Ethel F. Frisch

Ethel Fern Frisch, 102, of O'Neill, died Sunday, Jan. 5, 2020 at the Arbor Care Center in O'Neill.

Memorial visitation will be held from 5-7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 16, 2022 at Biglin's Mortuary in O'Neill.

Memorial funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022 at O'Neill First United Methodist Church in O'Neill.

Burial will be in the Grimton Cemetery in rural Orchard.

Memorials may be made to the family for future designation.

Ethel was born on Feb. 13, 1917 in Walnut to George and Ida (Knight) Mott. The entire Mott family worked together to complete all the farm tasks. Ethel enjoyed helping her father with the outside work. She especially liked driving the horses and stacking hay. She recalled learning how to milk the cows by hand at a very young age, and when her small hands tired, her father would finish for her.

When her older sister Hazel went to school, four-year-old Ethel pleaded with her mother to attend school too. Thinking Ethel would quickly tire of the long school days, her mother relented, but Ethel loved school and did not quit.

Years earlier her grandfather George F. Mott had started School District 45 in his farmhouse. Later a small school house was built on the farm, but as the district grew, a larger school house was constructed on “school land” on the George J. Mott farm, which served area children for decades, and is where Ethel and her sisters graduated eighth grade.

The Motts were a very musical family and were well known for providing the entertainment for many house dances, with Ethel playing an accordion. When Oakview Park was built, its large dance hall became the entertainment center. Ethel had many fond memories of dancing to the music of Lawrence Welk at Oakview Park. She met with Welk in 1985, and he remembered Oakview, and they shared spirited stories about the fabled venue.

After Ethel's marriage to Herman Frisch in 1939, they settled on a farm west of Verdigre. When their two sons reached school age, she moved with the boys to Verdigre. In 1953, Ethel and her sons moved to O'Neill where the boys graduated from high school.

Larry moved to Lincoln to help start a printing plant with Carroll (Cal) Stewart, a pillar of the O'Neill area.

Ethel was a devout member of the O'Neill United Methodist Church, the Gratten Farmerettes Club and the Goldenaires Kitchen Band, as well as local card clubs for many years.

Ethel spent many final years as a resident of the Golden Living Center, where she was adored by staff and other residents for her kindness and sympathetic ear.

Ethel is survived by one son Larry Frisch of Lincoln; two grandchildren Sandra Frisch-Stotler of Kearney and Cindy (Darien) Deuter of McCook; three great-grandchildren Makayla Frisch, Tyler (Shasta) Frisch and Mallory (Keith) Haskin; nine great-great-grandchildren Huey Haskin, Eowyn Haskin, Oliver Haskin, Conner Allen, Nevaeh Smotherman, Kye Smotherman, Emersen Dunn, Everett Frisch and Elias Frisch; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; one son Art Frisch in 1995; daughters-in-law Barbara Frisch in 2011 and Deloris Frisch in 2019; and four sisters baby Irma Mott, Hazel Pierson, Elzenia Ennen and Delores Clyde.