Marcella M. Kneifl

Marcella M. Kneifl, 86, of Ponca entered into eternal life Friday, Jan. 9, 2009, at Parkview Haven Nursing Home in Coleridge, Neb.

Funeral Mass will be 10:30 a.m. Friday at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Newcastle, Neb., with her son, Father Rodney Kneifl and other concelebrating priests. There will be a rosary recited at 10 a.m. Tuesday by the Catholic Daughters of The Americas, Court Mary Our Queen, at the church. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery at Newcastle. Visitation with the family present will be 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, with a parish wake service at 7 p.m., at the church. Arrangements are under the direction of Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel in Sioux City. Condolences may be sent online to www.meyerbroschapels.com.

Marcella lived in northeast Nebraska all of her life. She was born March 5, 1922, on the family farm near Bow Valley in Cedar County, Neb., the daughter of Mathias H. and Frances (Heimes) Burbach. Marcella attended school at Sts. Peter and Paul Grade School in Bow Valley and graduated from Waucapona Rural School.

On Oct. 29, 1946, she was united in marriage to Vincent A. Kneifl at Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Bow Valley. The couple farmed near Newcastle for 34 years. Besides her role as a farm wife and mother, she sold encyclopedias for 15 years. Her husband died in June 1981, at their home in Ponca.

She was a member of St. Peter's Catholic Church, the church Sodality and the Catholic Daughters of The Americas. Her love and devotion to the church included attending daily Mass, reciting the rosary daily, teaching religious education for about 20 years and washing altar linens.

In earlier years, Marcella and her husband danced almost every Saturday night. She enjoyed her time with the Eastside Ladies Club, gardening, canning, cooking, baking, reading, crocheting and sewing. However, the highlight of her life was her 10 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

She is survived by three children, Stanley Kneifl and his wife, Jeanette of Ponca, Neb., Twila Jansen and her husband, Art of Fordyce, Neb., and Father Rodney Kneifl of Platte Center, Neb.; a brother, Roman Burbach and his wife, Rosaline of Bow Valley, Neb.; two sisters-in-law, Betty Kneifl of Newcastle, and Rita Burbach of Watertown, Wis.; six grandsons, Bill and Jim Jansen, Bernard, Vance, Ryan and Jeremy Kneifl; four granddaughters, Lori Langer, Tammy, Renee and Cynthia Kneifl; seven great-grandchildren and two on the way; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; three sisters, Josephine Rameil, Margaret Wortmann and Veronica Klug; five brothers, Anthony, Werner, Edward, Sylvester and Herbert Burbach; and a granddaughter, Ann Jansen.

Pallbearers will be her grandsons and honorary pallbearers will be her granddaughters.

Memorials may be made in her name to Servants of the Heart of the Father, an apostolate praying and fasting for an end of abortion, and also praying for bishops, deacons and priests.