Opal Folkers

Opal Folkers was born June 17, 1933 and passed away Monday, August 30, 2021 at the age of 88 years from a short illness, at the Jefferson Community Health Center. Opal was born in Elkart, KS to Alva and Hazel (Rathbun) Bartlett and baptized at the age of 12 years old in the Odell Methodist Church. Her father Alva passed away when Opal was seven months old leaving her mother Hazel to raise Opal and her siblings in Odell where she graduated from Odell High School in 1951. Opal married Noel (Buster) Folkers on July 20, 1952 in Wymore, at the Methodist Church. To this union, two children were born: son, Randy and daughter Jan. Buster and Opal raised their family most of their lives in Fairbury. Some of Opal’s interests include: watching soap operas, crossword puzzles, putting puzzles together, going to garage sales, doing a little gambling now and then, and loved camping at their cabin area by the Little Blue River and most of all loved spending time with her grandchildren and great grandchildren. Opal was preceded in death by her husband Noel (Buster) Folkers, son Randy Folkers, her parents, Alva and Hazel Bartlett, Ruby Wamsley (sister), John and Lloyd Bartlett (brothers), two infant brothers, sister-in-law Donna Schuller (Charlie Schuller). Opal is survived by daughter, Jan Beu (husband Rick), daughter-in-law, Renae Folkers(husband Randy), grandsons, Hunter Folkers (wife Amber) and TJ Folkers (wife Anne), granddaughters, Tatum Beu and Amie Otoole (husband Vince), great grandchildren: Mykal Folkers, Austin Neumann, Mykah Folkers, Skylar Folkers, Collin Folkers, Connor Folkers, Laykin Otoole, special niece, Joyce Hayes (husband Otto), brother-in-law, Rex Ekwall (wife Loretta) sisters-in-law, Nancy Hernandez (husband John) and Gail Fanders (husband Joel), several nieces and nephews and life long friend, Evelyn McKeever. In 2018, Opal discovered she had new family members (niece, Gayle) and nephews (Mike and Patrick) she never knew existed (she thought this only happened in soap operas). They were able to travel to Nebraska to meet as a family and get acquainted. Opal and her daughter Jan had such a great mother/daughter relationship and Opal was so appreciative of Jan for all she did for her as being her main caregiver the past few years and was never wanting to ask Jan for any assistance or put her out. Services will be Friday, September 3, 2021 at 10:30 a.m. at Gerdes-Meyer Chapel in Fairbury. Memorials to the Family’s Choice. Burial in Fairbury Cemetery. Gerdes-Meyer Funeral Home is assisting with arrangements. www.gerdesmeyerfh.com. b

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