Myrna Lynn (Fode) Bleeker passed away December 15, 2025 at Bryan West Hospital in Lincoln, NE. She spent her final days surrounded by family and loved ones, reminiscing and sharing stories from her life and childhood.

Myrna was born to Edwin and Donna (Papousek) Fode in Burke, SD on November 11, 1952, the first of six children. She was baptized at Grace Lutheran Church in Burke, SD the following January. Myrna spent her young childhood on a farm near Gregory, SD before her family moved to Burke. Perhaps inspired by her mother’s love of cooking at the Family Corner Drive-In, Myrna attended Mitchell Vocation Technical School and graduated in 1972 with a degree in commercial baking.

In 1979, Myrna moved to Lincoln, NE and worked at the Ship Ahoy! Restaurant, where she met her husband Thomas Roy Bleeker. They were married in June, 1981, and their marriage was blessed with two children. She moved to Bonesteel, SD for a few years to be closer to family. In the winter of 1986, she returned to Lincoln and began working for the newly opened Mettler’s Family Bakery. For nineteen years, she worked there as a cake decorator, baker, and friend to every customer who came through the door. Her friendly smile and boisterous laugh could turn any encounter into a lasting friendship. Myrna knew everyone by name and could have told you the life stories of dozens of her customers. Myrna finished her baking career at the Walmart bakery in Lincoln, from which she retired in 2019.

Myrna loved spending time with family and friends. She frequently traveled back to South Dakota, which was always “home.” She loved games and cards, especially pitch, pinochle, and the South Dakota original, “Peg-It.” Anyone who played with her was familiar with her wildly irresponsible bidding style…which always seemed to work out in her favor! After her retirement, Myrna spent much of her time with her grandchildren, giving them the best kind of “Grandma time” child care. Myrna was a long-time member of Mt. Olive Lutheran Church in Lincoln, and her faith provided an unshakeable foundation for her life and her family.

Myrna is survived by her two children, Amanda (John) Petersen and Michelle Bergen (Dale Kovar); her eight grandchildren, Kaleah, Cloey, Lily and Isabella Petersen, and Atticus, Persephone, Thaddeus and Ophelia Bergen; her siblings Valerie (Joe) Anderson, Gaile (Randy) Sachtjen, Lavonne Fode, Lanette Fode, and Wade (Jenelle) Fode; and by many beloved cousins, nieces, and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her former husband Thomas Roy Bleeker (2010), the father of her children, and her parents Edwin Fode (1982) and Donna Janet (Papousek) Fode (2016).

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Nebraska Evangelical Lutheran High school in Waco, NE or to Mt. Olive Lutheran School in Overland Park, KS.

Memorial services for Myrna Bleeker, age 73, of Lincoln, NE will be held on Monday, December 29, 2025 at 11:00 A.M. at the Grace Lutheran Church in Burke. Burial will be in the Graceland Cemetery of Burke.