Fern James

Fern James, age 86, formerly of Aurora died Saturday morning, October 6, 2001, at Tri-County Hospital in Lexington.

Funeral Services will be held at 2:00 P.M., Monday at the Higby Mortuary Chapel in Aurora. Dr. Joe Scahill will officiate. Interment will be in the Aurora Cemetery. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 P.M. Sunday at Higby Mortuary in Aurora. Condolences may be e-mailed to the family through the mortuary website at higbymortuary.com.

OBITUARY: FERN M. JAMES

Fern Marie James, the daughter of Emanuel and Nevada (Toof) Smith was born at Giltner, Nebraska on March 9, 1915 and died in Lexington, Nebraska on October 6, 2001, at the age of 86 years.

She grew up in Giltner and graduated from 8th grade in 1930.

Fern married Harry Lazar on January 1, 1941 in Las Vegas, Nevada. To this union three children were born; Joyce, Harriet and Harry, Jr. After Harry, Sr. died in 1950, Fern and her children moved back to Aurora.

Fern was united in marriage to Clifford James on February 9, 1957, at Kearney, Nebraska. To this union a daughter, LaVonne, was born. They had a farm north of Aurora. Clifford passed away on November 11, 1999.

Fern was a member of the United Methodist Church. She loved to quilt, work out in her garden and take time to visit with her neighbors.

She is preceded in death by her parents, husbands, Harry Lazar, Sr. and Clifford James; daughter, Harriet Lazar, son-in-law, Erv Reil, grandson Troy Reil and granddaughter, Tracy Reil.

Fern is survived by her daughters, LaVonne Tiede and her husband Dan of Elwood and Joyce Reil of Lexington; son, Harry Lazar, Jr. and his wife Mary Jane of Yakima, Washington; 4 grandsons, Craig Reil and his wife Jill Olson-Reil of Omaha, Jason Reil of Creston, Iowa, Bryan Reil and his wife Shelly of Lincoln, Harry Lazar, III of Yakima, Washington and Blake Tiede of Elwood; three granddaughters, Tessa Engert of Kearney, Tena Engert of Grand Island and Becka Engert of Johnson Lake and great grandsons, Parker and Hunter Reil of Lincoln