Lena B. Tajchman

TAJCHMAN, Lena B. 9/23/1922 – 1/11/2018 Age 95 years of Omaha Lena Belle Tajchman was born September 23, 1922 to Cornelius Ray and Roxie Marie (Stroble ) Wiseman in Moline , Kansas.She grew up in Howard, Kansas, the fifth of ten children. She loved sports and ran track and played softball.She learned hard work and frugality duringthe Great Depression, starting at age twelve to cook and clean for a family of twelve.She graduated from Howard High School and earned her RN diploma at St. Francis Hospital School of Nursing in Wichita, Kansas.During World War II, she served in the Cadet Nurse Corps. She and her roommate, Isabel Tajchman, then moved to Detroit, Michigan where she worked as a surgical nurse.During this time she met Isabel’s brother , Ivan Tajchman, a Kansas farmer. Ivan and Lena were marriedNovember 20, 1948 and farmed in Marion County, Kansas. She became the County Health Nurse.She carried her rifle in the car as she made her rounds and would often bring home fresh game to eat. She supplemented this with produce from her large garden.After the birth of their first child, in 1953, they moved to Salina, Kansas and then to Omaha, Nebraska. Lena then stayed home to care for their four children. In 1968, she reentered the workforce as an RN at St Vincent’s Nursing Home. She retired from the Veteran’s Administration Medical Center in 1984. Lena had a zest for life, a love of learning, and devoted her life to her children. She made sure they had opportunities to learn and experience as much as possible. She volunteered at St. Pius X Grade School, was Den Mother for a Cub Scout Troop, helped with Girl Scouts, volunteered for field trips and many of her children’s activities. Her Catholic faith was central to who she was, and she was an example to her children. From an early age she read them bible stories, was a member of the Legion of Mary, and a founding member of St. Leo’s Catholic Church. She enjoyed reading, sewing, crafts, gardening, camping and spending time with her family. After retirement, she and Ivan bought an RV and took several trips to explore our country. Witty and clever, she loved to laugh and make other’s laugh. She was often the life of the party. She was one of a kind.We are fortunate to have had her in ours lives. She was well loved and will be greatly missed. Lena is survived by children: Cynthia (Joseph) Hall, Anton Tajchman, Mary Gurney, and Patricia ( Robert) Ronconi, Nine grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and brothers: Louis, John and Robert Wiseman. She is preceded in death by her parents and her husband of 54 years, Ivan Tajchman,her brothers: James Cornelius “J.C.”, Ivan, Kenton,and Milo Wiseman, and her sisters: Mary Baker and Goldie “Marie” Stauffer. Visitation: Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018 from 6-8:00pm, with a wake service at 7pm, All at Braman Mortuary (72 St. Chapel) Funeral Mass: Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018 at 10:00am at St. Leo’s Catholic Church (102 & Blondo) Entombment: Calvary Cemetery In lieu of flowers, memorials to the church or to St. Pius/St. Leo’s School