Vivian Hemesath - Memorial Page

Obituary

Vivian Catherine (Bodensteiner) Hemesath, 89, of Ossian, IA, peacefully passed in the morning hours of November 13, 2023.

Vivian was born on July 10, 1934, to parents John S. Bodensteiner and Katherine "Rena" A. (Meinert) Bodensteiner of St. Lucas, IA. Vivian graduated from St. Luke's High School in 1952 and married Francis J. Hemesath on August 30, 1955. A woman of remarkable resilience and spirit, her life was the embodiment of dedication and love for her family. Her intelligence, kind heart and wit, led her to bring joy and laughter to those around her, even in her final days. Vivian's love, wisdom and cherished memories will forever be remembered and live on through her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The family would like to give a special thank you to the staff at Ovation Heartwood Preserve, whose amazing love, care and attention allowed Vivian to live her last days with joy, compassion and dignity.

Vivian is preceded in death by her parents Katherine "Rena" (Meinert) Bodensteiner (1901-1949), John Bodensteiner (1898-1965), husband Francis Hemesath (1929-2008), sister Germaine (Bodensteiner) Hemesath (1929-2009), and brother Eugene Bodensteiner (1936-2018). Vivian is survived by her eight children, Wayne Hemesath, Kevin Hemesath (Carolyn Ott), David Hemesath (Julie Gehling), Cathy (Hemesath) Howell (Bob Howell), Daniel Hemesath (Kimberley Boyer), Dean Hemesath (Kelley McClure), Lynn (Hemesath) Stilwill, Larry Hemesath (Tia Cline); eleven grandchildren, Matthew Hemesath (Dawn Tesdale), Michael Hemesath (Stacey Hus), Devin (Howell) Larsen (Lance Larsen), Nathan Hemesath (Lauren Ramspott), Alyssa (Howell) Crowley (Samantha Crowley), Conner Hemesath, Braeden Hemesath, Carson Stilwill, Carter Hemesath, Shayna Hemesath, Sean Stilwill; and seven great-grandchildren, Alessandra Hemesath, Elizabeth Hemesath, Austin Hemesath, Kaleb Hemesath, Lucas Hemesath, Sloan Larsen and Eleanor Hemesath.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests memorials to the Ossian Public Library, 123 W Main Street, Ossian, IA and St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, 420 E Main Street, Ossian, IA.

PRAYER VIGIL - Friday, November 17, 4:30PM, St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, 420 E Main Street, Ossian, IA

VISITATION - Friday, November 17, 5:00PM, St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, 420 E Main Street, Ossian, IA

ROSARY - Saturday, November 18, 9:15AM, St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, 420 E Main Street, Ossian, IA

MASS - Saturday, November 18, 10:30AM, St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, 420 E Main Street, Ossian, IA

INTERMENT - Saturday, November 18, Following Mass, St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, 420 E Main Street, Ossian, IA

RECEPTION - Saturday, November 18, Following Burial, St. Teresa of Calcutta Catholic School, 414 E Main Street, Ossian, IA

Services

Wake/Viewing

Friday, November 17, 2023, 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm Central Time

St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church

Prayer vigil will commence at 4:30PM, visitation to follow.

Funeral Service (In-Person)

Saturday, November 18, 2023, 10:30 am - 11:00 am Central Time

St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church

Prayer of the Rosary led by Vivian's dear friend Bernadine Gander will commence at 9:15AM, followed by visitation at 9:30AM. Interment and reception at St. Teresa of Calcutta Catholic School immediately following mass.

Memories and Condolences

Please share a photo or video, or post a heartfelt condolence to the family.

I was so incredibly happy to have Grandma attend my wedding last September. She was the star of the party ... although she was concerned that she looked so lovely in her dress that she would "upstage the bride"!

Alyssa Crowley

Our fondest memories of Grandma Hemesath are when we would drive to the farm to visit her and she would open the door and greet us with a big smile and a hug. Then we would walk in and immediately smell her famous cinnamon rolls. We will miss you Grandma and we will cherish all the time we spent with you.

Carter & Shayna Hemesath

The Hemesath ladies are pictured here with Vivian at Lake Bluewater on July 9, 2022. The weekend was spent celebrating Vivian's 88th birthday and the upcoming marriage of her granddaughter Alyssa.

Devin Larsen

This was picture was taken in June 2023 right before she had one of her favorite meals…shrimp. I was able to spend 4 days with Vivian, just the two of us. We looked at photo albums and talked about those she remembered. I will always treasure the memories of hours spent talking with her and how much love and joy she showed me and my family.

Kelley Hemesath

On July 5, 2019 Vivian marked her 85th birthday with a joyous celebration on her farmstead outside Ossian, IA. All of Vivian's children and additional family traveled from across the country to honor her on this special occasion. Guests enjoyed U2 BBQ, ice cream and live music in a picturesque Fourth of July setting!

Vivian's Children

So hard to say goodbye to the one person who has been with me all my life. She lived a full life and filled it with memories beyond what we can mention. Raising 8 children on an Iowa farm with little money and a lot of energy she taught us to be adaptable and fearless. We learned to do farm chores from the time we could walk. Enjoyed her special meals including spaghetti, ham loaves, party potatoes, tuna on toast for Fridays during lent and so much more. We canned every vegetable and fruit the farm would grow, raised livestock and worked hard. Mom reveled in each of her children's distinctive personalities and understood (but didn't necessarily like) that my life took me to lots of far away places to work, live and raise my family. I was lucky that she was always willing to grab that plane ticket and support us in our endeavors whether it be in California, Virginia, Florida and whether it we were working, doing pageants, being a strong military family or just having fun. Her last days were spent happily near us with friends, support and lots of caregivers who fell in love with her sweet and indomitable spirit. Her wish for the world would be for everyone to be "fair" and "kind". She will miss her family and the friends she made everywhere she went.

Cathy Howell

One of the brightest lights in Vivian's final year was spending time with her great-granddaughter Sloan. Even on days when her thoughts and words were overcome by memory loss, Vivian was always able to articulate her joy for baby Sloan. This photo was taken on Valentines Day 2023 at Vivan's rest home in Omaha, NE.