of First English Lutheran Church in Rising, City.

As a young girl, she attended District 47 Grade School and graduated from the Surprise High School in 1941 at the age of 16 and remained on the family farm until her 18th birthday, eligible to attend business school. She received a diploma in accounting from the Lincoln School of Commerce in Lincoln, NE where she was employed by Lincoln Community Chest and American Bus Lines before her marriage to Donald Fish in 1950. They made their home in Rising City and a had one son, Tim.

In 1958 she was employed by Farmers State Bank of Rising City, which later became a branch of Union Bank Lincoln. She worked there for the next 28 years, was at one point Executive Vice President before retiring at the age of 63.

She was a member of First Lutheran Church where she taught Sunday School, sang in the choir, and was a member of the churches Mary and Miriam Circles.

Luella was also interested in community activities belong to the Helen Gould and SOS Clubs. She was Treasurer of the Rising City Community Library for more than 20 years and was an avid reader as well. She spent many hours tending her flower garden which at one point was chosen by a local paper as Garden of the Year and hosted a busload of gardening enthusiasts with cool drinks and cookies, much to her delight. Her winter pastime included quilt making at home and with a quilting group of women, members of First English Lutheran Church.

She is survived by her son, Tim (Bernard Marquez), nieces and nephews, Jeanne (Randy) Malmgren, Cheri (Larry) Nickolite, Bob Heins, Don (Laura) Heins, Ken Heins, and Randy (Carrie) Heins, God-Daughter, Ruth (Hal) Morton-Bush and several first and second cousins and their families.

Preceding her in death were both her parents, older brothers Raymond Martin, Melvin Kenneth and infant sister, Betty Ann, and of course her husband, Don on July 5, 2013