Alice Marie Keim, 89

Alice Marie Keim was born July 23, 1934 and passed away on December 24, 2023 at the Sandhills Care Center in Ainsworth, NE. Marie was born at Long Pine, NE to Theodore Harry and Mabel Iva (Higginson) Sherman, the fifth of eight children. She was their only daughter. Her first years were during the Dust Bowl and she remembered her mother soaking bed sheets in water and hanging them at the windows of their farmhouse to keep the blowing dirt out.

Growing up in the Mabelo community northwest of Ainsworth and later, the Johnstown area, Marie helped her mother with many of the household tasks. Before refrigerators were commonplace in rural communities, her family’s butter was stored in a cream can placed in the cold water of a spring along a nearby creek. It was Marie’s job to fetch the butter at meal time and she remembered her mother always telling her to “hurry Sister”! Marie was an excellent cook and a talented seamstress, teaching herself many sewing skills using a treadle sewing machine. For many years, she was a 4-H leader and shared her skills with the next generation of cooks and sewers, as well as leading animal projects.

On September 27, 1951, Marie married Glen Sorensen and they made their home on a farm northwest of Ainsworth where they raised their two children, Linda and Steve. After Glen’s passing in 1969, Marie moved into Ainsworth where she worked at the Ainsworth Star-Journal for nine years.

Marie married Erwin Keim on December 2, 1972. They lived in Ainsworth for six years before moving to Idaho in 1978. They loved living and working in the Payette and Fruitland, ID, area for the next 20 years. For a time they worked as a team for a bus company as charter bus driver and tour hostess. Marie also loved to travel with Erwin in their pickup and camper. One of their most memorable trips was to the Grand Canyon where they watched the sun rise on an Easter morning. They retired and returned to Ainsworth in 1998.

Always best friends, Marie and Erwin enjoyed retirement and they worked together at a part time job doing maintenance at the Ainsworth Park Homes for 11 years.

Marie was a member of the United Methodist Church and she served on the boards of the Brown County Hospital Auxiliary and the Ainsworth Senior Center for many years.

Marie was preceded in death by her husband, Erwin, in 2017; her first husband, Glen; her parents; her brothers, Howard, Harold, Lloyd, Jim, Kenneth and Morris; daughter-in-law, Chris Sorensen; and step-grandson, Ryan Keim.

Survivors include her daughter, Linda (Milt) Loeb of Grand Island, NE; son, Steven Sorensen of Burwell, NE; four grandchildren, Anne, Tangee, Chrissy and Shane; nine great-grandchildren; her brother, Don (Elaine) Sherman of O’Neill, NE; stepchildren, Dale (Wanda) Keim and Charlotte (Joe) Braden, all of Stayton, OR; three step-grandchildren; nine step-great-grandchildren; sister-in-law, Betty Sherman of Brule, NE; many nieces and nephews.

Funeral Services were held on Friday, December 29, 2023 at the Ainsworth United Methodist Church with Pastor David Randall officiating. Music was provided by Sherry Campbell with the congregation singing, “Precious Lord, Take My Hand”. Two special music pieces, “There Is A Hope” and “The Lord Is My Shepherd-23 Psalm”, composed and recorded by Stuart Townend were sung by soloist, Anne Casper. Casket bearers were Albert Sherman, Brad Sherman, Darin Sherman, David Sherman, Jerry Sherman and Joe Sherman. Honorary Casket Bearers were All of Marie’s nieces, nephews, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Memorials were suggested to the Ainsworth Senior Center in Marie’s name. Interment was in the Ainsworth Cemetery under the direction of the Hoch Funeral Home of Ainsworth. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.hochfuneralhome.com.